Course Delivery Modes/Load Allowed

Courses are delivered through various modes at Polk State College to maximize options and flexibility.

• The traditional face-to-face classroom setting is offered at all campuses and centers.
   
• Pure Internet has no face-to-face component. Instruction is delivered with the same quality as traditional education. Students use an Internet-connected computer and the College’s online learning management system called Polk Access to Learning (PAL). Some pure Internet classes may require proctored examinations. This may require visiting a testing center and may involve additional costs to the student. The class schedule identifies the delivery method. Students are advised to log into the PAL class site prior to the first day and read the syllabus carefully to determine proctoring and testing requirements. Students can learn more about online opportunities at online@PolkState.
   
• Hybrid classes are a blend of Internet and face-to-face course delivery. In a hybrid course, students attend class for some of the allotted class time and then participate in the course using the Internet as well.
   
• Competency-based education is a modularized delivery method offering students an open start date and a set number of weeks to complete the required modules.  The Engineering program and some mathematics options are delivered in this modularized method.

Students must meet the minimum technology requirements to participate in Internet and Hybrid courses. Polk State College’s Distance Learning website explains the requirements and provides further details, including a description of the PAL interface.

Maximum and Minimum Course Load Limits

During Terms 1, 2, and 3 (fall, spring, and summer), the minimum course load per term for full-time students is 12 semester hours. Enrollment in fewer than 12 credits is considered a part-time load. The average academic load during terms 1 or 2 is 15 semester hours.

The maximum course load during terms 1 and 2 is 20 semester hours per term, and 15 semester hours for the summer (term 3). However, the maximum number of credit hours cannot be taken in one accelerated term. Students maintaining a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher and who have completed at least 15 semester credits, may exceed the credit maximums with the approval of the Dean of Student Services. Those wishing to appeal this regulation are required to do so prior to the first regular registration day.

Students who plan to work while attending school are encouraged to adjust their schedules accordingly and register for classes early in the registration period in order to maximize scheduling options.