Academics

Code of Scholastic Integrity and Honesty

Students at Alvin Community College are members of an institution dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge through a formalized program of instruction and learning. At the heart of this endeavor, lie the core values of academic integrity which include honesty, truth, and freedom from lies and fraud. Since personal integrity is important in all aspects of life, students at ACC are expected to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity both in and out of the classroom. Incidents of scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated and are subject to disciplinary measures. See the ACC student handbook for more information.

Academic Honors and Awards

Awards Day

Awards Day is held during the spring semester. Scholarships and academic honors are awarded and campus leaders are recognized.

Vice President’s List

The Vice President’s List honors the scholastic achievement of students enrolled in 12 or more hours who have a semester GPA of 3.60 or higher.

Dean’s List

The Dean’s List honors the scholastic achievement of students enrolled in 8-11 hours who have a semester GPA of 3.75 or higher.

NOTE: Grades earned in developmental courses will not be used to qualify for the Dean’s or Vice President’s list.

Presidential Scholar

Presidential Scholars are selected during the spring term. A student may receive the award one time. To be designated a Presidential Scholar, a student must have:

• Completed 45 college-level semester hours at Alvin Community College, excluding sports and human performance activity credits,
• Completed 18 of the 45 semester hours in university-transfer courses, excluding sports and human performance activity credits,
• Earned a minimum 3.95 grade point average on all college level courses taken at ACC, 
• Have no grade below a B on any course taken at ACC,
• Completed at least 12 college-level semester hours taken at ACC during the previous calendar year, and
• Have no record or pending charges of disciplinary action or academic dishonesty,
• Be currently enrolled or a graduate during the current academic year.

Phi Theta Kappa - Honor Society

Mu Upsilon is the local chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. This prestigious organization recognizes and encourages scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship. A letter or email of invitation is provided to eligible students and membership is limited to students who meet the following requirements.

• Minimum 3.5 GPA
• Completed 15 college credit hours
• Declared major on file

Academic Probation

Students are placed on academic probation when they fail to maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) on all coursework including developmental education. The probation stands until the cumulative GPA is raised to 2.0 or higher. The maximum course load for students on academic probation is 13 credit hours.

Students who do not make satisfactory progress in the following programs will be subject to removal from the program:

• Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography-Adult Echocardiology 
  Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography-Pediatric Echocardiology
• Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography-Vascular Sonography
• Emergency Medical Technician
• Health Information Management
• Law Enforcement Academy
• Law Enforcement In-Service Training
• Neurodiagnostics
• Nursing
• Nursing-Transition
• Pharmacy Technician
• Polysomnography
• Respiratory Care
• Vocational Nursing

Core Requirements

Through the Texas Core Curriculum, students will gain a foundation of knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, develop principles of personal and social responsibility for living in a diverse world, and advance intellectual and practical skills that are essential for all learning.

Core Objectives

• Critical Thinking Skills (CT) - to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information.
• Communication Skills (COM) - to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication.
• Empirical and Quantitative Skills (EQS) - to include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.
• Teamwork (TW) - to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.
• Social Responsibility (SR) - to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities.
• Personal Responsibility (PR) - to include the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.

Core Curriculum and Transfer

Under the Core Curriculum transfer rules and regulations, all Texas public colleges and universities must accept transfer of credit for successfully completed courses from ACC’s Core Curriculum. (Note: Some universities may deny the transfer of credit in courses with a grade of “D.”) A student’s transcript will indicate core completion.

Core Completers

Core completers will receive credit for each course transferred. Students will not be required to pass additional core curriculum courses at the transferred public institution unless the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has approved an expanded core curriculum at that institution.

Incomplete Core

Students who do not complete the core curriculum may still transfer any credits earned. Students are then required to complete core requirements at the transferred institution.

Resolution of Transfer Disputes

The following procedures shall be followed by public institutions of higher education in the resolution of credit transfer disputes involving lower-division courses:

1. If an institution of higher education does not accept course credit earned by a student at another institution, the receiving institution shall give written notice to the student and to the sending institution that transfer of the course credit is denied.
2. The two institutions and the student shall attempt to resolve the transfer of the course credit in accordance with Coordinating Board rules and/or guidelines.
3. If the transfer dispute is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student or the sending institution within 45 days after the date the student received written notice of denial, the institution whose credit is denied for transfer shall notify the Commissioner of the denial.

The Commissioner of Higher Education or the Commissioner’s designee shall make the final determination about the dispute concerning the transfer of course credit and give written notice of the determination to the involved student and institution.

Field of Study Curriculum

A “field of study curriculum,” is used to satisfy the lower division requirements for a bachelor’s degree in a specific academic area at a post-secondary institution.

Field of study curriculums are available at Alvin Community College for the following departments:

• Business
• Communications
• Computer Science
• Criminal Justice
• Mexican-American Studies
• Music
• Nursing
• Social Work

Educational Guarantee

Transfer Credit Programs

Alvin Community College hereby guarantees to students who have graduated with the associate of arts or associate of science degree that course credits earned as part of these degree programs will transfer to those Texas colleges or universities which participate in the Texas Common Course Numbering System under the following conditions:

1. Transferability means acceptance of credit toward a specific major and degree. Courses must be identified by the receiving university as transferable and applicable in the Texas Common Course Numbering System Guide.
2. Limitation on total number of credits accepted in transfer, grades required, relevant grade point average, and duration of transferability apply as stated in the general undergraduate catalog of the receiving institution.
3. Only college-level courses with Community College General Academic Course Guide Manual approved numbers are included in this guarantee.

 The transfer plan must include:

• courses to be taken for transfer,
• name of college to which student plans to transfer,
• the name of degree and major selected,
• the date the decision was made, and
• an Associate in Arts or Associate of Science degree plan.

If all of the above conditions are met and a course or courses are not accepted by a receiving institution in transfer, the student must notify the Vice President of Instruction, within ten (10) days of notice of transfer credit denial so that a “Transfer Dispute Resolution” process can be initiated.

Alvin Community College guarantees that if course denial is not resolved, the College will offer the student tuition-free alternate courses, semester hour for semester hour (not to exceed 12 semester hours) which are acceptable to the receiving institution. This guarantee will be good for a one-year period from the granting of a degree by Alvin Community College. The student is responsible for payment of any fees, books or other course related expenses.

This guarantee is designed specifically for those ACC students who have made firm decisions about their major and the institution to which they plan to transfer. In order to secure such a guarantee, students must begin the process with a Pathways Advisor. This guarantee does not apply when degree requirements set by some universities vary significantly from ACC’s degree programs.

Technical Programs - Competent Job Skills

Alvin Community College guarantees that recipients of an Associate of Applied Science degree or certificate of completion will have the job skills for entry-level employment in the occupational field for which the student has been trained. If such a degree or certificate recipient is judged by the employer to be lacking in technical job skills (identified as exit competencies for the specific program by ACC), the recipient will be provided up to nine (9) tuition-free credit hours of additional skill training. The following special conditions apply to this guarantee:

1. The student must have earned the Associate of Applied Science degree or certificate as of May 1993 or thereafter in a technical or occupational program listed in ACC’s catalog.
2. The student must complete the program within four (4) years prior to the date of graduation and earn, as a minimum, 75% of the credits at ACC.
3. The student must be employed full time within six (6) months of graduation in an occupation directly related to the specific program completed at ACC.
4. The employer must certify in writing that the student lacks the entry-level skills identified by ACC as program exit competencies and must specify the areas of deficiency within ninety (90) days of the student’s initial employment.
5. Upon receipt of the employer’s written notice, an educational plan for retraining will be developed by the appropriate Dean and other appropriate personnel.
6. Retraining will be limited to nine (9) credit hours related to the identified skill deficiency and to those classes regularly scheduled during the period covered by the retraining plan.
7. All retraining must be completed within a calendar year from the time the educational plan is agreed upon.
8. The student and/or employee is responsible for the cost of books, insurance, uniforms, fees and other course related expenses.
9. The guarantee does not imply that ACC graduates will pass any licensing or qualifying examination for a particular career.
10. Additional training for skill deficiencies shall be limited to nine (9) tuition-free credit hours under conditions described above.

Core Objectives

Foundational Component Area: Communication

SCH: 6
CT: Required Core Objectives
COM: Required Core Objectives
EQS: Optional Core Objectives
TW: Required Core Objectives
SR: Optional Core Objectives
PR: Required Core Objectives

Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.

Foundational Component Area: Mathematics

SCH: 3
CT: Required Core Objectives
COM: Required Core Objectives
EQS: Required Core Objectives
TW: Optional Core Objectives
SR: Optional Core Objectives
PR: Optional Core Objectives

Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience.

Foundational Component Area: Life and Physical Sciences

SCH: 6
CT: Required Core Objectives
COM: Required Core Objectives
EQS: Required Core Objectives
TW: Required Core Objectives
SR: Optional Core Objectives
PR: Optional Core Objectives

Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on human experiences.

Foundational Component Area: Language, Philosophy & Culture

SCH: 3
CT: Required Core Objectives
COM: Required Core Objectives
EQS: Optional Core Objectives
TW: Optional Core Objectives
SR: Required Core Objectives
PR:  Required Core Objectives

Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures.

Foundational Component Area: Creative Arts

SCH: 3
CT: Required Core Objectives
COM: Required Core Objectives
EQS: Optional Core Objectives
TW: Required Core Objectives
SR: Required Core Objectives
PR:  Optional Core Objectives

Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art.

Foundational Component Area: American History

SCH: 6
CT: Required Core Objectives
COM: Required Core Objectives
EQS: Optional Core Objectives
TW: Optional Core Objectives
SR: Required Core Objectives
PR:  Required Core Objectives

Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role.

Foundational Component Area: Government/Political Science

SCH: 6
CT: Required Core Objectives
COM: Required Core Objectives
EQS: Optional Core Objectives
TW: Optional Core Objectives
SR: Required Core Objectives
PR:  Required Core Objectives

Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations.

Foundational Component Area: Social & Behavioral Sciences

SCH: 3
CT: Required Core Objectives
COM: Required Core Objectives
EQS: Required Core Objectives
TW: Optional Core Objectives
SR: Required Core Objectives
PR:  Optional Core Objectives

Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture.

Foundational Component Area: Component Area Option

SCH: 6
CT: Required Core Objectives
COM: Required Core Objectives
EQS: Optional Core Objectives
TW: Optional Core Objectives
SR: Optional Core Objectives
PR:  Optional Core Objectives

1. A minimum of 3 SCH must meet the definition and corresponding Core Objectives specified in one of the foundational component areas
2. As an option for up to 3 semester credit hours of the Component Area Option, an institution may select course(s) that:
   1. Meet(s) the definition specified for one or more of the foundational component areas; and
   2. Include(s) a minimum of three Core Objectives, including Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and one of the remaining Core Objectives of the institution’s choice.

Core Curriculum

Core Curriculum  

Distance Education

Distance education courses are an option for students who work irregular hours or have other time commitments. ACC offers two different ways to complete a distance education class in a secure online environment - Internet (IN) or Hybrid (HY).

Internet (IN)

An Internet (IN) class is conducted almost, if not entirely, online. Some instructors may require that students come to campus for orientations, field trips, or to take tests in an approved testing location. Students must have access to the reliable high-speed Internet in order to be able to complete all course requirements. Internet classes are conducted through Blackboard, which is ACC’s Learning Management System. Students may request a course syllabus in advance to determine if course is fully online or not.

Hybrid (HY)

Hybrid courses combine online learning and face-to-face instruction in a manner that reduces the number of classroom meetings. Students attend a portion of the class in the traditional classroom at regularly scheduled times and complete the remaining portion of the class online using Blackboard.

What Programs re Available Online?

The Distance Education Department at ACC offers the following degrees and certificates that can be earned completely online: 

• Associate of Arts (A.A.) in Sociology
• Associate of Arts (A.A.) in Psychology
• Associate of Arts- General Studies (A.G.S.)
• Management Degree (A.A.S.)
• Management Certificate

For more information about our online degrees and certificates, visit with an ACC Pathways Advisor.

What is Blackboard?

Blackboard is ACC’s Learning Management system. Your Internet and hybrid classes can be accessed via Blackboard by clicking “THE POD” at the top of the ACC homepage. Once you have logged into THE POD, you should see your courses, depending on your device, either on the right-hand side or bottom of your screen under “My Classes.”

How Do I Know if My Device is Compatible With Blackboard?

Use this link below to find out if your operating system and browser are compatible with Blackboard?

What is the Blackboard Student App?

The Blackboard student app enables students and faculty to access and update much of the core content already available on Blackboard from their mobile devices.

How Do I Obtain the Blackboard Student App?

• Google Play store on Google devices
• Android Marketplace™ on Android devices
• App Store on iPhone®, iPod touch®, and iPad™
  • Search for “Blackboard Student”
  • Install the app
  • Search for Alvin Community College
  • Log-in using your ACC email address and password

Where can I find my Internet/Hybrid courses?

Online/Hybrid classes can be accessed via THE POD at the top of the ACC homepage.

When should I log-in to my Internet/Hybrid courses?

Make sure to access your courses on the first day of class.

How will my instructors communicate with me?

Check your ACC student email regularly for important updates or reminders from your instructors. Be sure to also review your course syllabus so that you are aware of what other ways your instructor might communicate with you.