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Glossary

Academic Advising

The Academic Advising Center is the central advising unit at the University of Utah that offers services that assist students in achieving their academic and personal success. Their mission is to assist new, transfer, and transitioning students through academic advising and to develop and implement individual plans for achieving educational and life goals. Academic Advising Center is available online at advising.utah.edu.


Academic Record (or College Transcript)

Participation in Early College High School begins a student's college experience and a permanent college transcript. Registration for these courses constitutes a commitment to enter the final course grade on the student's permanent college record, regardless of the results. Credit is earned by performance and participation throughout the class rather than by an exit examination alone.


Accuplacer

The Accuplacer Exam is a nationally recognized standardized exam produced by the College Board used by the University of Utah to identify the proper level of Math class for which a student should register.


Campus Information Systems (CIS)

This University of Utah resource will display contact information and allows you to view grades, transcripts, and any academic holds. From this portal, you will also be able to modify your FERPA consent.


CANVAS

An online classroom. 


Credit Hour

Credit hours don't necessarily reflect difficulty. Students will usually spend two hours studying for each hour spent in class. For most students, four to five academic classes (12 to 15 credit hours) per semester will be a full load.


Drop vs. Withdraw

If you drop a class before the deadline, it will be as if you never signed up for the class. If you withdraw, a W will appear on your transcript. The W shows an attempt to complete a class. Financial Aid will only pay for three attempts. Attempts in High School count against this number.


Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

An act that governs the release of records maintained by an institution of higher education and access to student records, including requests for information from parents and guardians.

Parents or guardians of minors in the Public School system have a right to request and be given information on their student's academic progress. Parents of public school students participate in parent-teacher conferences annually; public schools encourage parents to volunteer in the classroom. Under FERPA (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99), parents have a right to request and review a student's education records, request that the school correct records they believe are misleading or inaccurate, and request a hearing if the school does not comply. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Parents and guardians can no longer request access to education records of their children once they have left secondary school. That is why college faculty are used to communicating academic progress only with the student. Students may allow information be released to specific individuals by completing a Consent to Release Form.


General Education

Courses with General Education (or Gen Ed) designations are designed to help students develop important core skills in writing and math, think about the world from various perspectives, and become insightful thinkers, flexible problem solvers, and socially responsible citizens.


Repeatability

Students who withdraw or fail a class at AMES may not repeat the class at AMES. Classes can be repeated at the University of Utah campus and full tuition will apply. Financial Aid will only pay for three attempts of one course. Attempts in high school count against this number.


Requisite

  • Prerequisite: a course or condition that must be satisfactorily completed prior to enrolling in another course.
  • Co-requisite: a course that must be taken concurrently with or prior to another course.

Student Course Feedback

Students often ask instructors to write letters of recommendation or serve as references for employment, scholarships, and graduate programs. Students expect their instructors to objectively evaluate their abilities and take the time to write a letter reflective of their abilities. Course evaluations are similar in that they affect the instructor’s career and opportunities and instructors trust students to evaluate them fairly. Course evaluations resemble grades: students expect instructors to evaluate thoroughly the students’ work over the course of the semester and to be able to support the assigned grade using the students’ work. Likewise, instructors expect students to evaluate their courses over the entire semester and be able to support their judgments with specific examples.

Contact Us

Email ames@utah.edu
Phone (801) 587-3177

University Email Account

  • When you are entered into the University System, a university email account (umail) is created for you.
  • Any notification from the University will come to this umail account.
  • Review your umail account often because all important correspondence from the University goes to this account.  This email account can be also forwarded to your personal email.

Last Updated: 7/7/22