Accreditation -Certification that the College has met
established standards and is nationally recognized by
appropriate accrediting agencies. Valencia's major accrediting
agency is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS).
ACT (American College Testing Program) -College entrance
test which may be used for placement in college-level English
and mathematics courses.
Activity Period -A non-class period set aside for student
activities and various presentations.
Advanced Placement -College credits earned prior to
enrollment at Valencia Community College through certain
examinations, such as those administered by the College
Entrance Examination Board.
Arena -West Campus student development publication which
contains announcements and important information for
students and staff.
Articulation Agreement -Agreement between Florida's public
junior/ community colleges and universities assuring junior-level
status to students who complete the community college
general education and graduation requirements in university
parallel (A. A. degree) programs.
Assessment -Initial and subsequent evaluation of students to
aid in placement and progress in reading comprehension,
writing, English language skills, and mathematics.
Audit -Credit course taken as non-credit.
Career Programs -Applied Technology Diploma, A. A. S. and
A. S. Degree, Technical Certificate, and Vocational Credit
Certificate programs with courses designed to prepare students
for specialized occupations.
Catalog, Governing -The Valencia Catalog in effect at the time
of a student's initial enrollment at Valencia. Its graduation
requirements can be followed for five years.
CLAST (College-Level Academic Skills Test) -State-mandated
test of college-level competencies in English language skills,
essay, reading, and mathematics given to students who have
earned no fewer than 18 college-level credits, including ENC
1101 and ENC 1102 or equivalents and one college-level
mathematics course with grades of C or better. To qualify for
the A. A. Degree, a student must meet college-level academic
skills requirements in all four areas by test and/ or alternative
methods.
CLAST Alternatives -Methods by which students can satisfy
the CLAST without taking the examination. The alternatives
include minimum grades in certain courses and/ or minimum
scores on the ACT and/ or SAT.
CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) -from the College
Board. General and subject exams covering material taught in
college courses. Credit for courses may be granted to students
who achieve specific scores on the exams.
College Night -An evening for students, prospective students,
families, and friends to visit Valencia to meet representatives of
more than 100 colleges and universities. Usually held in early
October.
College-Preparatory Courses -Courses in reading, writing,
mathematics and English as a second language designed to
assist students who do not place in college-level course work in
the corresponding skill area( s) on entry assessment. These
courses do not apply toward any associate degree.
College-Ready Diploma -A State of Florida high school
diploma awarded based on specified course work and
minimum assessment scored.
Common Program Prerequisites -The State of Florida has
identified Common Program Prerequisites for all university
programs. These prerequisites must be completed by all
students entering the specific program.
Companion Test -A paper/ pencil version of the Computerized
Placement Tests (CPTs).
C. E. U. (Continuing Education Unit) -One C. E. U. is awarded
for every 10 contact hours of instruction in an organized
continuing education/ noncredit course.
Continuing Education -Courses and programs designed to
meet the professional development and training needs of the
workforce.
Course Load -Number of credit hours a student carries in a
session.
Corequisite -A course required to be taken at the same time as
another course.
CPTs (Computerized Placement Tests) -Major assessment
used for placement in English, reading and mathematics.
Credit by Examination -College credit in specified subjects
granted by successful completion of local or national tests.
Credit Hour -A semester hour of credit usually equals an hour
per week that a class meets per regular session. Laboratories
usually equate to one credit.
Cyber Advisor -A computerized educational planning program
that allows students to plan their degree completion
requirements and project the time it will take to complete a
degree.
Cyber Career -Valencia's online tool for students to design and
plan their career and educational goals.
Cyber Portfolio -Valencia's online tool for students to
document their learning in terms of the core competencies of
Think, Value, Communicate, and Act.
Cyber Registration -A PC-based, on-campus registration option
that allows students to examine the real-time course offerings,
build a visual schedule display, and register for classes.
Degree Audit -Formal list of courses completed and required
to be completed to qualify for graduation. A graduation check
is performed by the Registrar's Office at the student's request.
A student should make such a request after successfully
completing 40 semester hours and before her/ his last semester.
Drop/ Add -Procedure student uses at specific times to change
class schedule without penalty.
Dual Enrollment -Enrollment by a high school student in one
or more courses that count for credit in both high school and
college.
EAP -College-preparatory and college-level courses in English
as a Second Language for Academic Purposes taught for non-native
speakers of English.
Early Enrollment -Enrollment by a high school senior in one or
more college courses that do not count for credit toward high
school graduation and may or may not count toward a college
degree.
East Wind -East Campus student development publication
which contains announcements and important information for
students and staff.
ELPA (English Language Proficiency Assessment) -Generic
term, at Valencia, for any English language proficiency
assessment for non-native speakers of English. See LOEP.
Entry Assessment -An evaluation of basic skills to determine
placement for initial courses in English, reading and
mathematics. Initial course placement may include college-preparatory
and/ or college-level courses. See CPTs,
Companion, ELPA and LOEP.
Fee -A financial charge for courses and services.
Foreign Language Requirement -The requirement by Florida's
state universities that students transferring to the university
must have earned two years of sequential foreign language at
the high school level or the equivalent at a community college
and the inclusion of this requirement in Valencia's A. A. degree
requirements. Effective August 1, 1989.
Full Cost of Instruction Fee -The amount, exclusive of state
funding, established by the College to pay all costs associated
with teaching a course.
Full-Time Student -Enrollment for 12 or more semester hours
in Sessions 1, 2, and 5; six or more semester hours in Session 3
or 4.
General Education -Specific number of semester hours of basic
liberal arts courses required as foundation in university parallel
A. A. Degree. General Education courses also are required in
A. A. S and A. S. Degree programs.
Gordon Rule -State Board of Education rule that requires
students to complete successfully 12 credit hours of course work
in which they must demonstrate written skills and six credit
hours of mathematics course work at the level of college algebra
or higher.
Grade -Alphabetical measure of academic success or failure
ranging from excellent (A) to failure (F).
GPA (Grade-Point Average) -Obtained by dividing total
quality points earned by total semester hours completed. GPAs
range from 4.0 downward.
Graduation Application -The application a student must file in
the Admissions and Records Office to be awarded a degree.
This application must be submitted by the deadline date listed
in the College Calendar.
Grade Forgiveness -Refers to when a course is repeated and
the grade in the most recent attempt replaces the grade in the
previous attempt.
Grant -Funds, which do not require repayment, awarded for
college expenses to qualified students in financial need.
Independent Study -Capable students may acquire course
credits at their own pace through non-classroom, student-faculty
interaction. An additional fee is charged.
International Student -A student who has entered the United
States on a nonimmigrant visa, most often an individual on a
student visa. Immigrants, refugees, and U. S. citizens who do not
speak English as a native language are not classified as
international students at Valencia.
LIFEMap -Valencia's system of advising, programs, and
services to assist students in the design and achievement of
their career and educational goals.
LOEP (Levels of English Proficiency) -Test used for
assessment of English language proficiency of non-native
speakers of English.
Matador Day -Annual day of entertainment and fun in Session 1.
Math Path -The sequence of math courses and prerequisites at
Valencia.
Online Courses -College credit courses offered through
technologies that include Internet discussion groups, e-mail,
online conferences, and other web-based instructional strategies.
Orientation -Prior to registering for courses, students new to
Valencia must participate in a New Student Orientation
program that includes information on educational planning and
college resources, a campus tour, and group advising.
Osceola On Campus -Osceola Campus student development
publication which contains announcements and important
information for students and staff.
PAC (Performing Arts Center) -on East Campus.
Part-Time Student -Student enrolled for fewer than 12 semester
hours in Session 1, 2, or 5 or fewer than six semester hours in
Session 3 or 4.
PEC (Physical Education Center) -on West Campus.
Pre-Major -A prescribed program of study at Valencia,
including general education courses and courses prerequisite to
a specific university major, that leads to the A. A. Degree.
Prerequisite -Course which must be satisfactorily completed
before a higher-level related course can be taken.
Probation -A status given to students who fail to maintain
satisfactory academic progress.
Provisional Student -A student who has not met all necessary
requirements for admission and, thus, has restrictions on the
courses that may be taken.
Quality Points -The value, ranging from 4 to 0, for grades from
A to F for all courses completed, used in determining a grade
point average. (Also see GPA.)
Registration -The process of selecting courses and class times
for an academic session. Registration may be completed by
telephone or home computer, through Cyber Registration or in
person.
Relocatables -Temporary classrooms and/ or office buildings
on any campus.
R. O. T. C. (Reserve Officers Training Corps) -R. O. T. C. programs
are offered at Stetson University and the University of Central
Florida. Valencia Community College students may, through
cross-or dual-enrollment, earn college R. O. T. C. credit and
degree credit.
Residency -To qualify for in-state fees, students must sign a
notarized statement confirming that they have resided in
Florida 12 consecutive calendar months prior to the start of
classes for the session in which they wish to enroll.
SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) -College entrance test which
may be used for placement in college-level English and
mathematics courses.
Scholarships -Financial assistance for tuition and fee payment
granted by donors to qualified recipients.
Servicemembers Opportunity College -Programs and special
services designed to meet unique needs of active-duty military
personnel.
Session -Time period, roughly equivalent to a semester, in
which classes meet. Sessions 1, 2, and 5 usually are 14 weeks
each; Sessions 3 and 4 usually are seven weeks each.
SGA (Student Government Association) -Official
representatives of the student body to the administration in
matters concerning student life.
Student Academic Load -Number of credit hours carried by a
student in any session.
Student Activities -Various college-sanctioned projects,
endeavors, contests, and functions of an extracurricular nature
engaged in by students.
Student Classification -Pertains to full-time or part-time,
freshman or sophomore, audit or credit, degree-seeking or non-degree-
seeking, career or university parallel, etc.
Student Development Centers -Located on each campus,
provide access to and coordination of campus activities, student
clubs, student government, photo IDs and information services.
Student Success Centers -Located on each campus, a lab of
computers for educational and career planning including Cyber
Adviser, Cyber Registration, career planning programs, and
Internet access.
Suspension -Student status under which she/ he is not
permitted to attend college for a specific period of time.
TABE (Test of Adult Basic Education) -An entry assessment
used for certain applied technology diploma and vocational
certificate programs.
Telecourses -College credit courses televised weekly through
cable broadcasts on Valencia Television.
The Park News -Winter Park Center student development
publication which contains announcements and important
information for students and staff.
The Valencia Source -Collegewide student newspaper
published biweekly during Sessions 1 and 2 as part of
journalism offerings.
Third Attempt Rule -Related to the number of times a student
enrolls in the same course, the rule has different meanings in the
contexts of full cost of instruction, college-preparatory courses,
and college-level courses. See the Index for reference to sections
of the catalog that describe the rule in these contexts.
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) -Test used for
assessment of English language proficiency of non-native
speakers of English.
Transcript -A student's official academic record of college
courses.
Transfer Student -Student who attended a college or university
before coming to Valencia.
Transient Student -Student who takes one or more courses at
Valencia to apply to academic requirements at another
institution or a Valencia student who takes one or more courses
at another institution to apply to degree requirements at
Valencia.
Tutorial Assistance -Special academic help in specified
subjects.
University Parallel Program -Courses of study leading to the
A. A. degree which parallel the lower division requirements of a
bachelor's degree.
Valencia Television -See Telecourses
Valencia Volunteers -Community service organization that
matches student interest in service projects with community
needs.
VISA (Volunteers for International Student Activities) -An
organization open to all students who want to learn about other
cultures and countries, promote international understanding on
campus and in the community, and make new friends.
Weekend College -Classes offered Friday evening, Saturday,
and Sunday during Sessions 1 and 2 for the convenience of
persons who work during weekdays.
Withdrawal -Removal from a course or courses by completion
of proper forms in the Records Office or departmental office or
by a faculty member for excessive absences or by the College for
an administrative withdrawal. (See entry on withdrawal in this
catalog.)