Student Rights and Responsibilities
The University strives to treat students and student organizations in a consistent and fair manner while respecting their rights and responsibilities as members of the Aspen University community. We are committed to balancing the interest of the individual student or student organization with the needs of the community at large. Our goal is to uphold our institutional values.
Students should refer to the Academic Catalog for the Academic Integrity Policy, Disability Policy, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Student Identity Policy, Testing Policy, and Substance Use and Abuse Policy.
Students are responsible for:
- Active Learning: Active learning is learning that requires student engagement. Students will be required to participate in active learning throughout the nursing core curriculum. Active learning activities include but not limited to, pre-class assignments, unfolding case studies, NCLEX practice questions, role playing, concept maps, peer teaching, or simulation. Active learning promotes higher order of thinking thus enhancing the student’s ability to critically think, increasing retention of information, and improving performance on exams and evaluations. Participation is formally recorded via the D2L Online Classroom; students must participate in D2L at least once during the first week of the course and at least once every subsequent 14 days or they will be administratively withdrawn from the course.
- Time Management: Time management will be one of the biggest challenges students must conquer to be successful in the SONHS BSN Pre-Licensure Program. In addition to scheduled classroom time, students will also have assigned clinical rotations.Clinical rotations are scheduled for students and there are no guarantees that clinicals can be rescheduled once assigned.Missing a clinical could result in failure of the course. Students can use the following to assist in managing their time in the smartest, healthiest, and rewarding way: Get a planner and keep track of all assignments, exams, class/lab/clinical times, study times, social events, etc.; make “to-do” list that includes everything due for the week, students feel a sense of satisfaction when marking completed items off the “to-do” list; banish things that waste your time (i.e. Social Media); maximize use of downtime by downloading a NCLEX question app and completing practice questions; adopt a “One-and-Done” approach by going into performance based assessments with the attitude of passing on the first attempt.
- Communication: Communication is interacting effectively with clients, families, faculty, staff, and colleagues and fostering mutual respect and shared decision making. Effective and professional communication between students, students and faculty/staff, students and clients, and students and healthcare providers are incredibly important. Faculty will provide students with an email address for communication; occasionally faculty may provide students with a phone number. Email is generally the preferred method of communicating with faculty unless otherwise specified. Students should think about the best way to communicate with faculty prior to making contact. For instance, if you are studying for an exam and have a question and send an email at 2:00am, it is unlikely you will receive an answer until the next day or potentially not before the exam. When sending an email ensure to address the faculty in a professional manner (i.e., Mr., Mrs. Dr.; not by first name or just the last name), ensure to include the cohort name, class and section number in the subject line of the email, review the email before sending to ensure the correct message and tone are getting across to the faculty, check the email for grammar and spelling, and ensure the question is not found within the course information in D2L.
- Professionalism: Professionalism is demonstrating accountability for one’s actions and ensuring one’s actions are consistent with moral, legal, ethical, regulatory, and humanistic principles. The purpose of professionalism in nursing is to provide top-quality client care while upholding the values of accountability, respect, and integrity. Students can demonstrate professionalism in nursing by advocating for clients; communicating effectively with faculty, staff, colleagues, clients, and other healthcare providers; working together as a team by collaborating with and mentoring others; keeping a positive attitude; practicing evidence-based care by keeping up with course information and practicing skills; and maintaining integrity by taking personal responsibility and holding yourself accountable for any mistakes or near misses.
Should students require assistance in developing any of the above or have concerns they are encouraged to contact their course faculty or academic advisor.