Extended Studies, University of Nevada, Reno

Time Requirements

Time requirements and regulations for open-enrollment courses
Students may take a year from the date of enrollment to complete a course. For university courses, the minimum time for course completion is four weeks per credit from the date the first lesson is received in our office. For high school courses, minimum completion time is six weeks from the date the first assignment is received in our office. A student working on a minimum time or "accelerated" schedule is only allowed to submit a certain number of lessons each week, which is explained in more detail in the next section.

Please note: It is advisable to allow time to receive ample feedback from the instructor on each lesson before taking any exams. Working through a course in the minimum time allowed may not be possible without sacrificing the results of your exams, and possibly your grade, for the course. Please remember: Independent Learning provides an opportunity to study in a more flexible way, but is not intended to serve as a fast-track academic credit program.

Lesson submissions for open-enrollment courses
For every course there is a maximum number of lessons that may be submitted each week. To calculate this number, divide the number of lessons and tests in the course by the minimum time requirement (minimum time is four weeks per credit for university-level courses). For instance, if your course is three credits and has 28 lessons and two exams (28+2), you would calculate 30/12 = 2.5. You could alternate and submit two lessons one week and three the next week. Please note: All lessons and exams must be submitted in order. Students who fail to submit all lessons and tests will not receive credit for the course.
Several factors will determine the possibility of finishing a course in the minimum time. They are:

the availability and willingness of the instructor to work with the student;
the ability of the independent learning staff to handle an increased lesson and test submission rate;
the grades that the student receives (average on lessons and tests must be "C" or above);
the time of year;
whether all lessons have been submitted in order without missing a week. The Independent Learning office will not accept any minimum time requests that are made five weeks or less prior to spring, summer, and winter graduation dates. Due to increased work loads for our instructors and our staff at these times during the school year, acceleration is not an option.

Lesson services for open-enrollment courses
Ordinarily, you will receive your corrected lessons within two weeks. When instructors are unavailable during holidays and summer vacations, on special assignments, or during periods when their campus work is extremely heavy, you may find your lessons are delayed. We notify our students whenever we have been informed that their instructor will be gone for a period of two weeks or more. If you feel your lessons have been delayed for an inordinate amount of time, please call the Independent Learning office.

If you need to meet a deadline of completion for graduation or certification, you should enroll in time to complete the independent learning course and final examination, allowing at least two weeks to have all grades processed. Contact the Independent Learning office if you would like a lesson submission schedule prepared for you. Generally speaking, the following timelines are suggested regarding deadlines for graduation or certification:

Deadlines for May graduation
If course completion is needed for May graduation, you must have completed the lessons and the final examination must be taken (and received) in the Independent Learning office by May 1.

Deadlines for August graduation
If course completion is needed for August graduation, you must have completed the lessons and the final examination must be taken (and received) in the Independent Learning office by August 1. Please note: Check with the Independent Learning office to make sure that your instructor is available during the summer.

Deadlines for December graduation
If course completion is needed for December graduation, you must have completed the lessons and the final examination must be taken (and received) in the Independent Learning office by December 1.

Deadlines for certification or licensing
If course completion is needed for certification or licensing, it is the responsibility of the student to provide adequate lead time to assure the course grade will be available to the proper authorities in time for deadlines. Plan at least three weeks prior to your deadline for processing your final grade. Remember, if your deadline falls during a holiday or summer vacation time, a longer lead time may be necessary.

Exceptions to the published deadlines for course completion will not be granted to students who have failed to enroll sufficiently early to complete their courses.

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