BEST Division Policies

The mission of Wake Tech’s BEST Division is to provide education and training in Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing and Construction and Design Technologies to prepare students for successful employment and rewarding careers in those fields.

The BEST Division also promotes STEM initiatives and events to enrich students' lives with real-world knowledge and practical experience, supporting them in becoming informed, engaged citizens and good stewards of community resources.

Core values

In keeping with Wake Tech's core values, BEST Division courses promote the following:

• Accountability: Instructors and students stand by their words and actions, taking full responsibility for what they create and contribute to the community.
• Respect: Instructors and students foster an environment that is respectful of all.
• Responsibility: Instructors and students foster an environment that promotes taking responsibility for one’s actions and obligations.
• Critical thinking: Instructors and students strive to improve the critical thinking skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
• Communication: Instructors and students strive to ensure that both written and oral communications are clearly understood.
• Collaboration: Instructors and students strive to develop collaborative skills.

Attendance

Wake Tech expects and encourages regular class attendance. Attendance policies are detailed in the college catalog.

Field trips

Some Building, Engineering and Skilled Technologies Division courses include field trips. Students enrolled in courses with scheduled field trips are expected to attend those trips. Alternative assignments may be made available upon request. Students should consult instructors for further information.

Inclement weather

In emergency situations – inclement weather, power outages or any other conditions constituting an emergency situation – the college may delay opening or close for the day. See the college catalog for details.

If inclement weather occurs after the college has opened, closings will be announced by instructors as well as through Wake Tech WARN. All students are encouraged to sign up for alerts to be kept informed of any campus closings.

Student withdrawal

Students who find it necessary to withdraw from a course can initiate the process as outlined in the college catalog. 

Building, Engineering and Skilled Technologies Division programs abide by the academic policies set forth in the college catalog. Please review those policies governing student conduct in the Expectations of Student Conduct on Campus section.

Expectations of students

Students are expected to be actively engaged in and responsible for their own learning:

• Verify completion of prerequisite or co-requisite requirements for courses.
• Purchase all textbooks, software and supplies required for class.
• Attend class regularly and be on time and prepared for lectures, labs and exams.
• Complete work outside class as required, including team assignments and projects.
• Monitor Blackboard and Wake Tech email regularly to stay informed and up to date.
• Respect instructors' position as classroom leaders.
• Respect themselves and their classmates and support everyone's right to learn.
• Participate in class by asking relevant questions and making appropriate comments.
• Listen attentively to instructors and to other students' comments and questions.
• Use classroom technology for academic work only.

Academic integrity

Education requires an environment that is conducive to learning, and both students and instructors are responsible for creating that environment. It is based on a shared commitment to honesty, truth, fairness, respect and individual integrity.

Students may be asked to sign a statement of academic integrity upon entering class at Wake Tech. Cheating and plagiarism are dishonest and violate the integrity of the academic process. Academic penalties for cheating and plagiarism will be evaluated according to the Student Code of Conduct.

NOTE: Sharing information and collaborating are essential to the academic process – they become violations only when they involve dishonesty.

Instructors should establish clear expectations about collaboration among students. Students should make sure that any work submitted for individual or group assignments is original work. When in doubt about what constitutes cheating or plagiarism, students should contact their instructors promptly for clarification.

Communication and email

Every curriculum student is provided with an official Wake Tech email account through the student portal (my.waketech.edu). This college-issued email account is to be used for all email correspondence with instructors and other college officials. Once the account has been activated, students may choose to redirect their email to a personal account, but be aware that official correspondence from the college – communications from instructors, information about registration or financial aid, etc. – will be sent only to the Wake Tech email address.

Faculty are expected to:

• Promote a respectful and positive learning environment for all, demonstrating an understanding and appreciation of diversity
• Be prepared for classes and labs with lessons promoting student engagement and active learning
• Administer class and college policies fairly and consistently
• Maintain accurate records of attendance and academic performance
• Protect every student's right to a positive learning experience
• Report test and assignment grades within a reasonable period of time, recording major grades on Blackboard or other course learning management system within one to two weeks
• Use all scheduled class time effectively
• Assign student grades according to methods that are professionally acceptable, communicated to everyone in the class and applied to all students equally

Most classroom issues can be solved with prompt, respectful communication. For a student complaint or grievance, the BEST Division abides by the Student Code of Conduct, Rights and Responsibilities and follows the BEST Division chain of command. 

Steps for resolving issues or concerns:

• The student communicates concern to his or her instructor outside of class time.
• If not satisfied with the instructor's decision, the student then speaks with the program director.
• If the matter is still unresolved, the student then schedules an appointment with the department head or division dean. The student should be prepared to explain the reason for disagreement with the decisions of the instructor and program director.

Late adds: Courses may not be added after the end of the drop/add period. Students who have extenuating circumstances should speak to their program directors or department heads before the end of that period.

Prerequisites/co-requisites: Students who have not met prerequisite or co-requisite requirements for any BEST course will not remain registered for that course. Registered students who have transcripts, grades or work experience proving completion of prerequisite or co-requisite requirements must see the program director or department head before the beginning of the semester to obtain an override. Official transcripts must be sent to Wake Tech's Admissions Office to initiate the transcript evaluation process.

Full classes: Wake Tech cannot guarantee any student entry into a class that is full. It is critical that students register as soon as possible. Any student purged from a class due to non-payment will not be guaranteed entry into that class once it is full.

Time conflicts, exceeding retake limits and credit overload: These issues will be resolved on an individual basis. Students should contact their program director or department head.