Online A&M Courses: They’re Not All the Same!

Many students choose to take some online courses at both Blinn and A&M. Your TAP advisors urge TEAM students to think carefully before taking online courses at A&M. The biggest benefit of the TEAM program is that it provides as many students as possible the chance to have the four-year Aggie experience. If your main A&M course is online you will miss out on the Texas A&M University classroom experience that semester.

There are three main reasons TEAM students sometimes choose to take online courses at A&M:

1. Students who commute from outside the local community minimize travel and save time by taking online courses.
2. Online courses can help students avoid scheduling conflicts—assignments can be accomplished any time around students’ other courses or jobs.
3. Often the traditional sections of a course are restricted to students who are currently in a particular major.  Students outside that major who want to experience a course in that subject must register for the unrestricted online section or wait until they have transitioned into that major before taking the course.

• Example: The regular section of Sport Management 304 is only available to current Sport Management majors, whereas the online section is available to students who are not yet Sport Management majors.
• Example: The regular section of Health 231 is only available to current Health majors, whereas the online section is available to students who are not yet Health majors.

Before students are able to register for online courses they may be required to update their “Distance Education Location” in Howdy. This is done in “My Record” within the “Registration” box:

Observant students will notice that there are two types of online courses listed in the Schedule of Courses—those that have a 500 series section number (usually 599), and those that have a 700 section number (usually 700). There are important distinctions between these types.

599 sections

• Online sections intended for students who are in the local area, so there might be a requirement to meet on campus during the course
• Campus fees are assessed

700 sections (“Distance Education”)

• Online sections intended for students who are away from campus (although students who are in the local area may still register unless otherwise restricted)
• No campus fees are assessed…so students who are ONLY registered for this course will not pay for, and not have access to, the Student Computing Centers, Student Health Center, Student Recreation Center, campus buses, and other campus services
• Students can purchase some campus services

Even though students who enroll in the 700 section of an online course avoid paying for campus services, there is a significant charge associated with taking a distance education course. This charge varies by college and/or department, ranging from a minimum of $40 per semester credit hour to a maximum of $550 per semester credit hour! This means a three-credit hour distance education course could have an additional charge of up to $1,650! (The average charge is about $250 per credit hour, or about $750 for a three-credit hour course.)

A chart that lists the distance education charge per semester credit hour for each college/department can be referenced here: http://sbs.tamu.edu/accounts-billing/tuition-fees/schedule/#DIST_ED_DIFF. If the student is only taking one A&M course, and that course is a 700 section, the student won’t be disadvantaged too much because the campus fees are not charged. However, if the student is taking other A&M courses along with a 700 section, that student pays BOTH the campus fees AND the distance education fees. This information is not widely known.

Occasionally we have encountered a few TEAM students who registered only for a three-credit hour 700 section course. These students later discovered that they were unable to use the Student Health Center or Student Recreation Center, or access other campus services. Had these students been enrolled in any other traditional courses they would have been charged campus fees and would have had access to all student services.

Bottom line:  Pay attention to the different types of online courses, particularly the financial aspects.

 

 

What TEAM Students Need to Know About 1-Credit Hour KINE Courses

Some TEAM Students are anxious to enroll in as many credit hours as possible at A&M, but the five credit hour limit per semester restricts them. Since most A&M courses are three-credit hours, and because there are very few two-credit hour courses, many TEAM students register for a one-credit hour Kinesiology (KINE) course. In fact, many students are currently registered for two KINE courses. There is a lot to know about these courses, to include how the grade type of the courses can affect grade point average (GPA), and “if, when, and how” students may change the grade type. If you are registered for a one-credit hour KINE course, please continue reading—this is important.

KINE 199:

• KINE 199 is called “Required Physical Activity.”  This can be confusing because KINE 199 is not a required course unless you are a Kinesiology major.
• It does not include any academic content but may involve mastery of the basic rules of a sport, or fundamentals of a physical activity (i.e., Running, Snow Skiing, Tennis, etc.).
• When you register for KINE 199 the default grade type is “satisfactory/unsatisfactory” (S/U), often called “pass/fail.”
• You may change the grade type from S/U to a “letter grade” between the 1^st and 60^th class day of the semester. (The last day this may be done for the Fall 2017 semester will be Friday, November 17^th.) Instructions for changing the grade type will be covered below.
• If a student takes KINE 199 “S/U”, and performs at a level that would have been equivalent to an A, B, or C, the student will receive a “satisfactory” grade (S) and this will not affect the GPA. However, if the student performs at a level that would have been equivalent to a grade of D the student will receive an unsatisfactory grade (U). This will have the same effect on the student’s GPA as making an F!
• Much of the grade in KINE 199 is based on attendance/participation.  Go to class!  These should be easy/fun grade points to earn.
• KINE 199 is one of the few courses at A&M that may be taken as many times as desired.
• KINE 199 might not fulfill any degree requirement for your intended major. This could be very important if you receive financial aid. Only courses that satisfy degree requirements in the intended major may be used to qualify a student to receive financial aid. To make this determination, run a degree evaluation in Howdy to see if KINE 199 will count as a general elective in your intended major. Instructions for performing a degree evaluation are linked on the TAP website at http://tap.tamu.edu.

KINE 198:

• KINE 198 is called “Health & Fitness Activity.” Part of the course includes graded academic content (think “health class”), and part of it involves participation in a physical fitness activity such as yoga, strength training, etc.
• When you register for KINE 198, by default you are taking it for a “letter grade” (A, B, C, etc.).  This is because the course includes graded academic content.
• Students have the option of changing the grade type to “satisfactory/unsatisfactory” (S/U), often called “pass/fail,” between the 1^st and 60^th class day of the semester. (The last day this may be done for the Fall 2017 semester will be Friday, November 17^th.) Instructions for changing the grade type will be covered below.
• As the semester progresses, if you think you are not on track to earn a grade of “A” (or possibly “B”), it would be to your benefit to change the grade type to S/U so your GPA will not be lowered. However, if a student changes the grade type to S/U and performs at a level that would have been equivalent to a letter grade of D, the student will receive an unsatisfactory grade (U) and this will have the same effect on the student’s GPA as making an F.
• Students may receive credit for KINE 198 only once while at A&M.
• KINE 198 might not fulfill any degree requirement for your intended major. This could be very important if you receive financial aid. Only courses that satisfy degree requirements in the intended major may be used to qualify a student to receive financial aid. To make this determination, run a degree evaluation in Howdy to see if KINE 198 will count as a general elective in your intended major. Instructions for performing a degree evaluation are linked on the TAP website at http://tap.tamu.edu.

KINE 120:

• KINE 120 is called “The Science of Basic Health and Fitness.” It counts as a single credit hour of University Core Curriculum (Life & Physical Sciences) for many majors. Be aware that some majors require specific science courses that do not include KINE 120.
• It provides an overview of the human body; scientific fundamentals of stress, fitness, nutrition, disease and drug use; and interdisciplinary focus on wellness and longevity. It also integrates a physical activity, such as aerobic running, Pilates, swimming, etc., centering on principles and applications of the scientific basis of conditioning.
• This course may only be taken for a letter grade.
• Students may receive credit for KINE 120 only once while at A&M.
• This course is not open to students who have completed KINE 223.

 

How to Change your KINE 199 or 198 grade type:

TAMU Student Rule 10.12 gives students the ability to change the grade type of their KINE 198 and 199 courses:

10.12 Students registered for KINE 198 and KINE 199, wishing to change the grade type from a graded course to S/U or from S/U to a graded course may do so by selecting the “My Record” tab on the Howdy website at http://howdy.tamu.edu, then by selecting “Change Kine 198/199 Grade Type” in the [“My Schedule”] box. All requests for KINE 198 and KINE 199 changes must be accomplished on or before the Q-drop deadline for the fall, spring or summer semester.

After you have selected your preferred grade type, be sure to click on the button to save the change. Past students who claimed to have changed their grade type within the allowed window, but did not do so successfully, have not been granted a change after the deadline. The student information system accurately records the date and time of all such activity. Make the change and then return to Howdy later to ensure your preference was saved.

Q-Dropping a one-credit hour KINE Course:

If you need to drop your KINE course, you must see your TAP academic advisor and initiate a Q-Drop. Student Rule 1.18.3 states: “Q-drops in one-hour courses [i.e., KINE 120, 198, 199] will not count in the Texas A&M limit of four but will be included in the State-mandated limit of six dropped courses.” Don’t let a KINE course grade damage your GPA!