STUDENT HANDBOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword   …  …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …         1

Message from the Principal …           …         …         …         …         …         …         1

General Information on Nastech Institute of Technology   …         …         …         2
Brief History of Nastech Institute of Technology   …           …         …         …         2
Administrative Organization of the Institute    …    …         …         …         …         3
The Registrar   …        …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …       4
Academic Divisions   …          …         …         …         …         …         …         …        5
Facilities   …    …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …       6
Semester System   …  …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …       7
Matriculation   …       …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …         7
Regulations for Students   … …         …         …         …         …         …         …        8
Regulations and Admission of Students   … …         …         …         …         …         9
Academic Programme   …      …         …         …         …         …         …         …         9
The Library   …            ….        …         …         …         …         …         …         …        9
Regulations on Semester Examinations and Course Unit   …         …         …         10
Registration and Counseling   …       …         …         …         …         …         …         11
Academic Counseling   …       …         …         …         …         …         …         …         11
Orientation and Registration   …      …         …         …         ….        …         …         12
Arrangements for Final Going Down   …      …         …         …         …         …         12
Nastech Institute of Technology Property   …          …         …         …         …         13
Students’ Representative Counseling   …     …         …         …         …         …         13
Public Functions within the Computer Institute    …           …         …         …         -14
Clubs and Societies   …          …         …         …         …         …         …         …         14
Academic Dress   …    …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …         14
Use of Nastech Institute of Technology Transport              …         …         …         -16
Communication with outside establishments and the Press   …    …         …         16
Ponding   …     …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …         16
Assessments of Students   … …         …         …         …         …         …         …         18
Qualification of taking End- of- Semester Examination   … …         …         …         18
Grading System   …    …         …         …         …         …         …         …         …         19
Numerical Equivalent Grade   …       …         …         …         …         …         …         19
Grade Point and Grade Point Average   …   …         …         …         …         …         19
Other Letter Grading   …        …         …         …         …         …         …         …         20
Progression in Programme   …          …         …         …         …         …         …         20

 

FOREWORD

This handbook and students guide has all the regulations of the Nastech Institute of Technology, including rules governing examinations and criteria for graduation and general conduct of students in the campus. It is also meant to help you organize your life on campus.
I wish to encourage all students to carefully read the Handbook and Students Guide so that they will become conversant with the content and thus avoid breaking the Institute rules. The Nastech Institute of Technology, determined to protect the integrity of its certificate, does not entertain any form of examination malpractice. Any offender of examination rules and regulations shall be dealt with strictly as spelt out in the Handbook and Students Guide.
The regulations are intended to ensure that students live and work in peace and harmony. It is also importance that each student makes it his or her responsibility to keep himself or herself abreast of current requirements and regulations of his or her programme.
Care has also been taken to explain the functions of the principal officers of the institution. The Director, Registrar, Finance Officer, Dean of Students, etc.
Also explained for the guidance of the students are semester system, registration, orientation of students, matriculation and channels of communication.
We wish our students a happy stay and a successful academic life in campus.

 

Director
……………………………………………….
September, 2012

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

On behalf of the Proprietor, Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees, academic and non-academic staff, I welcome all freshmen and women of the Nastech Institute of Technology, Sunyani (NIT) to a refreshingly new academic year. The 2010/2011 Academic Year marks the time that the NIT embarks upon its journey to the “Promised Land.” As we begin, there shall emerge some challenges and I wish to appeal to all and sundry to withstand the problems that we may encounter. Being pioneers freshmen and fresh ladies, you have become part of the Nastech Institute of Technology at a time when the Institute is beginning. You have joined a happy and cohesive community that chooses you among the lot. You are therefore, very special to the Computer Institute.
Freshmen and fresh ladies, you have gained admission into a uniquely unique Computer Institute where you will be taught to realize that the knowledge / education that you shall acquire should not only be used to make you powerful and rich but also your education should be used for the good of others.
I pray for a very successful year as the Nastech Institute of Technology opens with a more fulfilling academic environment at its first beginning. Welcome once again.

 

Principal
……………………………………….
September 2, 2012

GENERAL INFORMATION ON NASTECH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

BRIEF HISTORY

Nastech Institute of Technology was establish in 2004 as the first Community Computer Training Centre in Sunyani and become fully Diploma awarding full-time Computer Institute in Sunyani in 2008/9 and the Nation as a whole to train generally, Amateur Community Technicians, Teachers, Senior High School Leavers, Adults and Children in One Year Certificate in I.C.T., Three Years Diploma in Information and Communication Science Technology, Hardware, Networking and software with Programming.

RATIONALE

OBJECTIVES

The programme seeks to achieve the following objectives:

ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANISATION

Nastech Institute of Technology consists of the following divisions:

THE DIRECTOR

The Director is the overall governing head of the institution, he is responsible for the statutes and the final decision body of the institute.

THE PRINCIPAL

The Principal is the academic and administrative head of the Nastech Institute of Technology. He is responsible to the Board of Directors for the overall administration of Nastech Institute of Technology.

The Principal has the added role of providing general leadership to the various sections and divisions of Nastech Institute of Technology.

He is also the Chief Disciplinary Officer of Nastech Institute of Technology.

THE VICE – PRINCIPAL

The Vice – Principal is assigned responsibility by the Principal. He acts for the Director when the latter is absent.

CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION

The Central Administration consists of the following:

THE REGISTRAR

The Registrar is the officer responsible to the Principal for the general administration of the Computer Institute.
The Registrar is the Secretary to the Nastech Institute of Technology Board and all Boards/ Committees of the Computer Institute.

THE FINANCE OFFICER

The Finance Officer is responsible to the Principal for the financial administration of the Institute. He also co-ordinates all formal official accounting and financial activities of the Computer Institute

DEAN OF STUDENTS AFFAIRS

The Dean of Students is responsible for the general welfare of all students. The responsibilities of the Office of the Dean encompass academic and non-academic matters affecting students.

COMPUTER LABORATORY

The Institute has its own computer laboratory with internet facilities which provides computer literacy courses for the students. The computer literacy courses are a pre-requisite for all students in the Computer Institute.

LIBRARY

The library plays an integral role to the academic programmes of the Institute. The Institute has an ultra-modern library with various sections.

SEMESTER SYSTEM

The Institute operates the semester system. There are two semesters of sixteen weeks each in the academic year. The first semester usually begins in September and ends in February the following year. The second semester begins in March and ends in June.

ORIETATION OF STUDENTS

Orientation of all freshmen/women takes place at the beginning of each academic year. It is compulsory for all fresh students to take part in the orientation activities.

The aims of the orientation are as follows:

The orientation shall involve the department representatives (including the Office of Dean of Students) who will explain various concerns such as the Institute structure, nature of programmes, student’s affairs, and the academic channels of communication.
The registration of courses shall take place alongside the orientation and counseling programmes for the new students and this shall cover a period not exceeding one week. Continuing Students shall register for courses at the beginning of every semester and the period of registration shall not exceed three days.

MATRICULATION

A matriculation ceremony is held for all freshmen/women during first semester of the academic year. The purpose of the ceremony is to formally admit students into the Institute.
Attendance of the ceremony is compulsory for all freshmen/women.
No student will be allowed to take any of the examinations of the Institute until he/she has been duly matriculated and sign the matriculation register.

ID CARDS

All registered students are issued with ID Cards. Students are advised to carry on them their ID Cards always.

 

ACADEMIC DRESS


Academic gowns or formal/appropriate dresses shall be worn by students on occasions to be specified by the registrar.

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

PUBLIC FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE INSTITUTE

The applicants must supply information relating to:

USE OF THE INSTITUTE TRANSPORT

All requests for the use of the Institute transport must be submitted in witting to the Registrar through the SRC at least seven (7) days before the date of the journey. Each request must contain the following:

 STUDENTS EXCURSIONS

The following regulations govern the organization of excursions by the students:

COMMUNICATION WITH OUTSIDE ESTABLISHMENTS AND THE PRESS

“PONDING”

The Institute shall not tolerate the ‘ponding’ of any individual. Ponding is a punishable offence which will attract a major penalty. The Computer Institute does not accept liability for any injuries from ponding and shall hold the student or group of students liable to any such offence.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR FINAL GOING DOWN

When a student has completed his/her programme of study in the Computer Institute, or leaves the Institute  for any other reasons, he/her shall obtain a clearance certificate from the Dean, Librarian and the Finance Officer for presentation to the Registrar’s Office who shall issue him/her with the final clearance.

 

APPLICATION AND REGISTRATION


Admission and General Requirements:

 

 

The Admission Committee may recognize the work experience or other qualifications of “mature entry” applicants, i.e., applicants who are thirty (30) years of age or older and who do not satisfy all the requirements for the normal admission.

The Admission Committee will consider applicants who wish to study on part-time basis.

 The admission Committee will consider applicants to the Night School Programme on the same basis as other applicants, either as regular or mature entry but part-time.

 

Applicants will submit their completed application forms on or before the dates indicated. The admissions Committee will review the list of applicants and determine the final selection. The Admission Committee will inform the successful applicants, who will then proceed to register.

Students who register after the end of the official date for registration will pay a penalty of ten Ghana Cedis (¢10.00) for each day of default for a period not exceeding five (5) working days after which no further registration will be allowed.

 

Registration by proxy is NOT allowed. It can only be done by special circumstances determined by the Nastech Institute.

All students are required to pay in full the academic year’s fee at the beginning of the academic year.

Any student with arrears of fees shall normally be excluded from the Institute. Such students shall NOT be entitled to attend lectures, tutorials, classes or any kind of teaching or to participate in research or project work of the Institute; shall not be allowed to sit or receive the results of any examination, or to use any of the Nastech Institute’s facilities.

Any student who previous session account is not fully paid up will normally be prevented from registering the subsequent session of the Institute.

Any students who has not paid up his/her fees or any other debt owed the Computer Institute  will not normally be eligible to have a diploma or receive an award of a certificate or any other qualification from the Institute  until the fees or debt has fully been paid.

Students are required to sign up for an e-mail account in the Institute website and ensure that the account is active. All bills and other fee related notices may be sent through students e-mail.

 

FACILITIES TO BE ENJOYED

Evaluation and Grading System:

Consistent with a dialogue education and a practical based learning system, students will be assessed on an ongoing continuous basis. The effect of this is to place less importance on a final examination and more on regular performance throughout the semester. Attendance at lectures or seminars is required, except in special circumstances such as illness which must be certified in writing by a medical doctor and accepted by the Dean of Students Affair. Students who miss more than twenty (20) percent of the sessions of the course will be disqualified from writing the examination. The final examination will normally represent fifty (50) percent of the course grade; regular quizzes, a mid-term examination, practical work and classroom participation will represent the other fifty (50) percent of the final course grade. Students must have a passing grade in both the continuous assessment and final examination to pass the course.

Students will receive letter grades distributed as follows:

Letter grade Wgt. Marks Grade Point Interpretation
A Above 90 3.5 - 4.00 Excellent
B 80 - 89.99 2.5 - 3.49 Very Good
C 70 - 79.99 1.5 - 2.49 Good
D 60 - 69.99 1.0 - 1.49 Credit
E 50 - 59.99 0.0 - 0.0 Pass
F below 50 N/A Fail
I N/A N/A Incomplete

 

Class Diploma Marks for Diploma Class Certifcate Marks for Certificate
First Class 80 % Distinction 80 %
Second Class (Upper) 70 - 79.99 % Pass 50 - 79.99 %
Second Class (Lower) 60 - 69.99 %
Pass 50 - 59.99 %
Fail Below 50 % N/A N/A

When numerical scores are as followed: Continuous Assessment 30%, Class Attendance 10%, End of examination 60%.

Retake of Courses:

A student who fails (letter grade F) one or two courses in a particular semester will retake those courses when it is offered again the following academic year.

Warning/Encouragement:

Any student who obtains a SPGA below 1.5 points will be warned and encouraged to consult his/her academic advisor. A student who fails two or more courses in any particular semester’s Grade Point Average (SGPA) is above 1.5 points will be warned to consult his/her academic advisor.

Probation:

A student will be put on probation if his/her CGPA for the academic year is between 1.0 and 1.5 provided he/she has not fail more than four (4) courses for both semesters in the academic year.
If a student fails five or six courses at the end of the academic year and his/her CGPA is above 1.5 points. A student who is put on probation in two successive semesters shall be asked to repeat.

Repeating the Semester:  

A student who fails two or more courses in any particular semester and his/her Semester’s Grade Point Average are below (SGPA) 1.0 (D) point will be asked to repeat the semester.

Repeating the Year:

A student whose Semester’s Grade Point Average (SGPA) for the successive semesters in the year is below 1.5 points (but the CGPA is above 1.5 points) will be asked to repeat the year. A student who fails a total of more than four courses in two successive semesters in the year but CGPA is above 1.5 points will be asked to repeat the year.

Withdrawal or Dismissal:

A student would be considered to be in good standing only if he/she maintains a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 1.5 points. A student shall be asked to withdraw if he/she fails more than four (4) courses with CGPA below 1.5 points at the end of the academic year. A first year student who fails more than four (4) courses within the academic year shall be asked to withdraw.
On the recommendation of the Dean, Academic Advisor and the Board of Directors, a student with a SGPA below 1.5 points may be permitted to continue but on conditions that the student shows improvement in the next semester.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA):

The CGPA is calculated as the weighted average of all grade points of the courses that a student has completed in the period considered. For example, a student with a letter grade of B (3 points) in a four (4) unit course and a letter grade of C (2points) in a three (3) unit course has a weighted average of 2.6 points for the two (3) courses, calculated as follows: [(3)(4) + (2)(3)] / 7 = 18/7 or 2.6).

Final Grade Point Average (FGPA):

The Final Grade Point Average (FGPA) is the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) for all courses under the consideration, calculated to the end of a student’s academic Programme.
A course may be repeated one time for the purpose of removing the effort of a poor grade, if the grade on record for the course is below 2.0 points (letter grade C). A course repeated will be noted as a repeat, but not only will the most recent grade be used in computing the GPA.
An incomplete (I) grade may be assigned only if a student’s work I a course is of passing quality but is incomplete due to circumstances beyond the student’s control, such as illness. To receive an authorized grade of incomplete (I), a student must have the written approval of the Dean of Students Affairs and the instructor prior to the deadline for submission of semesters grades. An incomplete grade must be replaced by a final grade by the first day of the following semester; failure to do so will result in the conversion of the incomplete to failure (F)
A student in a good academic standing may request a leave of absence from the Computer Institute for up to one academic year. Students absent for more than one (1) academic year normally must apply for readmission to the Institute.

 

THE INSTITUTE ’S EXAMINATIONS

Eligibility for Examination:

Students are expected to attend class sessions and tutorials and to complete the work assigned. Any student who is absent for more than twenty (20) percent of the class sessions and tutorial of any given course will be allowed to take the final examination for that course only with the written approval of the Dean and the Instructor of the course.
Students who have not submitted all their assignments for a course may be allowed to write the final examination for a course provided that they have the Instructor’s written approval. However, they will receive an incomplete (I) for the course until the assigned work is submitted and approved.
Students who do not have at least a conditional pass grade (letter grade D) for the continuous assessment part of a course will not be admitted to write the final examination.
Students who have not paid their fees or are in arrears on any fees due to the Institute shall not be allowed to sit for the end of semester examinations.
The Dean shall endorse the registration list of student who have satisfied the above conditions and are eligible to write the end of semester examinations.

Procedures Governing Final Examination

A student who violates the examination regulations or otherwise cheats when writing an examination may be warned, given a grade of zero points (“O”) for the examination, suspended temporarily or expelled from the Institute , depending on the nature of the violation as specified below:

Examination Regulations, Offences and Sanctions

Offence – Absenting from Examination:

Sanction – Grade Zero

Sanction – Expulsion

 Sanction – Grade Point Zero

Sanction – 1st instance - warning, 2nd instance – Grade Point Zero, 3rd instance – expulsion

Graduating Requirements and Academic Honours

Eligibility for Graduation: To be eligible for graduation, students must satisfy the following requirements:

Dean’s List:

Students with a Grade Point Average of 3.6 or above at the end of a semester are placed on the Dean’s List for that semester.

Graduation Honours:

Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.60 points or higher for the course work will graduate with First Class Honours (Summa cum Laude). Those with a GPA of 3.00 to 3.59 points for the course work will graduate with Second Class Upper Honours (magna cum Laude).Students with a CGPA of 2.5 to 2.99 points for the course work will graduate with Second Class Lower Honours (cum Laude). Students with a CGPA of 2.0 to 2.49 points will graduate with Third Class Honours. Students with a CGPA of 1.5 to 1.99 points will graduate with pass.

Policies Regarding Students Conduct and Behaviour:

The Nastech Institute of Technology seeks to produce graduates who are of good morals and personal integrity, who will be leaders in their communities, and who will be qualified to contribute to the future development of Ghana. As a Catholic Institution, it emphasizes moral standards and a personal commitment to serve society. Students in turn are encouraged to foster a spirit of honesty, respect and service and to live these values during their time at the Institute.
Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that respects the rights of others and conforms to the accepted norms of social behaviour. A student who violates these rights and norms will be sanctioned accordingly.
Only students who are enrolled in the Nastech Institute of Technology and others who are authorized are entitled to use the facilities and properties of the Nastech Institute, including the library and the computer laboratory. Library books especially must be cared for and respected and normally will not be withdrawn for use outside the library and other designated study/reading areas. When on the Institute grounds, students are expected to carry with them their student identification cards.

The general laws of Ghana apply to all persons in the Nastech Institute. Thus the use of prohibited drugs and engagement in other illegal activities are not condoned. Other activities which are prohibited and subject to sanctions are the following:

Disciplinary sanctions will be imposed as warranted, according to the nature of the infraction and the competency of the Institute:

The disciplinary Committee of the Institute will review the case of a student charged with an infraction of the Institute regulations and impose sanctions as warranted. A student not satisfied with the decision of the Disciplinary Committee may appeal to the Principal, who will make the final decision on the matter.
Relationship between the Institute staff members and students are to be marked by professionalism, cooperation and respect. Inappropriate behavior on the part of the Institute members in the relationships to students will be grounds for sanctions by the Nastech Institute of Technology authorities, corresponding to the seriousness of the offence.