General Info
Who to Contact
Student Forms

Selecting Courses
Advising Preparation

Grad Advising
Transfer Advising
Grading Options
Withdrawal

Open Seat Updates You can check to see if seats are available in specific classes before you go to register. Find out more.

Quick Search

Support Services > Advising > Frequently Used Terms

Terms Frequently Used in College

Please refer to the College Catalog or Schedule of Classes for details.

Academic Standing: Academic standing refers to the student's position in regards to satisfactory or unsatisfactory progress as determined by the grade point ratio. Academic standing policies such as probation, suspension and dismissal vary by institution.

Advising Transcript: An unofficial copy of the student’s transcript which the student may print off Web for Students.

Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree: This 60 credit degree consists of liberal arts courses that prepare students for transfer to a college or university to continue study towards a baccalaureate degree.

Associate in Science (A.S.) Degree: This degree is awarded upon completion of 60 or more credit hours in a technical-occupational-professional program of study. The coursework allows for immediate application of skills to the workplace.

Associate in Technical Studies (A.T.S.) Degree: This degree requires 60 or more credit hours in a technical-occupational-professional program of study custom designed for an individual student integrating courses from two or more existing approved programs. Degree has no life beyond the individual student.

Audit: This is a registration option that allows students to attend lectures and discussions, but do not receive credits or a grade for the course. Students must register and pay regular tuition/fees. Instructor approval is required.

Cable Courses: Cable courses are delivered over public access channels throughout the State of Hawai`i. Courses are live or taped and may include an Internet component, such as e-mail or a Web site, for course-related instruction. Students are able to attend a class in the convenience of their home by tuning into their local cable educational access channel. Communication between the instructor and student is via telephone, e-mail, fax, and scheduled on campus meetings. To receive cable courses, subscription to cable television is required. For cable courses that include an Internet component, access to a Web browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer and e-mail is required.

Certificates of Completion, Competence, and Achievement: Certificates awarded after completion of 1, 2, or 3 semesters of course prescribed coursework. These certificates provide short-term training or job upgrading.

Co-requisite: A course that should be taken within the same semester with another course.

Course Syllabus: An outline that instructors use as a guide to explain the course, provide office contact information (location, phone number, office hours), required text and other materials, assignments, grading policy, attendance, tardiness, course expectations, acceptable classroom behavior, and other policies.

Credit: A unit of measure used to determine the number of hours per week required in a lecture or lab course.

Credit/No Credit: A grading option similar to “pass or fail” rather than a letter grade. Courses taken on a CR/NC basis must not be part of the general education and major requirements. Counselor approval required. Selected within established deadlines.

Curriculum: A group of courses required for a particular program of study.

Distance Education Courses: Distance education courses provide students with access to education through a network of various technologies such as the Internet, cable TV, or Interactive Television system which do not require students and instructor to be physically present at the same location.

Erase Period: Classes that are officially dropped during this period will not appear on the student’s permanent academic record. Check the semester calendar for deadline.

ESOL Courses: English for Students of Other Languages courses provide comprehensive skills in reading, writing, speaking, and preparation for academic college study for students whose first language is not English.

Enrollment Status: Full-time enrollment is enrollment in 12 or more credits, usually about 4 courses. Part-time enrollment is enrollment in 11 or less credits.

Grade Point Ratio (G.P.R.): G.P.R.s provide students with information about their academic standing. G.P.R.s are computed on a four-point scale for courses in which grades of A, B, C, D, and F are reported. At the end of each semester, students will have a term/semester G.P.R. and a cumulative G.P.R. for all courses attempted at Kapi`olani Community College. G.P.R. is reported from 0.0 (“F” average) to 4.0 (“A” average) with 2.0 being average or “C” level academic progress.

Interactive Television (I.T.V.) Courses: Courses which occur at a specific time and place, allowing students to take a course from one location while the instructor teaches from another. Both instructor and student can see and hear each other, simulating a face to face class environment. I.T.V. courses may include an Internet component and require an e-mail address and a Web browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.

Internet Courses: Courses which are independent of time and location. Rather than gathering in the classroom, students meet online and communicate with the instructor and classmates through e-mail and/or the World Wide Web. Some courses have specific requirements for face to face meetings. Students are required to have an e-mail address and access to a Web browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.

Permanent Academic Record: A transcript of all course work attempted at Kapi`olani Community College, that includes grades, degrees awarded, select academic honors awarded, academic sanctions, etc.

Prerequisite: Knowledge, skills, course, or other requirements that must be taken prior to enrollment in a particular course.

Recommended Preparation: Knowledge, skills, course, or other requirements not required but highly recommended for success in the course.

Semester: Period of enrollment in a set of classes; Kapi`olani Community College is on a semester schedule, 16 weeks of classes. The fall semester is from August to December and the spring semester is from January to May.

Transfer of Credits: Credits that students can have transferred from one college to another. The receiving college shall determine applicability of transfer credits to its programs.

Transcript Evaluation: Official evaluation of courses and credits from another college. Students must have former colleges send official copies of their transcripts to the Kekaulike Information and Service Center (KISC), complete the Transcript Evaluation Request Form, (link to forms) and submit the form to KISC in ‘Ilima 102.

Web for Students: Information on the World Wide Web that is kept in the campus’ information systems. Students have access to their own personal, registration, financial aid, and student records information within this secure student information system.

Writing Intensive ("WI" or "W"): This designation printed next to a course indicates that the course can be used to meet the writing intensive requirements for the A.A. and University of Hawai`i at Manoa degrees. Completion of English 100 with a “C” grade or better is required. Writing assignments no less than 16 pages will be required through out the semester. The “WI” designation for a particular course and/or section of the course may change each semester.

Withdrawal Period: Classes officially dropped during this period will appear on the student’s permanent academic record with a “W” notation. The “W” does not affect the grade point ratio but indicates that the student attempted and withdrew from the course prior to its completion. Check semester calendar for deadlines.