College-Wide Policies

All students should be aware of the college-wide policies listed below.

Please refer to the website for a full list of college academic policies. 

College Mission

To meet the technical education and training needs of students and employers in the area.

Statement of Commitment

Central Ohio Technical College affirms its dedication to educating students through free, open, and rigorous intellectual inquiry in pursuit of truth. The college is committed to equipping students with the intellectual skills necessary to form their own informed conclusions. COTC upholds the rights to free speech and lawful assembly without requiring, favoring, disfavoring, or prohibiting such expression. We strive to create a community dedicated to an ethic of civil and free inquiry, which respects the autonomy of each member, supports individual capacities for growth, and tolerates the differences in opinion that naturally occur in a public higher education community. The college treats all members of its community as individuals, holding them to equal standards and ensuring equality of opportunity regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Campus Links

• Information technology services resources and help desk 
• Academic support services
• Personal support services
• COTC and Ohio State University Newark Library

Assessment

As part of COTC’s campus-wide assessment initiatives (quality assurance program), samples of student performance such as test results, projects, papers, etc. may be used. The data gathered will not identify individual students and are not related to the student’s grade for the course, but this data will be used to improve student learning at COTC.

Student Life Disability Services

Any student who has need for accommodations due to a disability must first register with  Student Life Disability Services (SL-DS). Please call Student LIfe at 740-755-7768 and ask to speak to Disability Services. A staff member can discuss students’ needs and the process for setting up accommodations. Once registered, students need to notify their instructor(s) and provide documentation of their accommodations within the first week of class. For additional information, access the Office for Disability Services web page.

Student Life-Disability Services is located in The John L. and Christine Warner Library and Student Center, Room 226.

Academic Misconduct

The College has established policies regarding academic misconduct.  All students are expected to comply. For additional details, see the Code of Student Conduct located on the Academic Policies and Procedures web page.  

Using websites that charge fees or require uploading of course material (e.g. Chegg, Course Hero) to obtain exam solutions or assignments completed by others and present the work as your own violates academic integrity expectations in this course. Any student found to be using these types of services will be referred to the Dean of Students for a hearing on academic dishonesty.

Diversity Statement

It is the responsibility of the faculty member and the student to foster and maintain a harmonious, non-threatening and non-discriminating environment in the classroom. The college is committed to follow a non-discriminatory policy and encourages diversity as part of the community environment.  Therefore, all individuals are to be respected as equal and contributing partners of our society.

Religious Accommodations for Students

COTC is committed to students’ freedom to practice their sincerely held religious beliefs. The college has adopted the College Policy 4.5.10 Religious Accommodations for Students, which complies with the Testing Your Faith Act, Ohio Revised Code 3345.026. Students are given up to three days of absences per term for activities or holidays conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or other religious or spiritual organization. The religious belief or practice must severely affect your ability to take an exam or complete an academic requirement on the due date. To receive reasonable alternative accommodations, students must submit their written request, including requested dates for alternative accommodations, within 14 calendar days of the first day of class. An instructor shall schedule a time and date for an alternative accommodation (i.e., examination, etc.), which may be before or after the time and date the examination or other academic requirement was originally scheduled without penalty or academic harm to the student.  Alternative accommodations are not retroactive. No academic penalty will be imposed for an absence under this policy. These requests for alternative accommodations will be kept confidential. For further questions or information about this policy, please refer to College Policy 4.5.10 Religious Accommodations for Students or contact the Provost, Gregory Ferenchak, EdD, ferenchak.7@mail.cotc.edu, 740.755.7827, Hopewell Hall 56.

Military, Veteran and Military-connected Students

COTC is committed to providing a supportive environment for students who are veterans, on active military duty, in the reserves or national guard, or who are military spouses, children or dependents. Students are encouraged to communicate any military-related obligations that affect their educational pursuits to their instructor. Additionally, students should notify the campus military and veterans resource coordinator regarding special circumstances such as upcoming deployments, drill requirements, disabilities and required veterans’ affairs health appointments. For more information, contact Charlene Ross at ross.850@mail.cotc.edu or 740.755.7667, or visit Call to Active Duty or Changes in Active Duty Status.

Withdrawal Date Statement

Students enrolled in regular semester courses should check the COTC academic calendar or contact their academic advisors for last date to withdraw from this class. Students enrolled in flexibly scheduled courses should check with their academic advisor in the Gateway for the last date to withdraw from the flexibly scheduled course.

Respondus LockDown and Respondus Monitor

This policy only applies to courses using these products. Please contact your instructor for more information.

This software protects the integrity of course exams by disabling certain functions on the web browser and/or using artificial intelligence and a webcam to ensure students are not using materials that are not allowed on exams. Students who are unable or unwilling to use these proctoring tools must schedule a time with student testing services to take the exam on campus. Please note that requests may not be honored due to capacity/social distancing requirements. Students are encouraged to make plans earlier rather than later if they choose to utilize the on-campus testing option. It is the student’s responsibility to work with their faculty member and testing services to set up an alternate plan.

Turnitin

This policy only applies to courses using this product. Please contact your instructor for more information.

If your instructor requires it, you will submit papers to Turnitin (through our Canvas class page) to check that all sources you use have been properly acknowledged and cited before you submit the paper to the course instructor. Turnitin compares submitted documents against documents on the Internet and against student papers submitted to Turnitin at COTC and at other colleges, universities and high schools. The instructor will take your knowledge of the subject matter of this course as well as your writing level and style into account in interpreting the originality report. Keep in mind that all papers you submit for this class will become part of the turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Resubmission of student work (one’s own or that of another student) from a previous course taken, from a different course, or from a different semester is not permitted.

Policy on Artificial Intelligence

In this course, we may utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, such as ChatGPT, as a supplementary tool to enhance your learning experience. Please note that while AI systems can provide valuable support, they have limitations. It is important to seek human guidance for complex or sensitive issues, and to exercise critical thinking and independent analysis. We will prioritize academic integrity, and it is essential that you understand the implications of plagiarism and academic misconduct when interacting with AI technologies. Inappropriate use of AI in this course (e.g., turning in AI-generated writing as your own) will not be tolerated. We are committed to protecting your privacy, and any data collected by AI systems will be securely stored and used solely for the purpose of improving the learning experience. If you have any questions or concerns about the use of AI in this course, please feel free to reach out to me for further discussion.

Revised: 07/17/2025