The Lindenwood College for Individualized Education (LCIE) is an accelerated program in which students combine extensive self-directed study with a once-per-week class meeting earning nine semester hours of university credit in twelve weeks. Because of the accelerated format, students can expect a minimum of twenty hours of out-of-class work per week. The program often merges academic goals with practical knowledge applicable to the student’s workplace.
The goal of the adult-centered LCIE program is to establish the habit of life-long learning beyond degree completion. Upon entry, each student is assigned an academic advisor to guide the student to graduation. The student-advisor link remains critical throughout a student’s career in the LCIE program. Accreditation policies require that LCIE students contact their faculty advisors on a quarterly basis.
Student Enrollment Process
Once students enroll in the LCIE program through the admissions department, a faculty advisor is assigned. Students are required to meet in person with their advisor for enrollment in their second cluster in the program, as well as for enrollment in their final cluster in the program, which serves as their exit interview. During the remainder of their time in the program, students have the option to either (1) meet in person with their advisor for enrollment, or (2) contact their advisor by email or by telephone for enrollment. This contact must occur each quarter during the student’s appropriate registration week according to academic rank. During this advisor contact time, the advisor discusses degree and enrollment options, and opens the student’s portal for online registration. Students will then register themselves for classes through their student portal. Once the initial enrollment is completed, the faculty advisor closes the student portal. If a student decides after the initial enrollment to make a schedule change or withdraw from classes, the student must contact the advisor again, who will open the student’s portal for the enrollment change. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule this contact time with the advisor and to complete the enrollment process each quarter.
The Cluster
Central to the theory and practice of adult education is the ideal of the synthesis of knowledge. LCIE seeks to achieve this goal through the construction of the cluster. Clusters are comprised of a faculty member and approximately 12 to 14 students who meet for four hours weekly during an evening or weekend. Each student is enrolled in three related subject areas, called cluster groups that are, in many cases, integrated into one seminar. Students pursuing a bachelor of science degree must enroll in a one hour lab in conjunction with the science cluster. The cluster provides students with an opportunity to explore basic subject areas beyond the confines of a single discipline.
These cluster group meetings provide a collegial environment in which students present their work and share their learning. A major objective of this format is the development of knowledge synthesis, so LCIE students can expect their learning to be measured in a variety of ways: written and oral presentation, class discussion, research papers, group projects, and traditional testing. However, as is true of most higher-education programs, in LCIE it is up to each professor to determine how students are to be assessed and graded; therefore, tests and quizzes may be used to supplement papers and presentations as assessments of student mastery.
The cluster follows the quarter schedule and meets one evening a week for four hours, integrating related courses of study. Three semester hours of credit are awarded for successful completion of each course in the cluster for a total of nine semester hours per cluster. Students pursuing a bachelor of science degree must enroll in a one hour lab in conjunction with the science cluster for a total of ten semester hours. The cluster begins with a first assignment, given to the student when he or she enrolls in the cluster. This assignment is due on the first day (evening) of class. Subsequent homework assignments are delineated in the syllabus, and, due to the accelerated nature of the LCIE program, it is expected that a student will spend, at a minimum, twenty hours per week working on these out-of-class homework assignments. This time commitment may vary, however, depending upon the student’s level of expertise in a given cluster. A student in a management cluster, for example, who has worked several years in a middle management position, and who has completed a variety of corporate sponsored management courses, may, in fact, spend less time working on assignments for this cluster.
Due to the accelerated nature of the cluster (program), the rewriting of papers or the assigning of extra credit homework to improve a grade, or grades, is not permitted.
Undergraduate LCIE Policies
Requisite Study in the Major
Requirements vary, but at least 54 semester hours in the major area are necessary for most degree programs, 50 percent of which (three clusters) must be taken at Lindenwood University. In some majors, LCIE requires prescribed areas of study to be covered. In other majors, requirements are more flexible and the program of study is developed by the student in consultation with the faculty advisor.
Special Topics Courses/Numbers
Special topics courses/numbers, listed in the catalog, are designated for use as substitute classes for those who have taken, through transfer credit, one part of a nine-hour cluster. A special topics course may be taken only in conjunction with a cluster and is not used as a separate course or tutorial. Special topics numbered courses may not be used to extend the cluster for three extra hours beyond the nine-hour cluster; the student may not take a 12-hour cluster. In cases in which the student needs one more hour to graduate, the faculty advisor may allow the special topics course number to be used for one additional semester hour of credit (e.g. 10-semester-hour cluster).
Graduation Requirements
In addition to completing the work necessary to qualify for a baccalaureate degree, the student must meet LCIE graduation requirements within the scope of the specific degree program designed with the help of the faculty advisor. The following are the overall requirements for graduation from LCIE with a baccalaureate degree:
- Successful completion of at least 128 semester hours.
- Successful completion of the LCIE general education requirements.
- Demonstration of a satisfactory knowledge of English in oral and written forms, as evaluated by the faculty advisor and instructor each term.
- Completion and approval of the culminating project or the capstone course.
- Completion of the last 36 semester hours of study within the Lindenwood University system.
- Forty two (42) semester hours must be upper division courses, numbered 30000 or above.
- Completion of at least 50 percent of the courses required for a major within the Lindenwood University system.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in all courses taken within the Lindenwood University system, as well as in the student’s major.
Preparing for Graduation
Students are responsible for tracking their own academic progress and eligibility for graduation. Specifically, each student must track his/her own progress through a degree program by maintaining a checklist of all requirements, including major and minor requirements, general education requirements, free electives, sufficient number of 30000+ level courses, and total number of credit hours completed. The academic advisor will confirm that all degree requirements have been met; however, the student is ultimately responsible for tracking his/her own progress through the program and meeting all requirements for graduation. The major advisor has the authority to approve academic work within the major; however, only the Provost and the Registrar have the authority to certify that all requirements for graduation have been fulfilled and post a notification of degree completion on a student’s transcript.
In addition to tracking their own progress through academic programs, students must submit an Application for Degree. The application must be signed by the student and the student’s academic advisor and be submitted to the Office of Academic Services. Failure to submit an application by the appropriate deadline may postpone the posting of the student’s degree.
The application deadlines are as follows:
Students graduating in Must apply by
March Dec 30 of previous year
May Dec 30 of previous year
June Dec 30 of previous year
August February 28 of the same year
September March 30 of the same year
October May 30 of the same year
December May 30 of the same year