The following is designed to give extra background information to help you make your decision about the Liberal Arts Programme at St. Clare's and whether it is the right course for you. We can, of course, provide as much information and advice as you require.

• Academic staff
• Student course load
• Workload and requirements
• Daily timetable
• Academic resources and the purchase of textbooks
• Academic advising and assessment meetings
• Academic support
• Course and student evaluation
• Grading, Transcripts and Credit Course grading
• Transcripts and grade reports
• Transfer of credit
• Seminar Series
• Language Tutorials
• St. Clare's Scholars' Programme
• Oxford Education Studies Programme

Student course load

You are advised that your academic programme should carry a minimum of nine units of credit, and a normal maximum of fifteen units of credit. You should note that students have the opportunity to earn three further units of credit if they successfully complete the St. Clare's Seminar Series.

Workload and requirements

The workload for each course (Core and Tutorial) together with the relevant aims, requirements and methods, is detailed in the Long Descriptions (syllabi). These descriptions are distributed during the Course Registration Day, and you can also request them in advance from St. Clare's or your Study Abroad office. It is most important that you read, and clearly understand, the requirements laid out in the syllabi. Generally speaking, each course (Core and Tutorial) will require three assessable pieces of work during the semester. Independent Study Projects and Internships will be equally assessable, but via different methods. Requirements may vary, and in one course you may be told that three papers have to be completed (one being an exam paper), in another that three tests will be given, or a combination of these methods of assessment may be used. Make sure you understand the course outlines and descriptions, the requirements for each course and the ‘weighting' that each teacher gives for grading. Further details will be contained in your Orientation Pack, which you receive on arrival. Although the workload will vary a little from course to course and from week to week, you should expect to do the equivalent of a day's work per week for each course. This would include class or tutorial sessions (of between one and three hours), in addition to an average preparation and reading time of between three and five hours for each course each week.

Daily timetable

Every effort is made to give you your first choice of courses, and your classes may, as a result, be distributed through the week unevenly. Teaching is Monday to Friday (until 1.15). Classes start each day at 0900 hrs and continue until 16:15 (there are some exceptions), though it would be unusual to work right through without some free periods.

Academic resources and the purchase of textbooks

For each of your courses the Faculty member will inform you of those recommended texts which are considered to be essential course books (these are texts that the student will need throughout the course, which will be referred to extensively throughout the semester). Students will be required to purchase these course books and may do so through St. Clare's or, if students prefer, they may purchase these ahead of time once their academic programme has been finalised (email the Liberal Arts Office for details of essential course books: lib-arts@stclares.ac.uk). Other books, including single copies of supporting textbooks, will be available from the St. Clare's holdings in the Library.

Academic advising and assessment meetings

A central aspect to the learning process on the St. Clare's Liberal Arts Programme is the guidance that you will receive in determining the development and direction of your education. Teachers are qualified and willing to offer advice and support, especially in relation to their own subject.

Academic meetings are designed to help, support and encourage you to fulfil your potential, both academically and beyond the classroom. They take the form of confidential, individual meetings. Academic meetings take place three times per semester. The process begins with the Course Registration Day sessions that are held at the start of the orientation period. What are known as ‘Interim' interviews are then held five to six weeks into the semester to monitor progress. At mid semester you will receive a written report for each of your courses. At the end of semester, final assessment meetings are held. You should note that attendance at the Course Registration day meetings, the Interim interviews and the final assessment meetings are mandatory.

Academic support

As a student on the Liberal Arts Programme, you are expected to maintain at least a C average for all course work attempted. If you fail to do this then you may be placed on academic probation.

Course and student evaluation

In what St. Clare's believes to be an essential part of the whole evaluation and reporting process you are asked, before final grades have been an awarded, to complete course evaluation forms at the end of each semester. These are reviewed by the Director of the Liberal Arts Programme in consultation with the Deputy-Principal. You will also be asked to fill out self-evaluation forms.

Grading, Transcripts and Credit Course grading

The grading system at St. Clare's is based on the following considerations:

Grade	Description
A A-	Notable ability to organise written work and to present logical and coherent arguments Excellent understanding of all the course material Significant originality and independence of thought Good level of knowledge and intelligent use of given material(class and reading) Ability to take the given topic beyond what has been covered in the course Evidence of exploratory reading in the subject
B+ B	Evident ability to organise written work and to present logical and coherent arguments Good understanding of all the course material Some originality and independence of thought Good level of knowledge and accurate presentation of given material Evident exploration and development of ideas Evidence of reading around the subject
B- C+	Reasonable ability to organise written work and to present a clear argument Understands most of the course material Signs of independence of thought Adequate knowledge and competent use of given material Some ability to explore and develop ideas Evidence of at least some further reading
C C-	Some ability to organise written work and to present a clear argument Acceptable degree of knowledge and understanding of the course material Some sense of what is relevant to particular questions Some signs of clarity and relevance
D+ D	Little or no ability to organise ideas Striking poverty of content Some attempt at an answer, possibly with signs of knowledge and understanding Serious errors and/or misconceptions Little evidence of serious acquaintance with course material Lack of clarity; irrelevance and inconsistency
F A I L	No discernible ability to organise work No discernible attempt to answer the question Little or no evidence of knowledge or understanding
INC	Grade given when course work, for a legitimate and authorised reason, has not been completed by the end of the semester. An incomplete is awarded only under exceptional circumstances

As grading does not take into account solely the quality of the written work, it is possible that a moderate grade for written work may be improved by good performance. The reverse is also true i.e. good written work at the end of a course cannot compensate for inconsistent performance during the rest of the semester. Please note that teachers may not change final grades unless there is a computational error.

The Incomplete Grade is not counted in the computation of the Grade Point Average for which the Incomplete Grade was authorised. Incomplete Grades may be recorded to indicate that the requirements of the course have been substantially completed, but for some legitimate reason a small part of the work has yet to be completed. It is the student's responsibility to request an Incomplete Grade.

A student who receives an Incomplete Grade must complete the outstanding work by mid-way through the following semester (students will be advised of exact dates), otherwise the Incomplete Grade remains permanently on record, and the student's home institution may well compute it as if it were an F grade. The home institution is always advised in advance of an Incomplete Grade being given. A teacher who assigns an Incomplete Grade is obliged to record it officially with the Liberal Arts Programme Director.

Transcripts and grade reports

Official transcripts are prepared for each student. These transcripts detail courses taken, grades achieved (or pass/fail) together with the credit rating for each course. Each transcript is prepared in triplicate: the official copy goes to the Registrar at the home university or college (or, in the case of Gap year students, used for application purposes to universities and colleges); the student copy goes to the student and the file copy remains at St. Clare's. Each student also receives individual detailed academic reports for each course taken.

Transfer of credit

If the student meets the requirements of the courses taken, St. Clare's will recommend that the appropriate number of credits be transferred to the student's home university or college and be accepted towards their degree.

It must be emphasised that the transfer of academic credits rests entirely with the home institution in line with the rules, regulations and procedures laid out by that institution and the accrediting association to which the institution belongs. With this in mind you should familiarise yourself with all the regulations in force at your own institution prior to applying to St. Clare's.