IP Student Handbook

FACILITY HOURS, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES

Intellectual Point operates year-round and does not follow the traditional academic calendar with quarters, terms or semesters. All programs and courses are offered throughout the entire year and are scheduled well in advance to allow for enrollment. 

OFFICE HOURS 

Monday – Friday…………………………………….9:00 am – 6:00 pm 

Saturday & Sunday………………………………….9:00 am – 6:00 pm 

CLASS SCHEDULES 

Monday – Friday…………………………………….9:00 am – 6:00 pm 

Saturday & Sunday………………………………….9:00 am – 6:00 pm 

OR 

Monday – Friday…………………………………….6:00 pm – 10:00 pm (selected classes) 

Students attend class eight (8) hours per day, two (2)– five (5) days per week OR four (4) hours per day, two (2) days per weeknight. Students cannot be guaranteed a specific schedule. Effective October 1, 2020, students attending certain Individual classes offered by Intellectual Point will be required to take an extended curriculum that includes Lab hours. 

THE FOLLOWING FEDERAL HOLIDAYS ARE OBSERVED, AND ALL LOCATIONS AND OPERATIONS WILL BE CLOSED ON THESE DAYS EACH YEAR:

2022

• New Year’s Day – Monday, January 3rd
• Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. – Monday, January 17th
• Presidents’ Day – Monday, February 21st
• Memorial Day – Monday, May 30th
• Independence Day – Monday, July 4th
• Labor Day – Monday, September 5th
• Veterans’ Day – Friday, November 11th
• Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 24th
• Christmas Day – Monday, December 26th

2023

• New Year’s Day – Monday, January 2nd

• Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. – Monday, January 16th

• Presidents’ Day – Monday, February 20th

• Memorial Day – Monday, May 29th

• Independence Day – Tuesday, July 4th

• Labor Day – Monday, September 4th

• Veterans’ Day – Friday, November 10th

• Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 23rd

• Christmas Day – Monday, December 25th

ENROLLMENT DATES AND ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS 

Students interested in specific classes are permitted to register until the day before class commences. It is strongly suggested that students enroll in advance so they may receive the appropriate books and class materials for study purposes. After satisfying the registration requirements, students interested in enrolling in a program will be placed in the specific courses pertaining to that program. 

Students are required to be 18 years or older unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Any class pre-requisites or knowledge entrance requirements are listed on each Program outline. We provide easy methods to register for our classes. Students may register via the Internet on our Website, by phone, or by email. Each student receives a confirmation email detailing the program and/or class they will be attending. 

Student advisors are available Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm to talk to all applicants and review the best education path for each candidate. Advisors will review each student’s goals, background, and previous education to help determine the appropriate programs and/or classes for them to attend. We encourage all applicants to evaluate their commitment to education as well as the financial costs involved.  

Equipment Requirements for Distance/Virtual Learning

The only thing you need is a working computer and stable Internet. We will provide all the material and labs digitally hosted in the cloud. You will be using meeting software such as Teams or Zoom. It is not recommended to use a phone/tablet, but it is possible use them to listen to classes when necessary; It is recommended using a laptop or PC to participate during the training. For Laptop/PC specifications, It is recommended having at least 16GB of memory. Windows 10 or 11 is fine.

STUDENT SERVICES 

Intellectual Point provides services to each student enrolled in individual courses and/or programs of study. Each student is offered job placement assistance, but the school cannot guarantee job placement. Students may also receive resume writing assistance. Intellectual Point works with prospective employers and job placement agencies to help place students into employment. 

TRANSFER OF CREDIT 

Students may earn transfer credit for equivalent industry certifications in their chosen Career Pathway Program. Certifications previously earned must be active to be eligible for transfer. To be considered for credit, please send a record of your industry certification to info@intellectualpoint.com after you apply. Intellectual Point maintains a written record of previous education and training. If appropriate criteria are met and credit is awarded, the student’s program of study will be proportionately shortened. All previously earned industry certifications must be submitted for review prior to the start of the student’s first pathway course with Intellectual Point.  

GRADING POLICY & STANDARDS OF PROGRESS 

Intellectual Point provides each student with a pass/ fail grade. A passing grade is 75% or better. Passing students are issued a Certificate of Completion (COC) for every class, providing that the student has fully attended the class. Students are informed of grades and progress while at Intellectual Point and progress reports can be provided to students in hard copy and /or soft copy. 

Our instructors make students aware continually of their progress. Students are required to complete all projects, assignments, and labs. 

Intellectual Point’s pass/fail grading scale is calculated based upon the following:

• Attendance (25%) 
• Classroom lab work and/or homework (25%) 
• In-class progress exam/quiz (50%) 
• Vendor Certification Exam – Optional 

Intellectual Point’s grading scale is based on the following: 

• 75% – 100% – pass 
• 74% – or lower – fail 

STUDENT CONDUCT AND CONDITIONS FOR DISMISSAL 

Students who do not conduct themselves in an orderly and professional manner, which includes the use of drugs and alcohol during class, dishonesty, sexual misconduct, tardiness, and excessive absences, disrupting classes, use of profanity, insubordination, and violation of safety rules, will be subject to either probation or dismissal from class. Intellectual Point reserves the right to dismiss any disruptive student for any reason at any time. If a student who has been dismissed wishes to continue or return, the staff will evaluate the student’s reason for dismissal and determine eligibility to return to the course or program in which they are enrolled. If a student is placed on probation, their reinstatement eligibility will be determined by the faculty of Intellectual Point to a probationary period is determined based on the student offense and is handled on a case by case basis.

Students are expected to attend every class in which they are enrolled, report to class on time, and participate in a courteous manner. Intellectual Point faculty closely monitors each student’s attendance and cooperation during their scheduled classes. Any student failing to maintain satisfactory attendance (below 25%) will be given the opportunity to make up any and all classwork that was missed. If the student is unable to make up the course work, they may be dismissed from the course and/or program.

ATTENDANCE 

Students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled classes. Students are encouraged to tell their instructor in advance or call the administrative office if they will be absent. Missing more than 25% of class time may result in the student failing that course.

INSTRUCTOR-LED DISTANCE EDUCATION MODALITY WITH INTELLECTUAL POINT

Intellectual Point, approved for permanent Distance Education modality by SCHEV, uses Google Classroom as a resource repository and learning platform for the materials used during Distance Education courses. In addition, Intellectual Point also uses Microsoft Teams and Cisco’s WebEx collaboration platform to deliver live events sourced from the Instructor, who is conducting the training from a classroom. The class training is asynchronous, live event. The student requirements and assignments are no different from those requirements expected in an on-site event. The class curriculum is precisely the same and includes interaction between the Instructor and the students, including one-on-one communication, for example, to respond to individual questions. There may also be interactive discussions among groups of students, depending upon an in-class assignment or general questions that arise. Exams and quizzes are typically assigned throughout the course to ensure the students are keeping up with the classroom learning and materials. And attendees may also engage in private or public chat conversations with the Instructor, another student, or the entire class. The typical day or classroom event is no different from the agenda and curriculum followed when the students are on-site and in a classroom environment. As long as a student has access to the Internet, collaboration using Microsoft Teams and Cisco WebEx can allow for productive work. Connections are safe and secure and students who participate in Distance Learning are able to maintain the pace and the interaction with the Instructor at the same rate of speed and quality as those in a classroom setting. Documents may be shared, software demonstrated, and designs sketched on a Whiteboard and then viewed and actively discussed in real-time. Group discussions are often very animated and further serve to benefit the remote students as they share ideas and concepts with their peers and the Instructor.  In terms of security, there is a Single Sign-on for Security feature that enables three different levels of enhanced security.

We have the ability, as an example, to share Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, documents, streaming videos, demonstration software, Whiteboards, and Adobe Flash animation. We pass sharing and annotation privileges to our students to encourage participation. In addition, the multimedia experience supports third-party closed captioning services that can offer streaming live text or a sign language interpreter video feed. It is also possible to assign students to virtual breakout rooms for group projects and “brainstorming”. The Instructor may then “drop-in” on the breakout sessions to assess their progress and/or facilitate discussion. Questions and document responses may be tracked using threaded Q&A. Questions may be prioritized and answers displayed publicly or privately. Students may also “raise their hands” virtually when they have a question to ask. The system automatically orders the requests so the Instructor can answer questions on a first-come, first-served basis. Individual attention and overall group attentiveness may be gauged at any time by the Instructor with a ‘visual attention indicator’.

In Microsoft Teams and Cisco WebEx, Instructors are able to record their Teams sessions for student instruction to capture audio, video, and screen sharing activity. There is also an option for recordings to have an automatic transcription so that users can playback meeting recordings with closed captions and search for important discussion items in the transcript. The recording happens in the cloud and is saved to Microsoft Stream, so users can share it securely with our students and attendees so they can not only attend the course live online synchronously but also watch the lectures offline asynchronously to reinforce their learning.

Our learning and collaboration platforms also support students with disabilities who need special accommodations such as JAWS, NVDA, and other platforms. We take care to meet Section 508 compliance requirements and ensure every student has the same rich learning experience whether they take the class on-ground or online virtually.

Intellectual Point has developed excellent online study resources such as Quiz Portals, Simulations Portal, Flash Cards Portal, and Lab Portal (if needed). We host these platforms in a secure cloud environment so that the students can access these resources from the comfort of their home and from any device with just an internet connection and access to the internet browser. All our study material and a vast array of library resources can be accessed from anywhere on any device with just an internet connection. Almost all of the Libraries’ online resources are available from off-campus once the student’s login with their credentials. These library resources are constantly updated and enriched to add new features and make sure the content is current and relevant to the classes.

MAKE-UP WORK 

A student, who is at risk, has poor attendance, excused and unexcused absences, and/or excessive tardiness will be given every option to make up all class work that has been missed in order to maintain satisfactory attendance. Students will be provided all class assignments during the time missed and are expected to complete all course work. Any student who fails to make up the work given will be subject to the probation, dismissal, and readmission policy.

ABSENCES 

Students are expected to be in class every day per the course schedule. Students are expected to contact the school if they will be absent at any time so that accommodations may be made or makeup work be assigned. If students fail to attend class or notify the school, they will be considered unexcused for that class and makeup work will be assigned. Those students may be subject to the probation, dismissal, and re-admission policy.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE 

If special circumstances arise, a student may request a Leave of Absence in writing, which should include the dates the student anticipates the leave beginning and leave ends. The withdrawal date will be the date the student fails to return from a Leave of Absence. This policy includes any student who is called to Military Duty during their scheduled program. The student will be accepted back into the program upon their return provided the student is still interested in pursuing their course work with Intellectual Point.

CLASS-CUTS 

Any student who leaves without being dismissed is considered to be cutting a class. Any student who cuts a class is expected to make up any work that was missed during that class. Any student who cuts a class more than three (3) times will be subject to the probation, dismissal, and re-admission policy. 

TARDINESS 

Any student is considered tardy if the student does not notify the school that they will arrive late more than 30 minutes after the class has begun. Any student who is tardy is expected to make up any work that was missed during that class. Any student who is tardy to class more than three (3) times will be subject to the probation, dismissal, and re-admission policy.

AT-RISK STUDENTS 

A student will be considered academically at-risk if his/her grade average falls below 75%. A student at-risk (in this situation) will be encouraged, by letter, to meet with his/her faculty advisor to discuss options and implement a course of action to improve the student’s academic performance.

PROBATION, DISMISSAL, AND READMISSION 

A minimum grade average of 75% must be maintained by all students. A student whose grades fall below the minimum satisfactory requirement of 75% will be placed on probation for the duration of the course they are enrolled in at that time. Any student failing to maintain satisfactory attendance (below 25%) will be given the opportunity to make up any and all classwork that was missed during their absence. If the student is unable to make up the work given, they may be dismissed from the course and/or program. Any student that does not achieve a grade of 75% or above will be dismissed from the school. 

A student will be permitted to re-enter the program at the beginning of the next course they were dismissed from if the student petitions the school’s admission committee with an explanation of how the student has resolved the problems that caused the unsatisfactory progress or conduct.

GRIEVANCE POLICY & COMPLAINTS 

If a student needs to report or dispute a grievance, they may send a letter to: 

Intellectual Point 

Attn: Prem Jadhwani 

46175 Westlake Drive, Suite 250

Sterling, VA 20165

If a student needs to report a complaint, they may send a letter to: 

Intellectual Point 

Attn: Prem Jadhwani 

46175 Westlake Drive, Suite 250

Sterling, VA 20165

Students must report immediately to faculty all complaints/grievances that arose while in class. If a verbal complaint is given, written follow-up is required for documentation and recording purposes. Complaints/grievances are reviewed by the Chief Academic Officer, Prem Jadhwani, who makes the final decisions. You have the right to appeal one time in writing and this review will be the institution’s final decision. If complaints from a student cannot be resolved by direct negotiation with Intellectual Point in accordance with its written grievance policy, the student may file with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, 101 N. 14th Street, 9th Floor, James Monroe Building, Richmond, VA 23219. All student complaints must be submitted in writing.

*All complaints are handled on a case-by-case basis. If a student has exhausted the avenues provided and the complaint has not been resolved internally, the student can submit a Student Complaint Form to SCHEV.  The Virginia State Approving Agency (SAA) investigates complaints of GI Bill beneficiaries. While most complaints should initially follow the school grievance policy, if the situation cannot be resolved at the school, the beneficiary should contact the SAA office via email at saa@dvs.virginia.gov.

ENROLLMENT AND TUITION FEES 

If a student, who wishes to take training courses or programs, does not qualify for any type of funding, that student may pay either in full or in installment payments.  A signed contract will be required. Prior to any student registering for a course or program,  they are provided a list of all fees associated with that course or program (books/materials), a schedule of the days that each class will run in the program they have chosen, and a list of exam fees if the student wishes to sit for the optional Vendor Certification exam that is associated with the course in which they are enrolled. Payments accepted are Cash, Check, PayPal, Visa, Master Card, American Express, and other major credit cards

WITHDRAWAL 

A student choosing to withdraw from a program after the commencement of classes should provide a written notice to the school. The notice must include the expected last date of attendance and be signed and dated by the student.

WITHDRAWAL PROCEDURE FOR STUDENTS RECEIVING VETERANS FUNDING 

Students who have received any Veteran’s benefits must also report their withdrawal to the Veteran’s advisor. The ‘Withdrawal Initiated by a Student Form (125–047)” must include the student’s last date of class attendance. Failure to follow established procedures could affect his or her future eligibility for Veteran’s benefits. For more guidance, please contact your Intellectual Point advisor.

STUDENTS CALLED TO MILITARY DUTY 

In accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act, Intellectual Point will reinstate students who take a Leave of Absence to perform active military service and also meet the requirements defined in the Act.

Furthermore, Intellectual Point appreciates the situation of students who attend classes while maintaining a military obligation. All administrative offices and academic departments will do their utmost to accommodate those students called to active military duty while enrolled in classes. Intellectual Point’s goal is to make the transition as efficient, equitable, and expeditious as possible.

After consultation with academic advisors, a student may choose one of two options:

• Withdraw from some or all of his/her classes 
• Earn a grade 

Under the withdrawal option, students will receive a complete refund of the remaining tuition and fees if they withdraw from all classes. If a student withdraws from some, but not all, classes, tuition will be reassessed. Students may wish to elect the option of earning a grade if they have already completed most of the coursework and can accelerate remaining assignments prior to departure from Intellectual Point.

REINSTATEMENT 

If any student is dismissed, either academically or administratively, they may petition for reinstatement. Reinstatement must be based upon evidence that the causes of previous low achievement have been removed. Reinstatement will be approved only if the student is able to provide compelling evidence of their ability to complete the program. If the candidate is disqualified a second time, reinstatement will not normally be considered.

TUITION REFUNDS 

In the event that students, Veterans, or other eligible persons fail to enter a course or program, or withdraw or are dismissed from Intellectual Point at any time prior to completion, the amount charged for tuition, fees, and other charges shall not exceed the approximate prorated portion of the total charges for tuition, fees, and other charges. Intellectual Point will refund the appropriate amount minus the $100 tuition fee which is included in the tuition of classes and programs. The prorated portion may not vary more than ten percent (10%) of the total costs for tuition, fees, and other charges. A copy of this policy can be provided to all students receiving educational benefits from the Veterans Administration by request and is included in their registration forms.

Tuition refunds are as follows: 

CLASS CANCELLATION 

Intellectual Point does everything possible to ensure that a scheduled class will be conducted. We have backup instructors for occasions when something has prevented the primary instructor from being able to attend the class. If Intellectual Point has to cancel or reschedule a class at any given time, each student is given the opportunity to enroll in the next scheduled class or receive a full tuition refund as stated above. 

Intellectual Point reserves the right to cancel or reschedule classes at any time due to operational needs. Upon cancellation or rescheduling a class, Intellectual Point will notify students by phone or email within one week of the class start date.

THREE-DAY CANCELLATION 

A student who provides written notice of cancellation within three (3) business days, excluding weekends and holidays prior to commencement of class, of executing the Enrollment Agreement is entitled to a refund of all monies paid, excluding the $100 non-refundable registration fee.

OTHER CANCELLATIONS 

A student requesting cancellation more than three (3) days after executing the Enrollment Agreement and making an initial payment prior to the first day of class is entitled to a refund of all monies paid, less a maximum tuition fee of 15% of the stated cost of the course or $100, whichever is more.

POLICY ON COLLECTION AND USE OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS

The background information solicited by the application for admission to Intellectual Point is necessary to determine the merits of applicants for admission and the applicable tuition rate. You are not legally required to furnish the information sought, but the consequence of not doing so is that your application may not be considered. If you do furnish the requested information, then it is subject to disclosure under the Virginia Open Records Act, unless you are accepted and attend Intellectual Point. At that time, personal information about you becomes protected under federal law and cannot be disclosed to anyone other than Intellectual Point administration without your permission, except as otherwise permitted by law, or by court order or search warrant.

Intellectual Point is required by federal law to report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the name, address and SSN for persons from whom tuition and related expenses are received. Federal law also requires Intellectual Point to obtain and report to the IRS the SSN for any person to whom compensation is paid. Failure to provide such information may delay or even prevent your enrollment. Intellectual Point will not disclose a SSN for any purpose not required by law without the consent of the student. However, furnishing a SSN is voluntary and not required for enrollment.

If you attend Intellectual Point, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) protects student SSNs in the same manner noted above, except disclosure of SSNs is then mandatory for reporting to state and federal agencies, e.g., the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV), the Internal Revenue Service, and in connection with financial aid.

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

At Intellectual Point, we value all students and employees as unique individuals, and we welcome the variety of experiences they bring to our company. As such, we have a strict non-discrimination policy. We believe everyone should be treated equally regardless of race, sex, gender identification, sexual orientation, national origin, native language, religion, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you feel that you have been discriminated against, please contact Prem Jadhwani at the following address. Every complaint will be appropriately investigated.

Intellectual Point

Attn: Prem Jadhwani
46175 Westlake Drive, Suite 250
Sterling, VA 20165

DELAYED PAYMENT POLICY FOR MILITARY STUDENTS

• Intellectual Point complies with Title 38 United States Code Section 3679(e) under which covered individuals (i.e. any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, or Chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits) can attend or participate in the course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the educational institution a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapters 31 or 33 (a “certificate of eligibility” also can include a “Statement of Benefits” obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website – eBenefits, or a VAF 28-1905 form for Chapter 31 authorization purposes) and ending on the earlier of the following dates:
• The date on which payment from the VA is made to the institution.
• 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the certificate of eligibility.
• Intellectual Point will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, labs, or the requirement that a covered individual borrows additional funds, or any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement of funding from VA under Chapters 31 or 33. Covered individuals wanting to use their educational benefits at Intellectual Point are required to submit to the School Certifying Official a completed request form to use such entitlement. Additionally, covered individuals may be required to provide additional information as necessary to properly certify enrollment.
• Intellectual Point may also require additional payment or impose a fee for the amount that is the difference between the amount of the student’s financial obligation and the amount of the VA education benefit disbursement if the student is less than 100% covered.

STUDENT RECORDS 

Intellectual Point will retain records of the classes students have started and completed. We also have the Certificate of Completions on file.

These rights are: 

• The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the school receives a request for access. 
• The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. 
• The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests.

CATALOG 

Intellectual Point’s school catalog is updated on an as-needed basis and copies are available to students upon request. Students may request a soft copy of the school catalog in person or by emailing the school staff.

Catalog Attachments

Catalog attachments are available to each student upon request.

• Appendix A:  Section 3 – VET TEC Career Pathway Fees
• Appendix B:  Section 4 – Individual Class Fees
• Appendix C:  Section 5 – Administrator & Faculty Lists

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