At a university students often run across a lot of specific terms that are unique to the institution as well as jargon that relates to education in general. This page is meant to help capture most of the acronyms and terms you will run across here at DKU but remember, you are always welcome to ask your advisor if you run across something not on this page that you don’t understand.
| Title | Summary |
|---|---|
| Academic Accommodations (or Accommodations) | Changes to a class allowed for a student due to injury, illness, or disability. These accommodations can take many forms but are meant to help create a more equitable situation for the student who needs them. They are not designed to provide any single student a benefit over others, rather they are meant to provide an equal chance of success for all students. Accommodations may be requested by submitting all relevant medical documentation of the disability(ies), along with a written accomodation recommended and signed by the student's physician or disability specialist, to the Campus Health Services. Students may only be accommodated upon issuance by the Campus Health Services of an accommodation plan signed by the Duke Kunshan University physician-in-charge, who will be responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all classes in which an accommodation is sought. In some cases, accommodation requests may need to be reviewed by the Director of Disability Management System at Duke University in the U.S. |
| Academic Advising (or Advising) | The process by which students receive aid on their way to reaching graduation. This can take the form of getting help picking classes and learning about campus resources but is best utilized by also talking with your advisor about interests, goals, future academic and career aspirations, etc. with the goal of combining these as best they can with the major a student selects. Good advising helps students learn what opportunities to take advantage of during their time at the university and helps students understand the connection between their education and their next step, whatever that may be. The better a student understands how to explain that connection the better they are able to market themselves and their degree as they work to achieve that future goal. |
| Academic Advising Office | Part of the Office of Undergraduate Advising, Academic Advising serves to support advisors and students across the university with the more complex academic issues which arise. In partnership with the Academic Resource Center (ARC) they administer the Peer Mentor program. |
| Academic Advisor (or Advisor) | Faculty or staff assigned to work with each student to provide them with advising services. The advisor should be a student's primary contact when it comes to most academic issues and they can often refer other issues students bring to them (health, peer conflict, career discussions, etc.) to useful resources around campus. Students are encouraged to come to them whenever they have a question and to always do so in a manner that is respectful of the advisor's time. A good practice is to always reach out to your advisor early, emailing the night or even hours before a deadline will mean that the student is likely to miss the deadline because they requested help so late. Please note that it is common for a student's advisor to not be a part of the major program a student is pursuing as advisors are taught to learn the university degree system as a whole and not just a single major program. In most cases there is no need to change advisors even when changing majors. |
| Academic Coaching | Run by the Academic Resource Center (ARC) this can be one or a series of meetings meant to help students identify problems or barriers to success and work through them. Meant for students who are in good standing and want to improve as well as students who are experiencing academic difficulty. The staff member they meet with is referred to as an Academic Coach but will have a different official title for their role. See the ARC website for more. |
| Academic Integrity | Primarily refers to maintaining honesty when working on tests, quizzes, homework, or any other type of academic assessment. The DKU Community Standard requires that students hold themselves to the highest standards of honesty, integrity, fairness, and responsibility. Failing to abide by academic integrity rules on a student's work is a violation of that standard. Some examples by which students can unknowingly violate academic integrity are through plagiarism, citing without proper attribution, citing excessively, or working collaboratively on assignments that were meant to be done alone. When in doubt of whether or not an approach will be in violation of academic integrity best practice is to approach the instructor to ask about it before engaging in the approach in question. |
| Academic Resource Center (or ARC) | Part of the Office of Undergraduate Advising, the Academic Resource Center (ARC) provides academic success programming, peer tutoring, study group opportunities, and academic coaching to students across the university. In partnership with the Academic Advising Office they administer the Peer Mentor Program. |
| Academic Success Program (ASP) | Developmental program designed and run by the Academic Resource Center the Academic Success Program provides students with essential information and skills needed to achieve academic success and build the capacity for lifelong learning and exploration. It consists of a series of workshops on various topics which introduce students to different campus resources and practical skills. |
| Academic Warning | Part of the Office of Undergraduate Advising, Academic Advising serves to support advisors and students across the university with the more complex academic issues which arise. In partnership with the Academic Resource Center (ARC) they administer the Peer Mentor program. |
| Animating Principles | Refers to seven principles that are expressed throughout the curriculum and in much of the programming that DKU offers. They are Rooted Globalism, Collaborative Problem-Solving, Research and Practice, Lucid Communication, Independence and Creativity, Wise Leadership, and a Purposeful Life. |
| Anti-requisite | Used in terms of Study Away this refers to a class which is not similar enough in content to a DKU course to be considered equivalent but is close enough that taking one means a student cannot take the other. |
| Bulletin | Produced each year the DKU Bulletin is a publication which indicates the majors available to a student and the policies that they must hold to. As time goes on policies can get updated so it is important that each student utilize the Bulletin associated with the year they entered the university. Current and past Bulletins can be found on the Office of the Registrar's website. |
| Campus Health Clinic | The Campus Health Clinic is an important unit housed within the Duke Kunshan University Student Affairs team. The mission of Campus Health is to provide basic medical care, health education and workshops on preventive health to students, to improve students’ physical status and enrich their college life. Services include Medical Consultation, Student Health Management, and Health Education & Promotion. |
| Canvas | An online platform that houses resources from many different offices around the university as well as serves as a learning management platform to interact with many of the courses offered at DKU. |
| Capstone Courses | Part of the Signature Work process that refers to the two capstone courses in which a student creates a substantial scholarly or creative signature product. |
| Career Services | The office on campus that helps students learn skills such as how to create resumes, interview effectively, and how to search for internships and jobs. Thinking about a career is not something to do only at the end of a student's time here, these skills can help a student throughout their four years. It's recommended that every student visit Career Services early on to learn how the skill sets needed to gain student positions or internships in order to maximize their time at DKU. |
| Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) | An office on campus which works with faculty to implement proven, evidence-based strategies for effective student learning. CTL offers training on educational technology, consultation on syllabi, and instruction in specific classroom techniques to improve the practice of teaching and learning. |
| Chancellor | A title indicating the highest level of leadership at DKU. The university is led by our Chancellor, followed by an Executive Vice Chancellor and several Vice Chancellors who are each responsible for different major areas of the university. |
| Change of Major | Students who have declared a major and wish to change it may do so by submitting a form to the Office of the University Registrar. No changes in majors can be made after the end of the Drop/Add period of the first session of the spring term in the senior year. |
| CHSC | The subject abbreviation for Chinese Society and Culture courses, these are required of all Chinese mainland students and those from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. For students required to enroll in them these credits are typically fulfilled over the summer term. |
| Common Core | Common Core courses provide opportunities for students to develop a degree of common knowledge and shared experiences. One dimension of this commonality is a set of core courses that focus on big questions and critical challenges with which every student should be prepared to engage. Engagement will draw from and integrate humanistic and scientific knowledge, including its historical context and cultural traditions of thought about value, the nature of reality, and what it is to be human. Such knowledge is both a means for addressing challenges and a pre-requisite for identifying what our challenges are and how we might address them. Common Core courses also provide regular instruction and guided practice in writing and speaking for non-specialist audiences. Students take these courses one per year, in sequence, so that the common experience and development of communication skills extend across time. The three common core courses are China in the World (Year 1), Global Challenges in Science, Technology and Health (Year 2), and Ethics, Citizenship and the Examined Life (Year 3). In order to promote the common experience among the same class of students, these three common core courses must be taken during the Fall or Spring term in the designated year of study. |
| Community Standard | All Duke Kunshan University students are required to hold themselves to the highest standards for honesty, integrity, fairness, and responsibility in their academic and co-curricular endeavors. Duke Kunshan University is a community comprised of individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds. We are dedicated to scholarship, leadership, and service and to the principles of honesty, fairness, respect, and accountability. Members of this community commit to reflecting upon and upholding these principles in all academic and non-academic endeavors, and to protecting and promoting a culture of integrity and trust. To uphold the Community Standard, each student is expected to pledge to hold him/herself to the highest standards for honesty, integrity, fairness, and responsibility in his/her academic and non-academic endeavors, to respect other cultures and embrace all forms of diversity, and to uphold the standards if they are compromised. |
| Counseling and Wellness Services (CAWS) | The office on campus that offers students both face to face and online counseling services. Maintaining their mental health is one of the biggest challenges a student can face during a stressful undergraduate career. CAPS aims to provide excellent assistance to those who are distressed or injured, aid in eradicating those situations and conditions that result in psychological problems, and to promote and nurture positive mental health and happiness on the Duke Kunshan campus. Their services are not limited to only students in crisis but to anyone who is seeking resources to maintain their mental health. Especially useful to many students are the workshops and some of the self-help resources and apps they offer. |
| Course Credits (also referred to as Credits) | The units by which degree progress is measured. A DKU degree consists of 136 credits and most courses are 4 credits in size though there are also 2 credit writing courses, 0.5 credit physical education courses, and research courses that can be variable credit. |
| Course Load | In fall and spring terms, the normal course load is 16-20 credits (8-10 credits in each 7-week session). In addition, students may enroll in up to one credit of PE courses without special permission from their advisor. In the first 7-week session of their first term, firstyear students are restricted to a maximum of 8 credits (one four-credit course, one two-credit language course, and one additional two-credit course), plus one PE course. The maximum number of credits a student can take in any subsequent 7-week session without special permission is 10 (two 4-credit courses and one 2-credit course) plus one PE course. Students should note that in order to reach the 136 credits required for graduation, they will need 8 additional credits beyond the minimum course load of 16 credits per term for eight terms. These additional credits can be earned by any combination of terms in which a student registers for greater than the 16-credit minimum, AP and IPC credits, or transfer credits. Students who enroll in or withdraw to an underload, earn a failing grade (F or NC), or repeat a course in any term should work with their academic advisor to develop a plan to make up credits in order to avoid a delayed graduation date. Students studying abroad at other institutions may be subject to that institution’s policies. |
| Course Repeat | Students are permitted to repeat courses they’ve taken at Duke Kunshan University in which they have received a grade of C- or below. There are limitations to this depending on the situation but in general this is doable with permission from one's advisor. Anything in which you earn a C or above is not repeatable for the purposes of bumping up a grade. |
| Dean | A title indicating high level leadership at the university. The title of Dean is the highest in this sequence and these individuals typically report to one of the Vice Chancellors. Associate and Assistant Deans are the next two levels and these will typically report to the Dean of their respective area. These roles cover a wide array of responsibilities at DKU and most complex issues will be fully resolved by the time they reach the Dean, if not before. |
| Declaration of Major | All undergraduate students enter Duke Kunshan University without a major and are assigned an academic advisor. When preparing to declare a major in the sophomore year, students work with their advisors, and potentially others who have advised them, to develop a long-range academic plan. This plan lays out the courses they anticipate taking in their remaining terms and is reviewed by their advisor to confirm that it will meet established requirements for graduation. Although students may declare a major as early as the beginning of fall term of the sophomore year, all students must secure formal approval of their long-range plans and declare a major no later than the last teaching day of the first seven-week session in their fourth term. Until then, students should be exploring different options of majors to ensure that they are making the best choice for themselves. Students who do not declare their major may be prevented from registering for classes for their fifth undergraduate term and from participating in a term or study abroad program. |
| Disciplinary | In reference to major requirements this is the set of classes which serve specialized training in a students' academic community. These will often map to the tools and methods of a traditional discipline and further enable students to be competitive for graduate school or other advanced work. |
| Distribution Requirement | The distributional requirement is intended to broaden students’ educational experience and ensure that all graduates have an acquaintance with a broad variety of fields of inquiry and approaches to knowledge. Students are required to take at least one four-credit course (or two 2-credit courses with the correct attribute) in each of the three divisional areas: arts and humanities, natural and applied sciences, and social sciences. |
| Division | Refers to the means by which DKU organizes the faculty and curriculum, instead of as traditional majors or departments. There are three Divisions - Arts and Humanities; Natural and Applied Sciences; and Social Sciences. Each of these is led by a Division Chair who is appointed from the faculty within that division. |
| Divisional Foundation Courses | These courses provide opportunities to develop knowledge and skills essential to advanced work in each division. For first and second year students still considering a major these are good options to consider taking. |
| DKU Hub | The online platform which allows students to search for classes, plan for future semesters, or view the academic requirements for their degree. Also referred to as SIS, which stands for Student Information System. |
| Dual Degrees | Duke Kunshan University students successfully completing the course of study required by Duke Kunshan University and Duke University will be conferred both a Duke Kunshan University graduation certificate and diploma officially approved by the MOE as well as a diploma from Duke University indicating that the degree has been granted in accordance with the requirements of Duke Kunshan University and Duke University (Duke University is accredited by SACSCOC). All students must fulfill the requirements for both the Duke University and the Duke Kunshan University degrees. Students will be alumni of both institutions. |
| Electives | These are the 8-13 courses (32 to 52 credits) depending on division and language proficiency, which include the three electives as distributional requirements and one Quantitative Reasoning course which are part of the General Education requirement. Any not filled with degree requirements are free to be any class a student wants but it is best to make truly intentional choices as opposed to taking things which are completely random. |
| Exam Jam | A one-day event scheduled on the Friday before the final week every semester to help students better prepare for their finals. The Exam Jam includes faculty-led review sessions and stress relief activities. |
| Experiential Learning (EL) | A co-curricular experiential learning activity that is a component of a student's Signature Work (SW) meant to build on, solidify, or enhance academic work aligned with their SW project. These experiences should help DKU undergraduate students prepare for their next steps beyond DKU. Such experiences might include but are not limited to the following: academically focused activities, qualitative or quantitative research, applied field work, faculty-directed research, community-based learning, creative projects and experiences, innovation or entrepreneurship projects and experiences or career-focused internships. |
| Experiential Learning Activity Supervisor (or Supervisor) | The person who is supervising any Experiential Learning (EL) activity. The EL supervisor does not have to be a DKU faculty or staff member. The EL supervisor could be whomever oversees the student while they are doing an external internship or volunteering in the community. If the EL activity is carried out on campus, it is highly recommended that the supervisor is the mentor, but this is not mandatory. In either case, the EL supervisor and the mentor will work together to validate the EL activity for the SW project in addition to the student’s submission of a final EL written report. |
| First Friday | Series of events on the first Friday of every session to promote after-class connection between students and faculty members. Each event consists of a featured faculty talk and an Academic Success Workshop. In the featured faculty talk, DKU faculty members from various divisions will share their academic journey and their suggestions on how to succeed in college. |
| General Education | Refers to the part of your degree which consists of 3 common core courses (12 credits), 2-4 language courses (8-16 credits) depending on proficiency, 3 electives (12 credits) as distributional requirements, and one Quantitative Reasoning course (4 credits). |
| Interdisciplinary | Interdisciplinary courses are characterized by distinct curricular pathways spanning several traditional disciplines. These are broad but defined areas of study that encourage integrative and multidisciplinary habits of inquiry and knowledge acquisition. The interdisciplinary component of a major serves as a primary definition of the student’s academic community. It requires 4 to 7 courses and might be problem-focused, comparative and cross-cultural, or innovative fusions within or across divisions. In the social sciences and the arts and humanities communities, students in their 3rd and/or 4th years will undertake advanced seminars that enable them to integrate their studies from more specialized areas. |
| International Student Services | International Student Services (ISS) serves the international student population, facilitates intercultural and international education engagement, and foster a global campus community at the Duke Kunshan University and beyond. ISS provides inbound visa consultation and assistance before and after international students’ arrival in China. They also create signature programs and events, such as Global Culture Month and Host Family Program to help guide international students through Chinese culture and encourage them to become involved in campus life, while providing opportunities for Chinese and international students to interact in meaningful ways. |
| Language and Culture Center (LCC) | The academic division in Duke Kunshan University responsible for offering language courses, especially courses in English for Academic Purposes and Chinese as a Second Language. The LCC also offers advanced courses in written and oral communication skills, and independent study courses for learning additional languages. |
| Learning Consultant | The title of staff members working in the ARC. These staff are responsible for scheduling and supervising peer tutors, academic coaching, as well as creating and running student success programming. |
| Leave of Absence | Students who wish to take time away from their studies but intend to return to Duke Kunshan University are advised to take a Leave of Absence if possible. Most leaves of absence are granted for two reasons: personal or medical. After finishing the first term of the first year, students in good standing may request a personal leave of absence for one or two terms by completing a leave of absence request form and submitting it to the Office of Academic Services prior to the first day of classes of the term in which the leave is granted. A personal leave of absence starts after one term ends and before the next term begins. A personal leave of absence is not granted for a term in which classes have begun, except in extreme cases such as family death or recent diagnosis of terminal illness. A medical leave of absence with proper documentation may be granted at any time but with one restriction. Students requesting a medical leave of absence during a current term must file the leave of absence forms with the Office of Academic Services prior to the end of the last day of classes of that term. Students who request a medical leave of absence for a current term and submit their leave request prior to the last day of classes will be assigned W in lieu of a regular grade for each course. Students taking a medical leave of absence during the final four weeks of classes for 14- week long courses and the final two weeks of classes for 7-week long courses will have the option, upon obtaining the appropriate approvals from the instructor, to choose to receive the grade of I in one or more courses instead of the W grade. The student may then complete the course as described in the section on Incomplete Coursework. In most cases, students electing to take a medical leave of absence will be expected to remain on medical leave of absence through the following fall or spring term. |
| Major | Indicates what a student focused their degree in a relatively broad sense, these are often further divided into specialized tracks which indicates a more specific topic. The major part of a student's degree is composed of both interdisciplinary and disciplinary components, with the former serving as the entry point and primary definition of a students’ academic community and the latter providing specialized training, as well as divisional foundation courses that prepare students for advanced study and signature work that focuses on a question, problem or issue and includes independent research, a senior thesis or creative production. |
| Major Convener | A faculty member associated with a specific major who is tasked with ensuring information related to specific majors is shared broadly with students and throughout the advising community. They are also one of the approvers whenever a student wishes to substitute a a transfer class for a degree requirement. These faculty are a very good resource to visit whenever a student has questions about a major, its courses, or what students can do with it after graduation. |
| Mini Term Program | Consists of intensive and fun one-week mini-term courses held during a break between Session 3 and Session 4. There are two types of mini-term course: 1) Exploratory Courses enable students to explore new areas of interest in a high-impact, low-risk format; and 2) Signature Work Courses which provide structured time for sophomores and juniors to focus on planning or research for their Signature Work project. For both kinds of mini-term courses, daily work is limited to eight hours a day for class preparation, meetings and experiential activities. There are no grades, and the only expectation is that students attend and engage with the group. There are no prerequisites for Exploratory Courses; some Signature Work Courses have prerequisites. All students must complete one mini-term course as a requirement for graduation. Students may be able to enroll in additional mini-term courses as space permits in subsequent years. |
| Ministry of Education (MOE) | Agency in China which regulates education throughout the People's Republic of China. This is the organization which allows universities to grant degrees and provides guidance and regulations for all educational institutions in the country. |
| Mission Statement (or Mission) | The Office of Global Education provides students with a range of opportunities to join Study Away programs both in China, in the United States, and elsewhere abroad. They also facilitate the course substitution process at the university. |
| Office of Global Education | The Office of Global Education provides students with a range of opportunities to join Study Away programs both in China, in the United States, and elsewhere abroad. They also facilitate the course substittion process at the university. |
| Overload | When a student enrolls in more than 10 credits in a 7-week session or more than 20 credits in a term, exclusive of PE. This is not common and only able to be done by permission. Wanting to do more credits or to speed up the time to graduation is not considered a valid rationale but something like wanting to do research or needing to make up time to achieve an on-time graduation could be. |
| Pathways to Success | Program meant to promote career readiness through career coaching and graduate school advising to assist in a successful transition into post-graduate opportunities. |
| Peer Mentor | Program which matches first-year students with upper-class students who help guide them through the DKU first-year experience. Peer Mentors get together with their mentees on a regular basis for meals, chats, and are there for the first-year student like a DKU "older sibling." All DKU Peer Mentors were once first-year students- new to college, new to DKU - and they are here to share their experiences with incoming students. |
| Peer Tutor | Undergraduate students who have excelled in the course(s) they tutor and have a solid understanding of course materials, excellent study skills and habits, and the ability to facilitate discussions about course content. Peer Tutors provide quality course-specific academic support and student-centered resources to answer undergraduate students' individual questions and satisfy their learning needs. |
| Prematriculation Credit | First-year Duke Kunshan students may submit for evaluation college courses taken at another accredited college or university after commencement of the student’s junior year of high school. Prematriculation credits awarded for such work may be used as electives and, thus, may not be used to satisfy the general education requirements. Any combination of 8 prematriculation, IPC, or AP credits may be used toward the 136 credits required for graduation. For any of the above three types of college-level work, students are expected to submit their scores and/or any other required documents during their first term on campus. After the first term, no entrance credits will be accepted. |
| Pre-professional Advising | Specific type of advising for students intending to go on to professional programs such a law school, medical school, etc. Focus is often on actions and classes student can take while they are university as well as how to search for and apply to programs which are a good fit. |
| Probation | This change in academic status is one which is meant to help the university better support students who find themselves in academic difficulty. At the end of each fall and spring term, a student must have both a term and a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.000. Failure to meet either will result in academic probation for the following fall or spring term. If a student cannot improve during that semester then there is a possibility of suspension for the two semesters following probation. |
| Professor (also Associate Professor or Instructional Professor) | Faculty member who is typically on a tenure track and often holds the responsibility to both teach and do research. Some professors hold administrative ranks, such as Dean or Vice Chancellor, and in those cases will be primarily focused on that role instead of teaching and research. "Professor" is highest formal level in this system but is also the term used when addressing an instructor as a way of showing respect. Sometimes the title can have the additional words (such as "Associate" or "Instructional") in front of it, indicating the faculty member's progress through tenure or if they have a focus in responsibility that is different than standard. This is not the only role which can serve as an instructor as DKU also employs Lecturers, or instructors who are not required to perform research. |
| Quantitative Reasoning Requirement | The Quantitative Reasoning (QR) requirement aims to ensure that all students graduate with critical skills in quantitative analysis and deductive reasoning. The QR requirement can be fulfilled by taking a course with the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) attribute or by approved transfer credit from study abroad or summer programs for computer science, mathematics, or statistics courses. Transfer credit requires the review and approval from the appropriate division chair to fulfil the distributional requirement. The QR requirement cannot be fulfilled by AP or IPC credits. |
| Registrar | At a university this is the administrator in charge of student records, registration, transcripts, degree clearance, and a number of other technical functions the university requires. Advisors may reach out to the Registrar's Office when they have questions about courses or registration, students can also peruse their website for links to the Academic Calendar, Bulletin, and helpful forms they may need over their time here. |
| Rubric | An assessment tool to evaluate performance on an assigment or project. This can take many different forms and depending on the project the instructor may or may not choose to share it with the student. |
| Signature Work (SW) | Refers to entire SW experience including the SW Project, SW Product and all elements required for successful completion. |
| Signature Work Conference and Exhibition (SWCE) | Refers to the required end of the academic year public event that is a platform for students to present their SW Projects and SW Products. |
| Signature Work Declaration of Intent (SWDI) | Form students work with their academic advisor on, this serves as an initial SW document that students share with potential mentors to help the faculty member determine whether or not they want to serve as the student's mentor. More than anything this can be seen as a checkpoint to ensure that the student has begun thinking about their SW project. It is important to note this SWDI is not binding and may evolve into something quite different. Form can be found on Sakai hosted on the DKU Signature Work page. |
| Signature Work Product (SW product) | The final academic writing that synthesizes and concludes the outcomes of a scholarly or creative SW Project. |
| Signature Work Project (SW project) | The overall SW process and all elements encompassing: three thematic courses, experiential learning, two senior year capstone courses, e-portfolio, planning and discussion with the SW mentor, and creation of the final SW Product. At the end of the SW process, a public presentation is required at the SW Conference and Exhibition. |
| Signature Work Project Mentor (also Signature Work Mentor or Mentor) | The DKU faculty or instructor who is supervising the SW Project. Beginning in the junior year, the mentor will be responsible for supervising and guiding the student through the entire SW process starting from their initial SW Project Proposal until assigning the final grade for the SW Project. |
| Signature Work Project Proposal (SWPP) | Considered the final proposal, this is binding and describes in detail the nature of the SW project and who will be working on it, whether that be a single student or a team. May not be revised except by an official request turned in before the final deadline in Session 1 of the student's senior year. Form can be found on Sakai hosted on the DKU Signature Work page. |
| Study Away | A program whereby a student studies at a different institution away from DKU. Many different options in different locations exist for students to select from but students must work with the Office of Global Education to plan for these. |
| Suspension (or Academic Suspension) | Students on academic probation must clear their probationary status in order to continue at Duke Kunshan University. Not doing so is an indication that there is something impacting the student that they are not able to manage at the present time. In order to give the student the time to work on whatever challenges are impeding their ability to be successful any students who fail to meet the minimum requirements to clear their probationary status are subject to academic suspension, or time spent away from the university, for a period of at least two terms (excluding summer term). |
| Team-Based Signature Work Project | A student-initiated group scholarly or creative SW Project. Each team member is still expected to produce their own individual and unique written SW Product. |
| Thematic Courses | Part of the Signature Work process that refers to three thematically linked courses drawn from students' interdisciplinary studies, disciplinary studies or electives. |
| Track | In relation to a student's major, this indicates the specific focus a student has within that major program. Most majors at DKU have multiple interdisciplinary tracks to choose from. |
| Transfer Courses | All coursework undertaken after matriculation as a full-time degree-seeking student at Duke Kunshan University which is taken at another accredited four-year institution in the United States or similarly accredited institution abroad and with a liberal arts and general education curriculum. |
| Tutoring | Academic help provided by peer tutors or staff from the WLS in order to aid the student in improving their grades in a given course. Can take the form of drop in group tutoring, one-on-one appointments, or study groups. It's important to note that these sessions are not meant to do the work for the student or just provide the answers to problems, the goal is to help them identify any issues and learn how to overcome those obstacles in ways that they can continue to utilize outside of the tutoring session. |
| Office of Academic Services | The Office of Academic Services oversees the Undergraduate Program at Duke Kunshan University. The office houses the Office of Academic Advising and the Office of the Office of the Registrar. |
| Underload | Taking fewer than 8 credits per session or 16 credits overall in a semester. This is only allowed in very specific circumstances and the student must make the loss of credit in a later semester. |
| W and WA Grades | The designation W is recorded when a student officially withdraws from a course after the Drop/Add period. WA indicates withdrawal from an audited course. |
| What-if Report | Found on the Student Center in a student's DukeHub this is a tool which allows students to view their coursework in a major program they are not a part of in order to assess how far along they would be in completing that degree. Most useful for choosing courses in a desired major program before a student has selected a major or for gauging progress during the major selection/major change process. Once a student has chosen and been accepted into a major they should shift to using their Academic Requirements tool in the same menu on the Student Center. |
| Withdrawal (from a course) | Leaving a course before its official end date. Can be for medical reasons, or in just a few circumstances for personal reasons, but regardless of reason it results in a W notation on the transcript as opposed to a grade. |
| Withdrawal (from the university) | Leaving the university without earning a degree. Can happen voluntarily, which would allow students to reapply in the future through admissions, or involuntarily, which would not. |
| Writing and Language Studio (WLS) | Hosted by the Language and Culture Center at Duke Kunshan University, the WLS provides guidance and support to students, faculty, and staff in the Duke Kunshan community as they develop their language and communication skills. They provide the services of a traditional university writing center as well as coaching in language learning. |
