Instructional Affairs

General Information

College programs are broadly supervised by the Chief Academic Officer, Dean of Academic Affairs, Dean of Career and Technical Education and Dean of Workforce College.These administrators are supported by the Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of Student Affairs, Dean of Workforce College personnel, and assistant deans. Jones College is organized into the following instructional schools: Agriculture and Industrial Services; Art, Music, and Performance; Humanities and Social Sciences;Science and Engineering; Business, Math and Technology; Health Sciences; and Workforce and Entrepreneurship.

Academic Affairs

Jones Colleges offers approximately 100 university parallel programs. These programs provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to demonstrate the mastery of an established set of course objectives. Courses in each of the Academic Affairs pathways are sequenced to prepare students for completion of an associate’s degree and/or transfer to the university setting to complete a bachelor’s degree. Courses within each plan of study are articulated with each of the eight public universities in Mississippi and are updated regularly through articulation and pathway alignment meetings. 

Career and Technical Education

Jones College’s Career and Technical Education Division provides 32 programs that offer a career pathway, career, and technical certificates, as well as Associate of Applied Science degrees. Career and technical education works closely with the workforce college to apply training and skills toward career pathways with career and technical programs. All courses include competency-based applied learning that contributes to an individual’s academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Career and technical courses are sequenced and designed to prepare students for employment in current and emerging careers. 

CTE Student Support Services Department

​Ms. Shelby Hanna, Dr. Brad Harrison

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Student Support Services Department assists in preparing CTE students to meet the constantly changing needs of the 21st century workplace. CTE Support Services Coordinators (SSC) enhance and support the performance of the college’s individual program instructors by assisting students who are deficient in certain basic academic skills and provide training and support of professional employability skills. CTE SSC’s provide educational services and materials for strengthening mathematical, reading, language, and communication skills. Additional responsibilities include but are not limited to CTE recruiting, career counseling, building and maintaining partnerships with business/industry, and tracking and assisting students from entrance to their program of study until graduation and employment. Students desiring such services should contact the Career and Technical Dean’s Office, or any of the Student Service Coordinators.

The Career and Technical Education Division’s philosophy is that all students deserve a chance to be successful in a chosen field of study. It has been determined that individuals who are deficient in certain basic skills will experience measurable degrees of difficulty in coping with the technical information requirements of the skill training programs. Supplementary services are provided to students identified as special populations upon enrollment in career or technical programs and preparatory services are provided to assist individuals seeking to qualify for career or technical programs. Special populations include the following: individuals with disabilities; individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including foster children; individuals preparing for non-traditional training and employment; single parents (teens and adults), including single parent; active military parent; aged out of foster care; homeless; displaced homemakers; and individuals with barriers to educational achievement including individuals with limited English proficiency.

The Student Support Services program was established to provide individual and small group tutoring services to special populations’ students enrolled in career and technical programs. The purpose is to strengthen deficiencies in basic academic skills and to provide support services to help facilitate the transition from college to employment. The program is equipped with special materials for strengthening mathematical, reading, language, and communication skills. These educational services are provided for any Career and Technical Education student who is identified as meeting the criteria for Special Populations.

Applicants to Career programs at Jones College that do not hold a regular high school diploma or high school equivalency may qualify for admittance to programs based upon an Ability to Benefit assessment. The programs in which an applicant can test for admission based on Ability to Benefit include:

Business and Office Technology - Office Systems Technology

Commercial and Residential Construction

Culinary Arts Technology

Electrical Technology

Landscape Horticulture Technology

Information Systems Technology - Web and Programming

Welding Technology

For more information on who to contact and the process for taking the Ability to Benefit assessment, please see specific program information.

Workforce College

The Workforce College provides training opportunities to the citizens of Jones, Covington, Smith, Wayne, Jasper, Greene, Clarke and Perry Counties. The training is conducted in accordance with the Workforce Education Project Policies as developed by the Mississippi Community College Board.

The mission of the Workforce College at Jones College is to provide quality education and training to the citizens in the Jones College district; produce the skills needed to be more productive and to have an improved quality of life; provide the employers in those counties a better trained and educated workforce; train for higher skilled and higher wage jobs for businesses, industries and employees of our district; and provide a state-of-the-art training facility for the businesses, industries and communities in Jones and surrounding counties.

The College Year

Curricula and courses at Jones College are generally presented within the framework of the semester system. Fall and spring semesters make up the traditional academic year, though students may pursue degree requirements on a year round basis by attending summer 5 week or 10 week sessions.

Student Classification

Students at Jones College are classified as either Freshman or Sophomore. A student is classified as a freshman when they are working toward, or have zero to twenty-nine (0-29) semester hours’ credit. Students who have earned thirty (30) semester hours’ credit and above are classified as sophomores.

Student Academic Responsibilities

All colleges establish certain requirements which must be met before a degree is granted. These regulations concern such things as curricula and courses, majors, and campus residence requirements. Advisors, counselors, faculty, and deans will inform students concerning these requirements, but students themselves are ultimately responsible for being acquainted with regulations and procedures as stated in the Catalog, Student Policies, and other official publications of the College. For these reasons, it is important for students to be familiar with these publications and remain currently informed throughout their college careers.

Course Load

The minimum course load for full-time students is 15 semester credit hours, and the maximum course load is 19 semester credit hours. Students wishing to enroll in more than 19 semester credit hours must receive approval from the Office of Instructional Affairs. In determining their course loads, students should be aware that each hour of class usually demands two hours per week of outside preparation.

Course Changes

Changes in schedules include withdrawal from a course(s) or addition of a new course(s). Beginning the first day of class, students wanting to make course changes must go to Enrollment Services to process the change.

Program Changes

Jones College reserves the right to change its program curriculum at any time during the academic year based on changes in local, state and federal policy. The most current copy of JC’s Catalog can be found at www.jcjc.edu.

eLearning Proctor Center and Computer Aided Learning Lab

The eLearning Proctor Testing Center, located in the Academic Support Building, supports the MSVCC courses. The eLearning Center is under the direction of Ashley Beard. For more information, visit http://www.jcjc.edu/elearning/index.php. The CAL Lab also located in the Academic Support Building, is available for instructors to bring classes to complete assignments/tests using the internet accessible computers.

Distance Education

The Jones College (JC) eLEARNING program has removed the barriers of location and time, making a college education accessible and affordable for every student at any age. Distance learning courses allow students who do not have the flexibility to attend traditional on-campus classes to pursue their educational goals. Distance learning courses also offer students taking on-campus courses a more flexible class schedule. Distance education allows everyone the opportunity to access higher education.

eLEARNING at JC is delivered through Canvas with educational support for each student. Students will work independently at their own pace and interact through various communication tools and technologies. Except for exams, regular campus attendance is not required.

JC is a member of the Mississippi Virtual Community College (MSVCC), which provides internet-based courses statewide. MSVCC is a consortium of Mississippi’s junior/community colleges. Through MSVCC, students may take courses from the other community/junior colleges while getting support services from JC, as long as the course is in the course catalog. To take a course from another (remote) college, a student enrolls at a local (JC) junior/community college. The local college provides the best of on-campus support with student services, including advisement and counseling, financial aid, and learning resources. The remote college provides the course and instruction while the local college awards the credit for the course.

Jones offers two formats for distance education - online and hybrid.

Faculty Advisement

All students have faculty advisors with whom they shall meet periodically. Advisors assist students by helping to plan a schedule, providing career information, referring students to proper sources for information, and encouraging academic endeavors. Students are provided advisors for the duration of enrollment at Jones College. Advisement for students planning to transfer coursework to a four-year university or college in the state of Mississippi should include usage of the Misssissippi Articulation and Transfer tool avaialble at http://matttransfertool.com/about/default.aspx. Students wishing to change advisors should request a major change by emailing major@jcjc.edu.

On Campus Child Care

The Jones College Center for Child Development (CCD) is operated for the purpose of educating and training college students in the area of Early Childhood Education Technology. The program offers college students the opportunity to gradually assume the responsibilities of a full-time early childhood teacher.  The CCD offers a high quality, developmentally appropriate environment which practices the latest in early childhood educational research.  The Mississippi Early Learning Standards from the Mississippi Department of Education are utilized to create challenging and achievable learning goals.  The Center is licensed by the Mississippi State Department of Health.

The philosophy of the Jones College Center for Child Development is to provide a developmentally appropriate, hands-on learning environment where teachers, college students, and children are both teachers and learners. Children learn best through direct hands-on experiences with real objects and interactions with adults and other children as they grow and develop socially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically. Through play-based experiences, children can develop their own view of the world. The program values a diverse and multicultural learning environment, where everyone is welcome.

The CCD is open from 7:15am-5:00pm year-round and serves 3-5 year-old children. Anyone may apply for enrollment, with priority enrollment offered to Jones College faculty and staff.  All children must have an up-to-date Immunization Compliance Form #121 from the Mississippi State Department of Health, completed Enrollment Application, and paid Registration/Activity Fees to secure enrollment.  Tuition is collected monthly and the CCD accepts Mississippi Child Care Payment Program tuition assistance.  For more information or to inquire about enrolling a child, please email the Director, Brooke Knight at brooke.knight@jcjcj.edu.

Evening Classes

An evening college program is offered throughout the year. This program is diversified to meet the needs of students served by the College.

Grading System

Grades and Credit Hours

Credit for each course is awarded in terms of semester hours. The number of credit hours awarded for each course normally conforms to the number of contact class hours per week. An exception occurs in laboratory and clinical work. Two hours of lab is a one credit hour value and three hours clinical is a one credit hour value. Credit hours for courses will be granted at the completion of each semester. Partial credit will not be granted for any period during the semester.

The following possible grades and corresponding quality represent the instructor’s final evaluation of a student’s performance in a course:

A - Excellent; 4 quality points per semester hour
B - Good; 3 quality points per semester hour
C - Average; 2 quality points per semester hour
D - Below Average; 1 quality point per semester hour
F - Failure without privilege of re-examination; 0 quality points U - Audit; 0 quality points
I - Incomplete; must be removed within six weeks as directed by the instructor or grade becomes an “F”
W -Withdrawn on or before designated date according to the college calendar

A grade report of “I” (incomplete) at the end of any course represents failure to complete some of the requirements of the course. An “I” requires the subsequent completion of all requirements in the course within six weeks following the end of the semester in which the course was taken; otherwise, a grade of “F” is automatically recorded. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange with his/her instructor for completion of course requirements in accordance with this regulation.

Divisions within the College must establish standards of performance expressed in percentages and inform students of grading procedures for each class.

Examinations

The final examination schedule is published at the end of each semester, and students will be given a comprehensive final examination based on course objectives.

Grade Point Average

For the purpose of graduation, students must obtain a “C” average, which according to the grade point system adopted, would be a 2.0 average. This average is figured on the total quality points earned divided by the total number of semester hours attempted. Grades of “W,” “WP,” or “U” do not count in the grade-point average. All other courses attempted are included in the average.

Grade Reports

Students are notified of their academic status at mid-term of each semester. Faculty advisors are available to advisees to discuss academic performance. At the end of each semester, grade reports are made available to students through their online account. Appeals associated with final grades must be received in writing within thirty (30) school days after the end of the term in which the grade was assigned. The method of grading by instructors should follow the grading policy for that class. All records on which grades are based should be retained on file for one full semester. The grade appealed shall remain in effect until the appeal process is concluded.

Honors

At the end of each semester, special recognition is given to students for outstanding academic achievement. Honors are based on grade point averages.

President’s List - 4.0 Deans’ List - 3.5 or above Faculty List - 3.0 or above

General Education Core Competencies For Graduates Are As Follows:

Critical Thinking - Students will demonstrate competency in applying critical thinking skills to solve problems, make informed decisions and interpret events.
Mathematical Reasoning - Students will demonstrate competency in mathematical reasoning through mastery of understanding and reasoning necessary for solving math problems.
Communications - Students will demonstrate competency in written and oral communication through mastery of the mechanics of writing and organizational skills.

Graduation Requirements

Students may pursue courses of study and complete requirements for an Associate in Arts degree, Associate in Applied Science degree, Technical Certificate, or a Career Certificate. Each student must file an application for graduation with the Registrar’s Office.

1. To graduate from the College with an Associate in Arts degree, students must:
   1. Earn 60 semester hours including LLS 1153  , 3 hours; English composition, 6 hours; humanities, 9 hours (at least 3 hours in fine arts); social science, 6 hours; college algebra or higher lever math, 3 hours; laboratory science, 8 hours; and electives subject to approval to complete the total hours required.
   2. Developmental courses will not count toward graduation requirements.
   3. Earn a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA on all work attempted at JC. (Quality points earned from another institution will not make up quality point deficiency for graduation).
   4. Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above when all transfer courses used to meet degree requirements are averaged with course work completed at Jones College.
   5. Complete 25 percent of semester credit hours through Jones College.
2. To graduate from the College with an Associate in Applied Science degree, students must:
   1. Complete requirements from an outlined curriculum stated in a specified catalog not more than three years old. Note that developmental courses will not count towards graduation requirements.
   2. Successfully complete SSP 1003 - Smart Start Pathway .
   3. Earn a minimum 2.0 GPA.
   4. Complete 25 percent of semester credit hours through Jones College. Credit hours generated by work-based learning experience may be substituted for required courses to meet graduation requirements. The number of hours substituted will be restricted to a maximum equivalent to the hours generated by any two major field technical courses. Substitutions must be approved by the Dean of Career and Technical Education or the Office of Instructional Affairs.

Exception: Any deviation from the above-stated requirements must have the approval of the Office of Instructional Affairs.

3. To graduate from the college with a Career Certificate, students must:
   1. Satisfactorily complete the prescribed certificate program as outlined in a catalog not more than three years old.
   2. Successfully complete SSP 1003 - Smart Start Pathway .
   3. Earn a minimum 2.0 GPA.

Credit hours generated by work-based learning experience may be substituted for elective courses. Substitutions must have the approval of the program’s Dean or the Office of Instructional Affairs.