The time limit for the completion of lesson assignments depends upon the program or course in which you are enrolled and will either be six months or one year from your official start date. If additional time is needed an extension may be granted if requested in writing, by phone, or by e-mail.
Career Diploma programs can be completed within four (4) months, students are permitted up to eighteen (18) months from date of enrollment to complete their program. Students may request two (2) 6-month extensions for a nominal fee.
Blackstone Career Institute’s programs are self-paced independent study programs with support from faculty and staff. BCI’s asynchronous learning model allows students to complete coursework at their own pace with a set completion date. To maintain satisfactory academic progress, students are expected to meet the following qualitative and quantitative standards:
Submit a lesson every 30-45 days
Maintain a minimum 70% grade average.
Complete their program within 150% of the published length of the program.
BCI reserves the right to discontinue the training of any student who does not meet quantitative or qualitative standards. To ensure students are participating in the course curriculum, student accounts are screened on a weekly basis to identify missing grades, assignments, or underachieving students. If a student fails to maintain the school’s standard of progress for two consecutive units, the Education department contacts the student to identify any issues and provide assistance. If no response is received, the student will be notified that they are being put in an inactive status for 90 days. If the student does not respond or submit a lesson within that time frame, the student will be informed that they will be withdrawn from the program according to the refund policy.
Upon conclusion of each lesson or study unit, using a unique username and password, students complete and submit exams through the school’s Online Student Center. Grade Reports provide instant feedback and can be viewed in the Online Student Center. Assignment and project results are emailed or mailed to the student.
In order to maintain fairness, consistency, and accuracy, BCI relies on the following:
Exam Results: BCI’s Online Student Center delivers examinations to students. A secure username and password is provided to each student and ensures security for both the student and BCI. Because online examinations are automatically graded, students have access to their score immediately.
Assignment Results: Students are notified of graded assignment results via mailed or emailed grade reports. Student Services regularly checks student accounts for missing assignments and will notify the student via email to encourage assignment submission.
Students who receive 69% or lower on any exam will be eligible for a retest. Blackstone’s policy is that any student who passes a retest may not score higher than 70%, no matter what grade they received on the retest. Students who fail to achieve a minimum passing grade (70%) on a retest will receive the higher grade of the two failed exams and the score will be calculated into the final average. No further retesting is available.
Examinations are scored on a straight numerical basis. Once a student has completed all of the lessons in a program or course, the final grade is determined by averaging all the lesson grades together. The equivalent letter grade is determined by the following scale:
| Letter Grade | Numerical Equivalent |
| A- Excellent | 94-100 |
| B- Good | 86-93 |
| C- Satisfactory | 78-85 |
| D- Passing | 70-77 |
| F- Failing | Below 70 |
Homework assignments or projects, if included in your program, are graded on a satisfactory vs. unsatisfactory basis. Students are required to resubmit an unsatisfactory assignment. Homework grades are not calculated into your average; however, satisfactory completion of all assignments is required for graduation.
A student may contest a grade by contacting the school, preferably via email to instructor@blackstone.edu. If the student does not feel the response and explanation resolves his or her question or complaint, the student may request that the Director of Education review the complaint and make a final decision.
If students need a temporary leave of absence from their program, a request should be made in writing to Blackstone. One three-month leave of absence will be granted for good cause. A leave of absence does not extend the required time for completion.
Blackstone Career Institute complies with the Federal Education and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. This act is designed to protect the privacy of educational records, to establish the rights of students to inspect and review their educational records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings.
A student who believes that an error has been made in assignment of a grade must initiate contact with the school within 30 days from the date the grade was posted. Failure to act within 30 days disqualifies the student from further consideration of the matter. Students are responsible for reporting any other type of error on their academic record. Blackstone Career Institute is not liable for unreported errors on student records.
The Honors Program is for recognition of Blackstone Career Institute’s highest achieving students in the career training programs. Any student who attains a final average of 94–100% at the end of their career training program will qualify as graduating “with Distinction.” The diploma issued upon graduation will note this honor.
Upon successful completion of their program the student is awarded a transcript and a diploma or certificate. In order to earn a diploma or certificate, a student must achieve a minimum overall average of 70% in the program or course. A diploma or certificate and an official transcript of record are furnished to the student at the conclusion of their program or course without charge. For additional copies, a nominal fee is charged.
The student identity verification policy enables BCI to verify that the student who registers in a course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the course or program. All students are assigned an individual Student Identification Number (ID) and secure login credential at the time of enrollment. These assigned identifiers are used to access BCI’s Online Student Center.
Students who have forgotten their password or request to change their password must contact Student Services. The Student Services representative will ask the student to confirm identifying information before updating the password.
Appropriate use of technology is the student’s responsibility. Students should take precautionary measures to keep login credentials secure and make arrangements to change password credentials periodically or in the event a breach is suspected.
Blackstone Career Institute maintains a Student Code of Conduct to protect the rights of students, faculty, staff, and Blackstone itself. Blackstone Career Institute students are required to adhere to the following policies in their academic and personal conduct.
Students must:
Each student doing their own work is the basis of independent study. Since students study at their own pace and schedule their own exams, there should never be any undue pressure when taking an exam. Blackstone does encourage students to be fully prepared prior to taking any exam. The objective is to learn and understand the materials you are studying. Any student suspected of academic dishonesty will be suspended from the program. There are many different forms of academic dishonesty. The following kinds of honesty violations and their definitions are intended to serve as examples of unacceptable academic conduct.
Cheating: Any inappropriate activity in which the work submitted to the school does not represent the work of the enrolled student. This would include submission of someone else’s work, submission of answers obtained through inappropriate measures, or providing answers to another student.
Plagiarism: Using another person’s ideas or finished work as your own without giving credit to the source. It includes copying or paraphrasing something and using it as if you had done the work yourself.
Fabrication:Falsifying or inventing information and presenting it as legitimate; misrepresenting oneself or one’s status, potentially damaging Blackstone’s reputation or any of the members of its academic community.
Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: Assisting another student in an act that violates the standards of academic honesty; providing information, material, or assistance to another person knowing that it may be used in violation of academic honesty policies; providing false information in connection in any academic honesty inquiry.
Netiquette refers to proper and polite ways to communicate with others when using the internet. The current laws to protect the rights and dignity of citizens apply online. Follow the same responsible and respectful behaviors online that are acceptable when connecting in person. In simple terms this means that the values society has in place against such things as hate speech, copyright violations and other forms of theft remain intact.
The Student Code of Conduct applies to all Blackstone Career Institute students. Failure to comply will automatically be referred to the Education Director for review and recommendations. If any student is found to have engaged in academic dishonesty in any form – including but not limited to cheating, plagiarizing, and fabricating – that student will be dismissed from Blackstone Career Institute. There will be no exceptions.
If a student has a question or problem, please contact the Blackstone Student Services staff. If the problem is not resolved, you may direct your complaint in writing to the Chief Operating Officer who will respond within 10 business days. Concerns that have not been satisfactorily resolved by the Blackstone staff may be directed to: 1) Pennsylvania Department of Education, State Board of Private Licensed Schools, 607 South Dr, Floor 3E, Harrisburg, PA 17120, Phone: 717-783-8228, 2) Distance Education Accrediting Commission, 1101 17th Street, Suite 808, Washington, DC 20036, Phone: 202-234-5100.
