i) Plagiarism

1. Plagiarism includes use of intellectual material produced by another person without acknowledging its source.
2. Students found practicing plagiarism must be reported to the Dean of Studies and the Faculty Meeting.
3. At the initial incident the student must receive disciplinary judgment at the discretion of the Dean of Studies.
4. Subsequent practice must result in cancellation of registration to respective course(s).

ii) Academic Cheating

1. Cheating includes fraud, deceit, or dishonesty in an academic assignment, or using or attempting to use materials, or assisting others in using materials that are prohibited or inappropriate in the context of the academic assignment in question.

2. All forms of academic cheating is subjected to cancellation of registration in respective courses.

3. Doing an assessed work on behalf of another student is a serious academic offence and must face cancellation of registrations to all who are being involved.

4. Using same academic piece of work to acquire credits in two different units is a form of cheating and is not allowed in the college, and must face cancellation of registration to all courses there involved.

iii) False Information and Representation and Fabrication or Alteration of Information

1. Furnishing false information, failing to identify oneself honestly, fabricating or altering information and presenting it as legitimate, or providing false or misleading information to an instructor or any other College official in an academic context is intolerant in the college.
2. Students or staff member found guilty on the charge must face removal from the college

iv) Theft or Damage of Intellectual Property

1. Sabotaging or stealing another person’s work, improper access to or electronically interfering with the property of another person or the College, or obtaining a copy of an exam or assignment prior to its approved release is unacceptable in the College
2. Students and staff found guilty on the charge must face disciplinary action determined by the Dean of Studies.

v) Alteration of College or Institution Documents

1. Forgery of an instructor’s signature, submitting an altered transcript of grades to or from another institution or employer, putting one’s name on another individual’s work, or falsely altering a previously graded exam or assignment are forms of academic dishonesty.
2. Students and staffs found guilty of the charge must face removal from the College

vi)   Disturbances in the Classroom or Library

1. STC does not encourage disturbances in a classroom or library that serve to create an unfair academic advantage for oneself or disadvantage for another member of the academic community
2. Liable Students and staffs must face removal from the premise.

vii)  All students are required to be under the academic supervision nominated faculty member.

1. Assignment of duties is recommended by the College Registrar and approved by the Dean of Studies/ Deputy Principal.

viii)  It is a requirement that all students must attend all College activities. This include:

1. Sunday worships
2. Morning Devotions (Assembly)
3. Final Year Students’ Sermon
4. Choir practices
5. Village meetings
6. Gardening
7. Other activities decided by the management team from time to time

b) ASSESSMENT POLICY

i) All arrangements for the assessment of every unit shall be the responsibility of the teacher of that course, guided by various statements of purpose and policies in this Handbook.

ii) All assessment must be at a level appropriate to the program of study.

1. For the Diploma in Theology and Bachelor of Divinity Program all assessed work must be in English.
2. The assessment method for each course is to be reported to the Board of Studies for approval.
3. Such methods may include written examination, term papers, seminars, other assessed works, or a combination of all of these.

iii) Assessment Level

1. STC assessment aims at:
2. Obtaining formal information about the existing level of learning of the learner in a particular topic or unit. This form of assessment is called Formative Assessment
   1. Obtaining adequate information about the progressiveness of individual learner. This form of assessment is known as Progressive Assessment.
   2. Obtaining information on the overall academic performance of the learner on a particular unit. This form of assessment is called Summative Assessment.
3. All Formative Assessment must come in the beginning of each academic unit. It is not intended to be part of the course results.
4. Progressive Assessment can be realized in course works during the course. Results must be included in the overall results of the learner.
5. Summative Assessment can be a end of semester exam or presentation.
6. All assessment must be complied with the Assessment Level Table below.

Certificate in Theology and Pastoral Ministry
Year 1	1500 words
Year 2	2000 words
Year 3	2500 words
Certificate (Hons)	8000 – 10000 words
Diploma in Theology
Year 1	2000 words
Year 2	2500 words
Year 3	3000 words
Bachelor of Divinity
Year 1	2500 words
Year 2	3000 words
Year 3	3500 words
Research Project	22000-25000 words
BD Honours’ Thesis	30000-35000 words

c) CROSS-CREDITING OF COURSES

i) The Board of studies, upon recommendation from the Faculty, may allow cross crediting of courses of other similar institutions as STC. The process of cross crediting will be considered according to these regulations:

(1) The course to be cross-credited must:

1. Carry a similar or equivalent title and content with the one offered at STC.
2. Be of an institution that carries the accreditation of SPATS or any equivalent academic authorities.
3. Course(s) sat and passed in a year exceeding that of ten years behind should not be eligible for cross crediting. Both of the above conditions applied.
4. A substantial portion of the syllabus of the course to be cross credited must be sought from the student(s) under concerned to ensure fulfillment of section A, B, and C.
5. The passing grade of the course must comply with STC’s Passing Grade Policy, which is 50% for Certificate and Diploma, 55% for Bachelor of Divinity, and 75% GPA for Bachelor of Divinity with Honours
6. Course(s) to be cross credited must have been conducted in English if the approval is sought inside the STC Diploma in Theology and Bachelor of Divinity programs
7. Cross-crediting to the Certificate program shall be at the discretion of the Board of Studies, on the recommendation of the Faculty Meeting
8. Where a claim of cross-credit for a course fails proofs, the student(s) must prove himself by sitting a STC Standardized Examination. The examination must be piece(s) of assessment from disciplines respective to cross-credit courses.
9. The results may or may not be decisive in this matter pending the Faculty’s recommendation.

D) THESIS AND RESEARCH PROJECT

i)     Definitions:

1. A thesis is a quality research work that aims at demonstrating research skills. It shows evidence that the candidate is capable of work independently towards an original contribution of knowledge on a particular topic.
2. Skills: All theses must demonstrate:
   1. Original idea(s)
   2. Creative and critical thinking
   3. Constructive approaches to theological and pastoral issues
   4. Contextual orientation
   5. Multicultural awareness
   6. Good grasps of scholarly materials
   7. Balance views and arguments

3. Dimension and Lengths of Thesis

a. STC thesis must have a maximum of 25,000 words (65 pages) and minimum of 22,000 words (55 pages) 

b. This include all documentations:

i. All STC theses must:

1.   Have proper footnotes and bibliographies of references

2.   Documented on a regular and consistent method of documentation.

ii. A research project should exhibit the same research qualities as a thesis. The difference is one of quantity (not quality); research project is shorter than a thesis, and the amount of time given to research is also restricted to half a year.

e) CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY

i) All BD candidates must:

(1) Write a thesis

(2) Have no or less than 4 units incomplete

ii) All candidates for Certificate in Theology and Pastoral Ministry with Honours must:

(1) Write a research project

(2) Have no or less than 4 units incomplete

f) DEFERRAL OR WITHHOLDING OF DEGREE

i) An academic degree may be deferred when disciplinary proceedings are pending or when a student's full compliance with disciplinary sanctions is pending, or withheld when academic dishonesty or fraud affected the acquisition of the student's degree

g) RECORDS HOLD

i) A hold may be placed on transcripts and/or diploma(s) or other records as a sanction and/or until a student satisfies the terms and conditions of any sanction imposed.

ii) Conditions of sanctions include but not limited to overdue payment of:

(1) School Fees

(2) Overdue/ Unaccounted for Library Books

(3) Electric/ Telephone bills

(4) Damaged property bills

(5) College Shops Credit Account bills

h) REVOCATION OF AWARDING OF DEGREE

i) Subject to the consensus of the Board of Studies, any academic degree can be revoked if being discovered been obtained by fraud or other academic dishonesty.

ii) Such revocation is subject to review on appeal by the Principal.

i) AREA OF RESEARCH INTEREST

i) It is the full responsibility of the candidate to choose an area of research interest.

ii) A candidate may or may not seek the advice of the lecturers in his/her choice

iii) It is advisable that the candidate should write on area of study where he/she been found with competency at the first two years of study

j) PROJECT/THESIS PROPOSAL

i) The research proposal is the culmination of some months of thought and research.

ii) All proposals should demonstrate the followings:

(1) A feasible topic on a relevant area of study

(2) Problem Statement

(3) Thesis Statement

(4) Importance of the Problem

(5) Method of Research

(6) Method of Argument

(7) Tentative book review of relevant literatures

(8) Feasible structure of argument

(9) Tentative bibliography

(10) Tentative Timetable

(11) Readable form of English/ Tongan Language

k) SUPERVISOR(S)

i) It is the responsibility of the College to allocate at least two supervisors to each researcher

ii) The principle supervisor must be from the discipline of research

(1)   His/her tasks include:

(a)  Monitor the process of research

(b)  Ensuring good research structure and organization of materials

(c)  Ensure balance and good shape arguments

(d)  Guide the writer to relevant materials

(e)  Assist the writer in creative and constructive thinking

(f)   Report the progression of the writer to the Faculty and then to the Board of Studies

iii) The secondary supervisor can be an expert in research from an area relevant to the research

(1)   His/her tasks include:

(a)  Assisting the writer in editing

(b)  Maintaining the momentum of the work

(c)  Ensure good timeframe for the work

(d)  Assisting the writer on research materials

iv) You do not have the liberty to select your own supervisor, although preference can be considered.

v) The appointment of supervisor is the task of the Dean of Studies in consultation with the Faculty Meeting.

l) PROGRESS REPORTS

i) All students who pursue research project/thesis works are required to submit a Progressive Report to the Faculty Meeting once every month of studies.

ii) The report must show the state of development and progression of the research.

iii) A writer who fails to submit a report may subject to disciplinary measures. The Dean of Studies shall determine these disciplinary measures.

m) SUBMISSION PROCEDURES

1.    All BD projects and BD (Honor) thesis should be submitted according to these Procedures:

a. All projects or theses must seek the principle supervisor’s signature of approval prior to submission.

b. A letter of approval from the principle supervisor must be submitted together with three copies of the project or thesis to the Dean of Studies

c. The Dean shall check the work against the policies before recommend the work to the Principal

d. The principal rests with the final word to allow or not to allow the work to proceed to the readers.

e. A thesis or project must not be withheld because of overdue payments to be made by the writer.

f. At reception of grades from examiners the candidate must ensure that all comments and corrections assigned to the paper go into the Library copy of the project or thesis. A letter of approval from the Head Librarian in that case must be received before the candidate is qualified for graduation.

g. In occasion that the examiners demand substantial correction, the supervisor must report to the Department Meeting all correctional work done on demand before the project or thesis seeks the approval of the Dean of Studies and the Principal.

h. In occasion that the result from examiners demand rewriting of the project or thesis the candidate must submit, on the advice of the principle supervisor, an application form for an extra year of enrolment. It is with the wisdom of the Faculty Meeting that this application be granted or denied.

i. Nomination of Readers

(1) There must be two examiners for each paper. One of them must be an examiner from a qualified institution oversees. The other can be a qualified internal examiner either within the college or from any qualified academic institution in the country.

(2) The Dean of Studies carries the sole responsibility of nominating examiners for papers. He may or may not seek the advice of Heads of Departments.

n) DUE DATE FOR THESES AND RESEARCH PROJECTS

i) All writers must know that all theses and projects must be submitted on the last Friday of September of every year.

ii) Both the Tongan and the English Research Projects and Theses are to be submitted at the same time.

o) UNIT AND CREDIT POINTS POLICY:

i) This policy deals with the standardized number of credit points for units and the student workload involved in units.

ii) Definitions

(1) In this policy and any associated procedures, a teaching period is a scheduled duration, within an academic year, in which a unit of study is offered and includes approved non-teaching study breaks, pre-examination study breaks and examination periods

(2) The College means Sia’atoutai Theological College.

iii) Policy statement

(1) The College assigns a credit point value to each unit of study.

(2) 1 Credit point values 10 hours of learning and teaching.

(3) The standard credit point value of a unit is fifteen points (15 credit points)

(4) A fifteen-point unit must be able to be completed within a teaching period

(5) Thesis and research project units are required to have a credit point value of six points.

(6) The credit point value of all units must be a multiple of 15 points.

(7) To offer a unit with a credit point value greater than fifteen points, other than a unit referred to in (#iv) faculties must seek the approval of the Dean of Studies

(8) The Dean of Studies will not approve a request to offer a unit with a credit point value greater than fifteen points, other than a unit referred to in (#4), unless the unit can be completed within a semester or trimester.

(9) The credit point value of a unit must be clearly stated in the relevant College handbooks.

(10) The standard full-time load for a semester is 6 units (90 credit points)

p) STUDENT WORKLOAD REPRESENTED BY UNITS

i) A unit with a standard fifteen-credit point value represents 150 hours of student workload, including contact hours, personal study time and examinations.

ii) Faculties must ensure that the student workload represented by their units complies with (#2.1).

iii) Thesis, dissertation and research project units with credit point values greater than six points

iv) The results for parts of units referred to in (#3.1) are recorded as IP (In Progress) Assessment except for the final part, for which the result is the overall result for the unit

q) CONVERSION AND TRANSLATING MARKS INTO CREDIT POINTS

i) 1 Credit Point (CP) = 20/3 marks

ii) Formula:

iii) Translating CP into marks

iv) All Credit points must be round up to two decimal points