PETE 3110 1L1: Petrophysics Lab

PETE 3110 - Petrophysics Lab

Fall 2024 Syllabus, Section 1L1, CRN 14827


Instructor Information

Dr. Khaled Enab

Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering

Email: khaled.enab@tamiu.edu

Office Hours:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
By appointment

Office Phone: 956-326-3292


Times and Location

T 6pm-9pm in Academic Innovation Center 209


Course Description

Experimental study of oil reservoir rocks and fluids and their interrelation applied to petroleum reservoir engineering. Corequisite: PETE 3310
Engineering Department, College of Arts & Sciences

Additional Course Information

Course Requirements

Regular attendance, on-time arrival to lab sessions, on-time submission of assignments, and preparation for lab reports.

Policies, Rules, and Guidelines:     

  1. ONLINE-ONLY SUBMISSION POLICY: All laboratory reports must be submitted online, where the course management system tracks the exact date and time of each submission. No hard-copy submissions will be accepted.
  2. A prelab report must be submitted by 11:59 PM the night before your lab is scheduled (Monday). Failure to submit the prelab on time will cause you to get a zero grade on the related experiment. Prelab guidelines are attached at the end of the syllabus.
  3. A post-lab calculation sheet is required to be submitted within seven days after you conduct the experiment (Tuesday before midnight). Post-lab calculation sheets are attached at the end of each experiment manual.
  4. Two comprehensive lab reports will be required by the end of this course.
  5. Lab reports will be graded based on the format, content, and especially on the discussion of results. No matter the results, the student is expected to critique and elaborate on them in the report's discussion section. Graphical analysis of data and results is expected.
  6. Attendance to laboratory sessions is mandatory. Unexcused absences will result in a zero grade for the particular laboratory experiment.
  7. Lab coats must be worn at all times during lab sessions. Students may either wear the available coats in the laboratory or they may bring their own lab coats. When instructed by the assistant, wearing other protective equipment is also obligatory and necessary for the health and safety of the student.
  8. Shorts, short skirts, and open-toe shoes are not allowed in the lab at any time. If a student shows up to the lab in short pants, short skirts, or open-toe shoes, he/she will not be able to enter the lab or conduct the experiment. That will result in a ZERO for the lab.
  9. Students will conduct the experiments in groups, but prelab and postlab reports will be prepared and submitted individually. Students are expected to fill a data sheet with the experimental data obtained during lab session.
  10. Students must clean the equipment and work area before leaving the lab (or before beginning the experiment, if necessary). In too many instances in the past, the lab work area for a number of experiments has been left unclean and unusable for the next section of students. This will not be tolerated. Take pictures of your lab area after you have finished. The work area is to be left as clean as (or better than) when you started.
  11. Students should set up and perform the experiments according to the procedure presented in the lab manual. The instructor will not do the experiment for the student but will provide the required guidance and will be available to help and answer questions. There will be a training session before each lab where the instructor introduces the theory and experimental apparatus.
  12. Various pieces of equipment used this semester can be easily damaged if the instructions are not followed carefully. Be careful, and if you are not sure about how to do something, ask first rather than later.
  13. Any accidents, damage, breakage, or leakage should be immediately reported to the instructor.

Student Learning Outcomes

In this course, students will gain an understanding of the physical properties of petroleum reservoir rocks, including porosity, relative and effective permeability, fluid saturations, capillary characteristics, PVT experiments, and fluid-rock interaction.

Important Dates

Visit the Academic Calendar (tamiu.edu) page to view the term's important dates.

Textbooks

Other Course Materials

Laboratory Outline

In this lab, the following experiments will be conducted:

Laboratory Report Format and Instructions

Please make sure you follow the following line spacing, margin, and font type format in all your reports: Margins: 1” all sides, Line spacing: 1.5 lines Font type: 12-point, regular, Times New Roman or Arial

Pre-lab Report Sections

(Max 4 pages not including cover Page, table of content, and table of figures):

Your pre-lab report will contain the following 6 sections:

  1. Title or cover Page
  2. Table of content
  3. Table of figures and a list of tables (if applicable)
  4. Purpose
  5. Learning Expectations
  6. 1-question answer from Pre-lab Questionnaire

1. Title or Cover Page, for both the prelabs and postlabs, should include the following information (a sample cover page is given here):

  • The full name of the University, College and Department.
  • Full title of the laboratory essay and its identification code. 
  • Course identification (include PETE number), instructor name.
  • Date when the lab session is scheduled and the date when the report was submitted.
  • The name of the student and his/her TAMIU identification number.

1. Table of content

Watch the video in the link below to learn how to automatically add table of content in Word.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avkTcQ4inMo

2. Table of figures and a list of tables (if applicable)

Watch the video in the link below to learn how to add captions to table and figure, how to cross-references, and how to add a table of figures and tables.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82-uUnpfus4

3. Purpose (½ page min – 1 page max): In your own words, state the purpose of the lab in less than one (1) page. This section should include answers to the following questions. The answers should be implemented in the paragraph, not explicitly answered.

  1. What are the reasons that justify the study?
  2. What is its importance and relevance to the PETE industry?
  3. A very brief review of the relevant theory and most important concepts being studied.

4. Learning Expectations (1 page min - 1 ½ page max): Please demonstrate that you have studied the lab manual and carefully watched the lab video (Not prepared yet) before coming to the lab. In order to do this,

  1. Briefly elaborate on the experimental techniques that will be used to achieve the purpose of the lab stated in Section (4).
  2. Provide few sentences with a summary of the experimental
    1. Procedure
    2. Materials
    3. Substances
    4. Equipment you expect to encounter in your lab experience.
  3. Describe how the lab purpose is accomplished experimentally. In this section, please make sure that you address the following questions:
    1. What are your learning expectations?
    2. What are the physical principles involved in the experiment?
    3. Are there equations that will be used to explain the behavior of the phenomenon to be studied?
    4. Which are they?

** Do not re-write the text found in your manual; this section is intended to indicate your understanding of and research on the subject. Therefore, it should solely be comprised of your own sentences briefly explaining your understanding of the experiment **

          ** Copy-and-paste from the lab manual will translate to a zero grade for the lab **

** You do not need to make pictorial representations of the equipment or apparatus used in the lab or provide any flow diagrams of the experimental procedure; only include major procedural steps you expect to take **

6. 1-question answer from Pre-lab Questionnaire (½ page max ): Please select and answer the one (1) question from your pre-lab questionnaire that you find most relevant and interesting prior to conducting this lab.

Post-lab Report Sections

(No page limit, but keep it short!)

Your post-lab report will contain the following 6 sections:

  1. Title or Cover Page
  2. Table of content
  3. Table of figures and a list of tables (if applicable)
  4. Results and Calculations
  5. Discussion
  6. Conclusions
  7. 1-question answer from Post-lab Questionnaire
  8. References

1. Title or Cover Page: Please follow format indicated above except the highlighted parts below.

2. Table of content

Watch the video in the link below to learn how to automatically add table of content in Word.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avkTcQ4inMo 

3. Table of figures and a list of tables (if applicable)

Watch the video in the link below to learn how to add captions to table and figure, how to cross-references, and how to add a table of figures and tables.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82-uUnpfus4

4. Results and Calculations: Please present all your results in a tabular form, including the raw data obtained during the lab session and the calculated ones.  Table captions should place above the table where figure captions should be placed below the figure. When enough data has been collected, results should be also presented in graphs,  2 or 3 dimensions-curves, pie, bars, columns or surface charts are useful resources to shown the behavior of a phenomenon with respect to time or a physical magnitude (length, width, height). If possible, several curves should be shown in the same plot.  Different symbols should be used in order to identify the experimental points of each curve, such as triangles, squares, asterisks, etc. Please include a sample of calculation and error analysis in this section.

Sample of Calculation: A sample of calculation is the presentation of an example for every calculation required to obtain the expected results.  Equations, units and data table used for every calculation must be shown in this section. Once the sample of calculation has been completed, the student must indicate the table where the whole set of results will be fully exposed. Please do not show repeated calculations for every single point of data.

Sample of Error Analysis: It is generally possible to compare all experimental results with respect to a reference. This means that if the student is determining a physical or chemical property, the obtained results can be compared with literature data. If there are several methods developed for the same essay, one of them would be more accurate and precise, therefore, the others could be compared with this. The error is a measurement of deviation from the real result and has to be expressed in terms of percentages.

5. Discussion: Discussion should be brief and concise and explain results, trends patterns and the source of difference from the expected data behavior. You may reference literature when necessary to reinforce your point of view.  Discussion of your results must be a reflection of your skills to accurately analyze your results, regardless of the complexity level or experimental problems obtaining the data. Please answer: Were the outcomes of the experiment as expected? Why?

6. Conclusions: This is the most important part of the post-lab report and it should summarize what you did. Please consider: What did you do? What did you find? What do you think? Please use short phrases that briefly express the most important results of the study. Make sure you give possible practical uses/implications of your observations and answer the following question: Was the purpose of the lab (as stated in your pre-lab) accomplished?

7. 1-question answer from Post-lab Questionnaire: Please select and answer the one (1) question from your post-lab questionnaire that you find most relevant and interesting after you have finished this lab.

8. References: If you used any reference other than your lab manual to prepare your pre- and/or post-lab reports for this experience, you must include them in this section. Keep in mind that lab reports with a reasonable number of references would be a clear indication that the student did research the subject under study (highly encouraged). References in the main text (use square brackets to address a reference) should be cited numerically in the order of their use in the text. The following format should be applied while citing different sources.

Reference to an article (or paper):

Raghavan, R., Cady, G.V., and Romey, H. J. Jr: ”Well Test Analysis for the Vertically Fractured Wells”, J.Pet.Tech. Aug.1972, 1014-1020

Reference to a book:

Craft, B. C. and Hawkins, M.F: Applied Petroleum Reservoir Engineering, Prentice-Hall Inc., New York, 1959.

Reference to a paper presented at a meeting but not published:

Spanos, P.D. and Payne, M.L.:”Advances in Dynamic Bottom-hole Assembly modelling and Dynamic Response Determination”, paper SPE 23905 presented at the 1992 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, Feb.18-21

Reference to a company document, manual etc:

Ruska High Pressure Viscometer Operating Manual, Ruska Instrument Corporation, Houston, Texas, 1970.

Reference to a web page / Internet site:
Understanding a Hydrometer                                                                    (page or article title)

www.brewsupplies.com/understanding_a_hydrometer.htm (address)

Last accessed: August 20, 2009      

(date the page was accessed)

Recommendations (optional—NOT submitted with the post-lab / must use separate dropbox )

*BONUS POINTS**: (at instructor’s discretion): You can earn up to 20 extra points in your postlab report if you submit a brief (less than 1-page) report via the independent “Lab Recommendations” dropbox placed in blackboard only for this purpose. You must detail relevant and innovative changes that you recommend for the particular experiment that was conducted or about the lab in general. Suggestions can range from equipment setup and improved experimental procedure to any other detail about the lab that could enhance the educational experience for upcoming students.

NOTE: A recommendation submission per se does not guarantee any kind of bonus points. The suggestion or recommendation has to be relevant and innovative (at instructor’s discretion). Make sure that you include your name, TAMIU ID, lab section, and lab experiment so your submission can be recognized.

Laboratory Reports Grading Rubric

 
 

Grading Criteria

GRADE PERCENTAGE
A 91-100
B 80-90.9
C 70-79.9
D 60-69.9
F Below 60

Open Boilerplate

Prelab Reports 20%
Postlab Report 30%
1st Comprehensive Lab Report 20%
2nd Comprehensive Lab Report 20%
Peer Evaluation 10%

Schedule of Topics and Assignments

Day Date Agenda/Topic Reading(s) Due
Tue 8/27 Introduction to lab safety
Tue 9/3 No Lab - Theoretical content is not covered yet
Tue 9/10 Porosity (Helium Porosimeter)
Porosity (Barnes Method)
Tue 9/17 Absolute Permeability (Darcy’s Law)
Tue 9/24 Gas Permeability (Klinkenberg Effect)
Tue 10/1 Capillary Pressure
Tue 10/8 Saturation (Dean–Stark Apparatus)
Tue 10/15 First comprehensive report
Tue 10/22 Absolute Permeability (PREL 300)
Tue 10/29 Relative Permeability (PREL 300)
Tue 11/5 PVT: Constant Composition Expansion
Tue 11/12 PVT: Differential Liberation
Tue 11/19 PVT Constant Volume Depletion
Tue 11/26 Core Flooding I
Tue 12/3 Core Flooding II
Tue 12/10 Second Comprehensive Report

University/College Policies

Please see the University Policies below.

COVID-19 Related Policies

If you have tested positive for COVID-19, please refer to the Student Handbook, Appendix A (Attendance Rule) for instructions.

Required Class Attendance

Students are expected to attend every class in person (or virtually, if the class is online) and to complete all assignments. If you cannot attend class, it is your responsibility to communicate absences with your professors. The faculty member will decide if your excuse is valid and thus may provide lecture materials of the class. According to University policy, acceptable reasons for an absence, which cannot affect a student’s grade, include:

  • Participation in an authorized University activity.
  • Death or major illness in a student’s immediate family.
  • Illness of a dependent family member.
  • Participation in legal proceedings or administrative procedures that require a student’s presence.
  • Religious holy day.
  • Illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class.
  • Required participation in military duties.
  • Mandatory admission interviews for professional or graduate school which cannot be rescheduled.

Students are responsible for providing satisfactory evidence to faculty members within seven calendar days of their absence and return to class. They must substantiate the reason for the absence. If the absence is excused, faculty members must either provide students with the opportunity to make up the exam or other work missed, or provide a satisfactory alternative to complete the exam or other work missed within 30 calendar days from the date of absence. Students who miss class due to a University-sponsored activity are responsible for identifying their absences to their instructors with as much advance notice as possible. 

Classroom Behavior (applies to online or Face-to-Face Classes)

TAMIU encourages classroom discussion and academic debate as an essential intellectual activity. It is essential that students learn to express and defend their beliefs, but it is also essential that they learn to listen and respond respectfully to others whose beliefs they may not share. The University will always tolerate different, unorthodox, and unpopular points of view, but it will not tolerate condescending or insulting remarks. When students verbally abuse or ridicule and intimidate others whose views they do not agree with, they subvert the free exchange of ideas that should characterize a university classroom. If their actions are deemed by the professor to be disruptive, they will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action (please refer to Student Handbook Article 4).

TAMIU Honor Code: Plagiarism and Cheating

As a TAMIU student, you are bound by the TAMIU Honor Code to conduct yourself ethically in all your activities as a TAMIU student and to report violations of the Honor Code. Please read carefully the Student Handbook Article 7 and Article 10 available at https://www.tamiu.edu/scce/studenthandbook.shtml.

We are committed to strict enforcement of the Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code tend to involve claiming work that is not one’s own, most commonly plagiarism in written assignments and any form of cheating on exams and other types of assignments.

Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s work as your own. It occurs when you:

  1. Borrow someone else’s facts, ideas, or opinions and put them entirely in your own words. You must acknowledge that these thoughts are not your own by immediately citing the source in your paper. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
  2. Borrow someone else’s words (short phrases, clauses, or sentences), you must enclose the copied words in quotation marks as well as citing the source. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
  3. Present someone else’s paper or exam (stolen, borrowed, or bought) as your own. You have committed a clearly intentional form of intellectual theft and have put your academic future in jeopardy. This is the worst form of plagiarism.

Here is another explanation from the 2020, seventh edition of the Manual of The American Psychological Association (APA):

“Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, idea, or images of another as your own; it denies authors or creators of content the credit they are due.  Whether deliberate or unintentional, plagiarism violates ethical standards in scholarship” (p. 254).  This same principle applies to the illicit use of AI.

Plagiarism: Researchers do not claim the words and ideas of another as their own; they give credit where credit is due. Quotations marks should be used to indicate the exact words of another. Each time you paraphrase another author (i.e., summarize a passage or rearrange the order of a sentence and change some of the words), you need to credit the source in the text. The key element of this principle is that authors do not present the work of another as if it were their own words. This can extend to ideas as well as written words. If authors model a study after one done by someone else, the originating author should be given credit. If the rationale for a study was suggested in the discussion section of someone else's article, the person should be given credit. Given the free exchange of ideas, which is very important for the health of intellectual discourse, authors may not know where an idea for a study originated. If authors do know, however, they should   acknowledge the source; this includes personal communications (p. 11). For guidance on proper documentation, consult the Academic Success Center or a recommended guide to documentation and research such as the Manual of the APA or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. If you still have doubts concerning proper documentation, seek advice from your instructor prior to submitting a final draft.

TAMIU has penalties for plagiarism and cheating.

  • Penalties for Plagiarism: Should a faculty member discover that a student has committed plagiarism, the student should receive a grade of 'F' in that course and the matter will be referred to the Honor Council for possible disciplinary action. The faculty member, however, may elect to give freshmen and sophomore students a “zero” for the assignment and to allow them to revise the assignment up to a grade of “F” (50%) if they believe that the student plagiarized out of ignorance or carelessness and not out of an attempt to deceive in order to earn an unmerited grade; the instructor must still report the offense to the Honor Council. This option should not be available to juniors, seniors, or graduate students, who cannot reasonably claim ignorance of documentation rules as an excuse. For repeat offenders in undergraduate courses or for an offender in any graduate course, the penalty for plagiarism is likely to include suspension or expulsion from the university.
    • Caution: Be very careful what you upload to Turnitin or send to your professor for evaluation. Whatever you upload for evaluation will be considered your final, approved draft. If it is plagiarized, you will be held responsible. The excuse that “it was only a draft” will not be accepted.
    • Caution:  Also, do not share your electronic files with others. If you do, you are responsible for the possible consequences. If another student takes your file of a paper and changes the name to his or her name and submits it and you also submit the paper, we will hold both of you responsible for plagiarism. It is impossible for us to know with certainty who wrote the paper and who stole it. And, of course, we cannot know if there was collusion between you and the other student in the matter.
  • Penalties for Cheating: Should a faculty member discover a student cheating on an exam or quiz or other class project, the student should receive a “zero” for the assignment and not be allowed to make the assignment up. The incident should be reported to the chair of the department and to the Honor Council. If the cheating is extensive, however, or if the assignment constitutes a major grade for the course (e.g., a final exam), or if the student has cheated in the past, the student should receive an “F” in the course, and the matter should be referred to the Honor Council. Additional penalties, including suspension or expulsion from the university may be imposed. Under no circumstances should a student who deserves an “F” in the course be allowed to withdraw from the course with a “W.”
    • Caution: Chat groups that start off as “study groups” can easily devolve into “cheating groups.” Be very careful not to join or remain any chat group if it begins to discuss specific information about exams or assignments that are meant to require individual work. If you are a member of such a group and it begins to cheat, you will be held responsible along with all the other members of the group. The TAMIU Honor Code requires that you report any such instances of cheating.
  • Student Right of Appeal: Faculty will notify students immediately via the student’s TAMIU e- mail account that they have submitted plagiarized work. Students have the right to appeal a faculty member’s charge of academic dishonesty by notifying the TAMIU Honor Council of their intent to appeal as long as the notification of appeal comes within 10 business days of the faculty member’s e-mail message to the student and/or the Office of Student Conduct and Community Engagement. The Student Handbook provides more details.

Use of Work in Two or More Courses

You may not submit work completed in one course for a grade in a second course unless you receive explicit permission to do so by the instructor of the second course. In general, you should get credit for a work product only once. 

AI Policies

Your instructor will provide you with their personal policy on the use of AI in the classroom setting and associated coursework.

TAMIU E-Mail and SafeZone

Personal Announcements sent to students through TAMIU E-mail (tamiu.edu or dusty email) are the official means of communicating course and university business with students and faculty –not the U.S. Mail and no other e-mail addresses. Students and faculty must check their TAMIU e-mail accounts regularly, if not daily. Not having seen an important TAMIU e-mail or message from a faculty member, chair, or dean is not accepted as an excuse for failure to take important action.

Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to download the SafeZone app, which is a free mobile app for all University faculty, staff, and students.  SafeZone allows you to: report safety concerns (24/7), get connected with mental health professionals, activate location sharing with authorities, and anonymously report incidents.  Go to https://www.tamiu.edu/adminis/police/safezone/index.shtml for more information.

Copyright Restrictions

The Copyright Act of 1976 grants to copyright owners the exclusive right to reproduce their works and distribute copies of their work. Works that receive copyright protection include published works such as a textbook. Copying a textbook without permission from the owner of the copyright may constitute copyright infringement. Civil and criminal penalties may be assessed for copyright infringement. Civil penalties include damages up to $100,000; criminal penalties include a fine up to $250,000 and imprisonment. Copyright laws do not allow students and professors to make photocopies of copyrighted materials, but you may copy a limited portion of a work, such as article from a journal or a chapter from a book for your own personal academic use or, in the case of a professor, for personal, limited classroom use. In general, the extent of your copying should not suggest that the purpose or the effect of your copying is to avoid paying for the materials. And, of course, you may not sell these copies for a profit. Thus, students who copy textbooks to avoid buying them or professors who provide photocopies of textbooks to enable students to save money are violating the law.

Students with Disabilities

Texas A&M International University seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified persons with disabilities. This University will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal education opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to register with the Office of Student Counseling and Disability Services located in Student Center 126. This office will contact the faculty member to recommend specific, reasonable accommodations. Faculty are prohibited from making accommodations based solely on communications from students. They may make accommodations only when provided documentation by the Student Counseling and Disability Services office.

Student Attendance and Leave of Absence (LOA) Policy

As part of our efforts to assist and encourage all students towards graduation, TAMIU provides
LOA’s for students, including pregnant/parenting students, in accordance with the Attendance Rule (Section 3.07) and the Student LOA Rule (Section 3.08), which includes the “Leave of Absence Request” form. Both rules can be found in the TAMIU Student Handbook (URL: http://www.tamiu.edu/studentaffairs/StudentHandbook1.shtml).

Pregnant and Parenting Students

Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, harassment based on sex, including harassment because of pregnancy or related conditions, is prohibited. A pregnant/parenting student must be granted an absence for as long as the student’s physician deems the absence medically necessary. It is a violation of Title IX to ask for documentation relative to the pregnant/parenting student’s status beyond what would be required for other medical conditions. If a student would like to file a complaint for discrimination due to his or her pregnant/parenting status, please contact the TAMIU Title IX Coordinator (Lorissa M. Cortez, 5201 University Boulevard, KLM 159B, Laredo, TX 78041,TitleIX@tamiu.edu, 956.326.2857) and/or the Office of Civil Rights (Dallas Office, U.S. Department of Education, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1620, Dallas, TX 75201-6810, 214.661.9600). You can also report it on TAMIU’s anonymous electronic reporting site: https://www.tamiu.edu/reportit.

TAMIU advises a pregnant/parenting student to notify their professor once the student is aware that accommodations for such will be necessary. It is recommended that the student and professor develop a reasonable plan for the student’s completion of missed coursework or assignments. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (Lorissa M. Cortez, lorissam.cortez@tamiu.edu) can assist the student and professor in working out the reasonable accommodations. For other questions or concerns regarding Title IX compliance related to pregnant/parenting students at the University, contact the Title IX Coordinator. In the event that a student will need a leave of absence for a substantial period of time, TAMIU urges the student to consider a Leave of Absence (LOA) as outlined in the TAMIU Student Handbook. As part of our efforts to assist and encourage all students towards graduation, TAMIU provides LOA’s for students, including pregnant/parenting students, in accordance with the Attendance Rule and the Student LOA Rule. Both rules can be found in the TAMIU Student Handbook (https://www.tamiu.edu/scce/studenthandbook.shtml).

Anti-Discrimination/Title IX

TAMIU does not discriminate or permit harassment against any individual on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity in admissions, educational programs, or employment. If you would like to file a complaint relative to Title IX or any civil rights violation, please contact the TAMIU Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity/Title IX Coordinator, Lorissa M. Cortez, 5201 University Boulevard, Killam Library 159B, Laredo, TX 78041,TitleIX@tamiu.edu, 956.326.2857, via the anonymous electronic reporting website, ReportIt, at https://www.tamiu.edu/reportit, and/or the Office of Civil Rights (Dallas Office), U.S. Department of Education, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1620, Dallas, TX 75201-6810, 214.661.9600.

Incompletes

Students who are unable to complete a course should withdraw from the course before the final date for withdrawal and receive a “W.” To qualify for an “incomplete” and thus have the opportunity to complete the course at a later date, a student must meet the following criteria:

  1. The student must have completed 90% of the course work assigned before the final date for withdrawing from a course with a “W”, and the student must be passing the course;
  2. The student cannot complete the course because an accident, an illness, or a traumatic personal or family event occurred after the final date for withdrawal from a course;
  3. The student must sign an “Incomplete Grade Contract” and secure signatures of approval from the professor and the college dean.
  4. The student must agree to complete the missing course work before the end of the next long semester; failure to meet this deadline will cause the “I” to automatically be converted to an “F”; extensions to this deadline may be granted by the dean of the college. This is the general policy regarding the circumstances under which an “incomplete” may be granted, but under exceptional circumstances, a student may receive an incomplete who does not meet all of the criteria above if the faculty member, department chair, and dean recommend it.

WIN Contracts

The Department of Biology and Chemistry does not permit WIN contracts. For other departments within the college, WIN Contracts are offered only under exceptional circumstances and are limited to graduating seniors. Only courses offered by full-time TAMIU faculty or TAMIU instructors are eligible to be contracted for the WIN requirement. However, a WIN contract for a course taught by an adjunct may be approved, with special permission from the department chair and dean. Students must seek approval before beginning any work for the WIN Contract. No student will contract more than one course per semester. Summer WIN Contracts must continue through both summer sessions.

Student Responsibility for Dropping a Course

It is the responsibility of the student to drop the course before the final date for withdrawal from a course. Faculty members, in fact, may not drop a student from a course without getting the approval of their department chair and dean.

Independent Study Course

Independent Study (IS) courses are offered only under exceptional circumstances. Required courses intended to build academic skills may not be taken as IS (e.g., clinical supervision and internships). No student will take more than one IS course per semester. Moreover, IS courses are limited to seniors and graduate students. Summer IS course must continue through both summer sessions.

Grade Changes & Appeals

Faculty are authorized to change final grades only when they have committed a computational error or an error in recording a grade, and they must receive the approval of their department chairs and the dean to change the grade. As part of that approval, they must attach a detailed explanation of the reason for the mistake. Only in rare cases would another reason be entertained as legitimate for a grade change. A student who is unhappy with his or her grade on an assignment must discuss the situation with the faculty member teaching the course. If students believe that they have been graded unfairly, they have the right to appeal the grade using a grade appeal process in the Student Handbook and in the Faculty Handbook.

Final Examination

All courses in all colleges must include a comprehensive exam or performance and be given on the date and time specified by the Academic Calendar and the Final Exam schedule published by the Registrar’s Office. In the College of Arts & Sciences all final exams must contain a written component. The written component should comprise at least 20% of the final exam grade. Exceptions to this policy must receive the approval of the department chair and the dean at the beginning of the semester.

Mental Health and Well-Being

The university aims to provide students with essential knowledge and tools to understand and support mental health. As part of our commitment to your well-being, we offer access to Telus Health, a service available 24/7/365 via chat, phone, or webinar. Scan the QR code to download the app and explore the resources available to you for guidance and support whenever you need it. The Telus app is available to download directly from TELUS (tamiu.edu) or from the Apple App Store and Google Play.