WHA Student Brochure

Contact us

Heather Zaruba, M.A.
Director of Wesleyan Honors Academy
(402) 465-2415
hzaruba [at] NebrWesleyan.edu (hzaruba[at]NebrWesleyan[dot]edu)

Krista Cox
Assistant Director, Wesleyan Honors Academy
kcox [at] nebrwesleyan.edu (kcox[at]nebrwesleyan[dot]edu)

Andrea Howell
Administrative Assistant, Wesleyan Honors Academy
(402) 465-7605
ahowell [at] nebrwesleyan.edu (ahowell[at]nebrwesleyan[dot]edu)

WHA Information for High School Counselors

Wesleyan Honors Academy (WHA) is a dual-credit program for motivated high school students in select classes. Credits earned through this Nebraska Wesleyan University program transfer to most U.S. colleges and universities.

Nebraska Wesleyan University recommends that participating students have at least a B+ average in prerequisite high school courses. However, the university also recognizes high school counselors and teachers for their role in advising potential WHA students and assessing their likelihood for success.

To discuss how Wesleyan Honors Academy can fit the needs of students at your school, please request a meeting.

Help students get started

Counselors play crucial roles in student success by helping them stay on top of important details. Here’s what you can do to help your WHA students stay on track.

Know WHA offerings at your school

Help students find course descriptions

Share important WHA deadline dates for 2023-24
May – AugustWHA summer workshops – All current and prospective Honors Academy instructors are invited to attend a workshop in their teaching discipline.
August 1ACE Scholarship fall application opens – Apply for fall semester, full-year and first block course scholarships starting this day.
October 6Regular fall registration deadline – Last day to register for fall semester, full-year and first block courses. Also, the last day to drop these courses without a petition.
October 20Late fall registration deadline – Last day to register for fall, full-year and first block courses. Courses added after this date are by petition only.
November 3October course registration deadline – Last day to register for courses starting in October.
November 15ACE spring application opens – Apply for spring semester course scholarships starting this day.
November 17Late registration deadline – Last day to register for courses starting in October. October-starting courses that are added after this date are by petition only.
December 1Drop/add/withdraw petition deadline – Last day to petition a drop/add/withdraw for fall semester courses that end in December.
December 15ACE Scholarship application fall deadline – Last day to apply for the ACE scholarship for fall semester, full-year and first block courses.
January 12 at 5 p.m.Grade deadline – Grades due by 5 p.m. from all instructors for courses that end in December.
January 13First semester transcripts available - Students can begin to request transcript (for accounts paid in full) if all instructors were able to submit grades on time.
February 9Regular spring registration deadline – Last day to register for spring semester courses starting in January. Also, the last day to drop a spring course without a petition.
February 23Late spring registration deadline – Last day to register for spring courses starting in January. Adds after this date are by online petition only.
March 15Registration deadline – Last day to register for spring courses starting in March.
March 29Late registration deadline – Last day to register for spring courses starting in March. March-starting courses that are added after this date are by petition only.
May 1Drop/add/withdraw petition deadline – Last day to petition a drop/add/withdraw for spring semester and full-year courses that end in May.
May 15ACE Scholarship application spring deadline – Last day to apply for the ACE Scholarship for spring semester courses.
May 30 at 5 p.m.Grade deadline – Grades due from all course instructors for spring and full-year courses.
May 31Transcripts for 2023-24 available – Students can begin to request (for accounts paid in full) if all instructors were able to submit grades on time.

Show students how to register

Connect them to tuition payment information

Help students apply for the ACE Scholarship for WHA courses

Students demonstrating financial need may apply for and receive an ACE (Accessing College Early) scholarship available through the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Post-Secondary Education. Contact your high school counselor to complete the scholarship application as soon as possible. ACE scholarships are on a first-come/first-serve basis, and the student must be enrolled in the college course to be considered. For the 2023‐24 academic year, ACE will cover an unlimited amount of courses.

Once they’re registered, help them get on their feet as new college students.

Helping students activate or reset their NWU Okta account

Activate a student’s account

Nebraska Wesleyan uses Okta to help simplify the account login process. Please follow these steps to activate your NWU account on Okta.  

  1. Have your student create a password. Save it in a secure place, such as a password management app like BitWarden or Keeper. Password requirements are:
    • 14 or more characters
    • Uppercase letter(s)
    • Lowercase letter(s)
    • Number(s)
    • Special character(s)
  2. Have them find the email they received from do-not-reply [at] nebrwesleyan.edu (do-not-reply[at]nebrwesleyan[dot]edu) with the subject “Welcome to Okta at Nebraska Wesleyan University”. If they cannot find it, first have them search their junk or spam folder. If it’s not there, call NWU User Services at (402) 465-7777 and ask that they send them another email.
  3. Open the "Welcome to Okta" email. In the center of the email, click on the button that says, "Activate Okta Account". A web page will open and they’ll then set-up a password and a security question.

Full Instructions

 

Reset a student’s password

If your student has lost or forgotten their password, have them follow these simple steps to recover it:

  • Go to the NWU Okta Login Page.
  • Enter your email and click “Next”, do NOT click the “Unlock Account” link.
  • Under “Verify” click the “Forgot Password” link.
  • Next select your preferred way to reset your password. If this is your first time, we suggest using your alternate email.
  • Then click, “Send me an email”.

Full Instructions

Dropping, adding, withdrawing from courses

Help students wrap up the semester

There are a few steps students should take after completing a WHA course.

IDEA course evaluation

At the end of each Honors Academy course, you will be asked to complete a class evaluation through an online system called IDEA. You must complete the Outcomes form prior to the end of the student collection period. Reports from your student responses are available two days after the end of the evaluation process by logging back into IDEA. 

Please contact your WHA instructor or ahowell [at] nebrwesleyan.edu (Andrea Howell) if you have questions or problems accessing your account.

Transcripts and transferring credits

Transcripts

An official transcript can be sent electronically to the intended institution or available as a hard copy. Please contact the Registrar's Office for further information.

Transfer credit

To NWU: The course will count in the same area as the on-campus equivalent and the grade will become part of the student’s GPA calculations.

To Other Colleges and Universities: If you elect to attend a college or university other than Nebraska Wesleyan, you will need to order your transcript online. As Nebraska's only NACEP-accredited dual credit program, the credits you earn will transfer to most U.S. colleges.

Most schools that accept Wesleyan Honors Academy credit will do so in one or more of the following ways:

  • The hours will count towards the total hours required for graduation from that institution.
  • The course will replace a course required in the general education curriculum.
  • The course will replace a course required in a major or minor.
  • In most cases, the transferred NWU grade is not included in the GPA calculations at the accepting institution.

Know resources for teachers

Your school can give more students a head start on college credit when more teachers join as WHA faculty.

Site visits by departmental liaisons

The departmental liaisons will arrange a minimum of two site visits during the first year of the Wesleyan Honor Academy adjunct instructor appointment: once every two to three thereafter. The purpose of these site visits is to:

  • Become better acquainted.
  • Observe the adjunct instructor in the classroom.
  • Discuss course materials.
  • Communicate discipline-specific requirements and assessment expectations.
  • Assist with assessment implementation, as needed.
  • Make suggestions to ensure the adjunct instructor’s success in meeting departmental expectations.
Teacher application and requirements

Qualifications*

To become an adjunct instructor in the Wesleyan Honors Academy program, high school teachers should:

  • Have a master’s degree in the subject area of the courses they propose to offer, or
  • Have a master’s degree with a minimum of 18 hours of graduate credit in the relevant subject field.

    *NOTE: We are currently in the process of revising our faculty requirements due to a change from the Higher Learning Commission. This revision is expected to allow us more flexibility in recognizing the unique experiences and education of dual credit teachers. We anticipate approval of the official policy in early May 2024.  

    We encourage teachers to submit a brief application to start the process: Honors Academy Teacher Application. This will allow us to follow up more quickly once the new policy is in place. In some cases, we may even be able to approve provisional qualification for 2024-25.

Application process

The Wesleyan Honors Academy director will work with high school principals and/or central school district curriculum specialists to identify high school courses and teachers for participation in Wesleyan Honors Academy and invite them to apply. Teachers may also request information and an application directly from the Honors Academy director.

Both the teacher and the course must be approved by the Honors Academy. Following is a description of the application and approval process:

Step 1: Teacher application

  1. Submit the Teacher Application and supporting materials, including official undergraduate and graduate transcripts to the Honors Academy director.
  2. The director will review the teacher application materials for minimal requirements and forward qualified applicants to the appropriate departmental liaison.
  3. Upon approval of the applicant by the appropriate department, the teacher will be asked to submit the Course Application form.

Step 2: Course application

  1. Submit the Course Application, including the following items:
    • Description of the course, including scope, organization, and expectations of students
    • An image/PDF of the table of contents of the textbook you are using, marking the chapters that will be covered
    • A course syllabus or outline, listing the required readings, papers, projects, and/or reports
    • A copy of major assignments made during the course
    • A copy of the final examination of the course (if one is used)
    • A letter of support from your principal or superintendent
    • A brief resume indicating work and educational background
    • Art instructors must send visuals of their artwork and their students’ artwork.
  2. After reviewing the course application materials, the Honors Academy director will forward them to the appropriate departmental liaison for review and final determination.
  3. The Honors Academy director will notify the teacher and the school administrator in writing whether the teacher is:
    • Approved
    • Provisionally approved (with provisions stated)
    • Not approved at this time (with reasons stated)

Probationary status for first year teachers

Approval to teach in the Wesleyan Honors Academy program is considered probationary for the first year that a teacher participates. After the first year, a teacher will automatically qualify to remain in the program under the following conditions:

  • The teacher has met, or is making significant progress toward meeting any specified provisions.
  • The Honors Academy director and the respective departmental coordinator approve continued participation.

Non-compliance

Honors Academy teachers are required to complete the necessary administrative and professional development aspects of the Honors Academy program. If a given instructor fails to do so, they will be considered non-compliant. Listed below are the potential areas in which a teacher may be considered non-compliant:

  1. The instructor fails to attend professional development workshops. Instructors are expected to attend all professional development workshops although rare absences are allowed for special circumstances. If an instructor can't, at times, attend the on-campus workshops, he or she may take part in other professional development activities. These must be reported back to the Honors Academy director.
  2. The instructor fails to provide a course of equivalent content and rigor as those sections offered on-campus and approved by the department.
  3. The instructor does not submit required information/artifacts to the director or department liaisons for assessment and/or syllabus alignment purposes. These requirements vary by department and all instructors are expected to be aware of their responsibilities in this area.
  4. The instructor does not follow-through on arrangements made for site visits from the department liaisons. Site visits should be scheduled when the instructor is actively teaching a course and should allow the liaison to see good interaction with students.
  5. The instructor does not clarify rosters and/or submit grades as required.

Non-compliance will be determined by the director of the Wesleyan Honors Academy with input from the department liaison usually through classroom visits or failure of the instructor to complete the submittal of materials or professional development activities.

If an instructor is found to be non-compliant, the following steps will be taken in order to help the instructor return to compliance:

  1. The director and department liaison will meet and discuss the approach needed for a given set of circumstances.
  2. The director will contact the instructor and meet with him or her to outline the changes that must occur in order for the instructor to return to compliance. The administration at the high school will be notified or the problem.
  3. The instructor will be given time to consider the outlined changes and whether or not he or she wishes to continue in the program.
  4. If the instructor wishes to continue in the Honors Academy program, he or she will be given one academic year to correct problems and will be visited in the classroom at least twice during that year by the liaison and at least once by the director to consider whether progress towards the stated changes is being met. The high school administration is kept appraised of the status of the instructor.
  5. Both the director and the liaison must agree that the instructor has regained compliance. If this occurs, the instructor returns to equal status as other compliant instructors.
  6. If the instructor remains non-compliant after one academic year, he or she is removed from the program and the high school administration notified that the instructor is no longer able to offer courses in the program.

The curriculum fund account will be closed to non-compliant instructors until he or she returns to compliant status.

High school teacher program benefits