Academic Policies

Shankar Mahadevan Academy currently offers certificate programs in Carnatic/Hindustani classical vocal styles and Voice Gym programs. Carnatic and Hindustani certificate programs have a defined, structured curriculum.

Students who opt for courses other than a beginner's course would be required to submit a pre-requisite assessment. This assessment is graded by our Curriculum Head. The student is then advised to join the particular level depending on his/her singing capability and performance on the assessment.

After completing the course within a level with a passing grade, students can advance to the next course

For an audit student to come back as a credit student, the student may re-enroll into the courses after completing the pre-requisites and complete assessments and gain a Credit Certificate. 

•  The Academy will NOT provide any certificate for audit courses.
• For Audit courses, the student would not be required to submit any assessments.
• A student may opt to "Audit" a course within the first six classes of a course.
• If the student has not submitted any assessments within the first six classes, the Academy will assume the course to be an "Audit" course for the student. 
• The teacher will assess the student in the final class and evaluate the student to promote them to the next course or suggest Add-on classes (or in some cases, repeat the current course).
• If the student has chosen to get Credit for the course but fails to complete an assessment before the due date, the teacher reserves the right to do the assessment in class. 
• A student may not audit a course after the beginners level i.e. starting level 201 in Hindustani or Carnatic Vocals

• To ensure that we have students who are learning at the Academy also attain the skills and confidence to perform on par with the best students of their genre, our students would be required to take “Level Exams” after completing each Level - Sa, Re/ Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha & Ni

• Taking these exams after completing the milestone course is mandatory for those who desire a certification in their course.
• The examiner would be either the CC or an external examiner for the student
• The exams are for Hindustani and Carnatic classical genres only

• Sa exam is for courses 101-103 for HV and CV
• Re exam is for courses 104-108 for HV - Ri exam 104-109 for CV
• Ga exam is for courses 201-205 for HV and CV
• Ma exam is for courses 205-210 for HV and CV
• Pa exam is for courses 301-308 for HV and CV
• Dha exam is for courses 309-316 for HV and CV
• Ni exam is for courses 401-409 for HV and CV

A credit course is defined as a course wherein the students complete all the assessments and will be graded. The grades received by the student at the end of a ‘credit’ course will be based on the following percentages:

Students receiving 59 percent or less in any course must retake that course and receive a Course complete grade certificate or a higher grade certificate in order to progress to the next course in the program. 

A ‘recreation’ course is defined as a course wherein the student does not submit any or all of the assessments, but attends all 12 classes within 130 days of the date of the first class.

The recreation course will be graded by the teacher at the end of each course via an ‘end of course observation’.

If the teacher grades the student above 60 percent, the student will receive a ‘Course completion’ certificate.

In the event that the student receives 59 percent or lesser, the teacher may recommend customized solutions such as, but not limited to, additional classes, alternate course/s, additional practice time, or retaking the course.  

Subsequently, the teacher will conduct an additional round of ‘End of course observation’ for the student to approve promotion to the next course in the program.

There are two types of certifications issued by Shankar Mahadevan Academy. The first type of certification is  given to students who have completed all the assessments and the requirements of  a  ‘Credit’  course. A credit course is defined as a course wherein the students complete all the assessments and will be graded. Such students receive a ‘Certificate of Merit’ digitally signed by the founders of the academy - Dr. Shankar Mahadevan and Sridhar Ranganathan.

The second type of certification is provided to students who have opted for a ‘recreation’ course and do not submit any or a few of the assessments. A recreation course is defined as a course wherein the student does not submit any or all of the assessments, but attends all 12 classes within 130 days of the date of the first class. Such students by default  receive a ‘Certificate of Completion’ signed by the founders - Dr. Shankar Mahadevan and Sridhar Ranganathan. In the event that a certificate has not been generated, please write to attendance@shankarmahadevanacademy.com with your queries.

Assessment Policy for ‘Credit’ Courses

Students in ‘Certificate of Merit’ programs are graded based on their formative assessment, midterm &   summative assessments. Each student's grade will depend on the total marks he/she receives for all formative assessments,  the midterm and the summative class performance.

• Students will receive a report card and ‘Certificate of Merit’. Students will be expected to submit   their assessments on a regular basis.

If assessment submission goes beyond 130 days from the start of the first class and there is attendance of all 12 classes within the 130 days,  the student will be automatically considered for a ‘certificate of completion’ Course.

Students in Hindustani and Carnatic Vocals 100-series, levels 101 and 102 will not have any graded assessments. Students will be required to submit practice recordings and will have formative assessments in class and these would be provided feedback by the instructor , however, the submissions would not be marked or graded. Students will receive a report at the end of the course highlighting their overall course progress. Students will receive a 'Certificate of Completion’ at the end of 12 sessions with an attendance of 12 sessions. 

Grading & Promotion Policy for ‘Credit’ Courses

The grades received by the student at the end of a course will be based on the following percentages:

Students receiving 59 percent or less in any course must retake that course and receive a Course complete grade or a higher grade in order to progress to the next course in the program. Full tuition fee must be paid for any course that needs to be retaken.

If a student believes their grade does not accurately reflect their performance, they should first contact their teacher to discuss. If they are unable to resolve the issue with their teacher, students can send an email to attendance@shankarmahadevanacademy.com and should include their name, course, teacher, and the reason they feel the grade is incorrect. Grade disputes must be received within one week of course completion.

Transcripts

Any student who completes all requirements of at least one credit and/or non- credit course/s will be able to download a transcript of such courses from the Learning management system (LMS) portal issued by Shankar Mahadevan Academy. The transcript consists of date and time of completion, course code, course name, Instructor name, and the grades where appropriate. This will be digitally signed by founders-Dr. Shankar Mahadevan and Sridhar Ranganathan.

If there is an error in the transcript, please write to attendance@shankarmahadevanacademy.com for corrections.

Different students learn at different paces. While our curriculum is designed to cover all the lesson plans in 12 weeks, we understand that this may not be possible all the time for all the students. Also, as an Academy that stands for Quality, we encourage students to take time and effort to achieve the highest quality. For students who need or desire to spend more time in a course, we provide the option of purchasing “Add-On” Classes. These are one to one sessions with the teachers and may be requested:

• If the student wishes to spend more time on specific concepts or if they have missed any classes.
• Teachers can recommend add on classes to students to bring them up to speed.

A mutually convenient time slot will be scheduled for add-on classes. If the student fails to attend a scheduled add-on class, there will be no refunds or rescheduling of the add-on class(es).

• Students who purchase the "download class recording" add on to record their classes will have access to download all their class recordings.
• Students may purchase class recordings within 30 days from the last class.
• Download of class recordings will be available till 30 days after the last scheduled class.  
• In case the student wishes to purchase recordings after 30 days from the last scheduled class, an additional fee of USD 25 / INR 750 / GBP 25 / NZD 32. Requests for retrieval must be made via support.shankarmahadevanacademy.com
• For any class belonging to a multi-student batch, and if the class is conducted, and is missed by one or more students, the Academy will make the class recordings available (for requisite courses) for the student/s to review before the next class.
• The Academy reserves the right to record classes for quality audits and training purposes even if student has not opted for the same.

• The academy offers 1 on 1 virtual class.
• In the 1 on 1 virtual class there will be only one student and the course will be for a period of 12 weeks.
• The 1 on 1 class will be for a duration of 45 minutes and 1 class per week.
• A student who wishes to take 1 on 1 virtual class can opt for the same at the time of enrollment.

• Students can access their learning materials through other devices iPhones, iPads or supported Android devices at the time of enrollment or while the course is in progress via the SMA app. 
• Device access includes access to OM Book™, OM Riyaaz, Assignments and Student Practice Recordings.
• The device access will expire 30 days from the last class of the current course.
• To download the apps, go to Apple Store or Play Store 
• You need a student login ID and password in order to access your content via the app. 

Access to course materials for Instructor-Led courses will not expire as long as the student is enrolled into any Instructor-Led course in the Academy. 
On the expiry of a course, a student can continue to have access to course materials by purchasing continued access or by enrolling to the next course. 
Course materials include the OM Book™, any associated Study Plan for the course, assessments and practice recordings.
If a student takes a break from the program then access to the course materials of the program will expire 30 days from the last scheduled class of the current batch.
In case you wish to access your course materials 30 days after the last course attended by you, you may purchase extended access for 6 months or a year. To purchase extended access, please log in to your student account, go to "My Courses" and select the course for which you wish to purchase extended access. Click on "Purchase - > Extend Subscription". 

Access to self study courses are based on the subscription period. 

The Shankar Mahadevan Academy endeavours to spread the Joy of Music worldwide, to facilitate the same, we follow geography-based pricing based on the student's country/region. 

Students who enroll from their local region are expected to take their online classes from their local region only. Our system is designed to flag off and restrict access if the student login location doesn't match the registered location. 

• The pricing is based on the value sought in the local region and the pricing is localized by regions.
• In case of travel the Academy will allow the student to take a maximum of 4 classes outside their local region. If the classes exceed beyond 4 classes for a batch the student will need to pay the entire course fee in the local currency for the classes attended and will be attending. The earlier fees paid will be refunded and the local region will be set to the region where classes are being taken from.
• The course will be scheduled based on the teacher availability, if the teacher is not available at the requested time slot, the Academy will suggest the closest time slot.
• If the student takes over 4 classes outside their local region, they would receive an e-mail requesting them to confirm their current location. In case their current location is different from the location of registration. Not hearing back from the student within 5 days of the email request may lead to suspension of their account. 

Students belonging to DST time zones will have a change in class timings during DST transition in their respective time zones. During the enrollment process to a particular course, the students will see the class timings for all classes for the course, if there is a time transition during the course and select batches accordingly.

Prospective students should review the technical requirements for taking courses at Shankar Mahadevan Academy prior to enrolling, at the same time the support will contact the student to conduct a test class to ensure the student meets all technical requirement and well equipped to join the class, as technical issues are not generally considered an acceptable reason for withdrawal or refund. Enrolled students will receive instructions to test the set up of their computer, webcam and microphone. This test should be completed in the week prior to the start of the course to provide enough time to resolve issues. Students can contact support@shankarmahadevanacademy.com with technical questions and issues.

Once the student has enrolled in the course, the course cannot be transferred to any other individual.

Refund requests must be made in writing to billing@shankarmahadevanacademy.com within 24 hours of the first scheduled* class. Refunds will be granted at the discretion of the Academy.

The amount refunded will be based on the following schedule, from the date the written refund request is received by the Academy:

Date of refund request                                % of Course Fees

24 hours after the first scheduled* class        No refund
Re-enrolled students                                       No refund
Students who have attended a                        No refund
Vidyaarambh/ other promotions 

28 days after course purchase                         No refund

*Scheduled class is the calendar date of the class and this will be the date honored for all refunds whether the actual class takes place or not for various reasons

• In addition to the above, all refunds are subject to a processing fee. The processing fee would vary based on the currency of payment.
• USD 25
• INR 750
• EUR 25
• GBP 35
• NZD 32
• The registration fee is non-refundable.
• Refunds for any taxes (GST, etc) would be withheld if the refund is claimed 5 working days after enrolment. 
• Students who have availed of courses based on promotions such as SANGAM or Vidyarambh would not be eligible for a refund once they have participated in the promotional event
• Re-enrolments are non-refundable and the course start date can be deferred ONLY once not beyond 4 weeks from the preselected (original) start date. The course fee will be forfeited 4 weeks after the original start date. 

Refund requests for self-study courses must be made in writing to support@shankarmahadevanacademy.com within 48 hours from the time of purchase. If the student has activated one song in the course pack, they would be eligible for a refund of only 50% of the course fee. No refund for students who have activated more than 1 song.

Shankar Mahadevan Academy reserves the right to raise prices at any time. Both current and new students enrolling in courses must pay the current prices in effect at the start of each course term.

All members of the Academy's community must abide by the following technology policies: 

• Respect copyright and other intellectual-property rights, such as when copying files or passwords belonging to others.
• Use software in accordance with license restrictions.Identify oneself clearly and accurately in electronic communication.
• Follow proper security procedures, for example by keeping login and password information private, changing passwords frequently, and maintaining backup copies of important files.
• Use Academy technology and resources as intended, for learning of course curriculum.
• Cooperate with investigations by the Academy, either of technical problems or of possible unauthorized or irresponsible use.

The following are considered serious violations of the Academy's policies and at the Academy's sole discretion are grounds for immediate suspension of a student's access privileges, disciplinary action, suspension of communication, and other sanctions:

• Distributing or making one's login ID or password or another person's login ID or password available to others.
• Distributing or making Academy content, software, or resources available to others.
• Attempting to evade, disable, or "crack" password or other security provisions, or assisting others in doing so.
• Modifying or damaging information without authorization, including but not limited to altering data, introducing viruses, or simply damaging files.
• Using Academy resources for unlawful purposes or for other purposes not specifically permitted by the Academy.
• Posting or electronically distributing any unlawful, threatening, obscene, profane, hateful, or otherwise objectionable material of any kind on the Academy website or to members of the Academy community, including without limitation, any material that encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense or give rise to civil liability.
• Improper use of copyrighted or proprietary materials, with the exception of content for which the author has given express written authorization for online distribution. Such content must be clearly marked with copyright information including the source, author, and year.

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Students enrolling in Shankar Mahadevan Academy (The Academy) assume an obligation to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with the Academy’s function as an educational institution. 

Proper conduct requires student to refrain from verbal or physical harassment of any form against students, teachers, or other members of the Academy's community, and from any form of academic dishonesty including misrepresentation, fraud, plagiarism, or cheating. Complaints of harassment or academic dishonesty will be investigated by the Academy. Students who fail to comply with Academy policies may be dismissed at any time with no reimbursement of fees. Students who have been subject to harassment or who would like to report violation of code of conduct can do so without reprisal at admin@shankarmahadevanacademy.com.

The Academy reserves the right to make changes to policies, pricing, course content, course teachers, OM Book™ (Online Music Book), and any other Academy-related feature, materials, or processes at any given time. The Academy will attempt to provide reasonable notice to students of any changes. These changes are not generally considered an acceptable reason for withdrawal or refund

Prospective students should review the technical requirements for taking courses at Shankar Mahadevan Academy prior to enrolling, at the same time the support will contact the student to conduct a test class to ensure the student meets all technical requirement and well equipped to join the class, as technical issues are not generally considered an acceptable reason for withdrawal or refund. Enrolled students will receive instructions to test the set up of their computer, webcam and microphone. This test should be completed in the week prior to the start of the course to provide enough time to resolve issues. Students can contact support@shankarmahadevanacademy.com with technical questions and issues.