CAPS Policies and Certification Procedure

Read and review the program policies before registering for courses in the CWRU Administrative Professional Series (CAPS).

CAPS Policies

1. The CWRU Administrative Professional Series (CAPS) is comprised of a collection of courses that focus on the financial management of administrative units in the university.
2. The intent of the CAPS program is twofold:
   1. To educate individuals on the policies and procedures that direct their use and management of university funds
   2. To attest to the knowledge of individuals who have completed the requirements of CAPS by issuing them a Certificate of Achievement.
3. CAPS is proprietary to Case Western Reserve University.
   1. CAPS consists of a curriculum designed by Information Technology Services and functional leaders from the Offices of Finance and Administration and Sponsored Projects Accounting.
   2. The redistribution of CAPS material is prohibited except by members of CAPS Program Administration (section six).
4. CAPS is intended to be used by individuals as an opportunity for training and development.
   1. CAPS is neither accredited for academic credit nor recognized by the university as an academic program.
   2. Recognition of employees that attain the Certificate of Achievement is done at the discretion of the administrative unit by which the individual is employed.

CAPS Participation

1. All full-time and part-time employees of Case Western Reserve University are eligible to participate in CAPS as applicable to their job-related functions.  Student employees are not eligible for participation in CAPS.

2. Individuals who participate in CAPS are expected to read the CAPS Policies and Certification Process prior to registering for any course.
3. Individuals who attend CAPS courses are not required to achieve a certificate.
   1. Individuals are permitted to attend courses without intent to complete the certification program.
   2. Individuals who require access to any of the three end-user modules in PeopleSoft Financials must complete the module’s corresponding CAPS course prior to attaining access.  Individuals needing access to eProcurement and/or Accounts Payable must take Purchasing from A-Z. Individuals needing access to the General Ledger must take Financial Journals.
4. All individuals who attend a CAPS class and adhere to the CAPS Attendance Policies (section 3) will receive proof of attendance for that class.

Certificate of Achievement in Financial Management Requirements

1. The program requirements for the Certificate of Achievement in Financial Management are:

   1. Completion of 3 “core” courses; two required courses and the choice of one other core course.
   2. Completion of 5 elective courses; core courses that are taken in excess of the 3 required are counted as electives.
   3. Completion of the CAPS Cumulative Exam with a passing score of 75 percent or higher.
      1. Cumulative exam questions are based on the content of courses taken by the student.
      2. Cumulative exam questions are grouped by the course in which the information was taught.
      3. If a student fails the CAPS exam, it may be taken one more time.  Only two testing attempts are permitted.  Students may retake selected courses at their discretion prior to retesting.
2. CAPS participants who intend to achieve certification must complete the required coursework within one year (twelve months) of beginning the program.
3. Certificates of Achievement in Financial Management are awarded only to those individuals who have completed the CAPS requirements as stated in this policy.
   1. Individuals may not take the cumulative exam without completing the CAPS requirements.
   2. Credit for certification will not be awarded for any courses taken outside of CAPS, or tests taken and passed on similar course material that is not a part of CAPS.

CAPS Attendance Policies

1. Individuals must register for classes in order to attend.

2. It is requested that individuals who must cancel their participation give at least 24 hours notice to the CAPS training team.

3. A $25 no-show fee will be assessed to the department of an individual that registers for a class but does not appear and had not cancelled his/her registration.
4. All CAPS classes will start at the time scheduled. Registrants are asked to arrive five to ten minutes early in order to be prepared for class.
5. Registrants who are more than 10 minutes late for a class or who depart 10 minutes early from a class will not receive credit for the course towards certification. If time accommodations need to be made, registrants should contact the CAPS facilitator at caps@case.edu at least 24 hours prior to the start of class.
6. The attendance sheet will serve as the official record of attendance at all CAPS classes.  Course credit will only be awarded to those individuals who sign the attendance sheet. 
7. No cell phones, PDA’s, or other electronic communication devices may be used in CAPS classes.  All devices should be silenced prior to the beginning of class.
8. Please avoid leaving the class if possible.  Short breaks will be given during classes that are scheduled for more than one and one half hours.
9. Policies specific to classes that take place in computer labs:
   1. No food or drink is permitted.
   2. Participants are asked to refrain from checking email or surfing the internet during class as a courtesy to the instructor.

CAPS Administration

1. CAPS is administered by Information Technology Services in partnership with the Offices of Finance and Administration and Sponsored Projects Administration. All policies herein are administered by the aforementioned parties.

2. The CAPS administration has the right to add, update, and remove CAPS courses from the CAPS curriculum at any time.
3. The CAPS administration has the right to cancel and/or reschedule CAPS classes up to 24 hours' in advance of the scheduled start time if:
   1. Adequate instruction is not available.
   2. Registration for the class is less than or equal to four registrants.
4. The CAPS administration, in conjunction with the functional leadership for each area, reserves the right to revise program policies as needed.