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Petition Type: New
ID: 12805
Submitted: March 2, 2025 at 9:49:27 PM
First Name: Elizabeth
Last Name: Jones
Pronoun: She
Preferred Name: Elise
Student Number: 20468921
Degree Program: Bachelor of Science (Honour)
Plan: Life Sciences
Level of Study: 1
Appeal Category Detail: Petitioning an exam grade after a technical emergency

Petition Letter

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic),

I am writing to formally request a review of my grade for the CISC 151 midterm exam, in which I received a 0% due to a technical emergency that prevented my full submission from being recorded. I understand the importance of maintaining academic policies, and I truly appreciate the time and consideration given to my request.

Reason for My Request

On January 31, 2025, I completed my CISC 151 midterm exam, which is worth 20% of my final grade, and was in the process of submitting my work when, with about two minutes remaining, my screen briefly went black, and the system auto-submitted an incomplete version of my code. As a result, only a portion of my answer was recorded, despite my having fully completed the exam within the allotted time.

I reached out immediately to both my Teaching Assistant (Amr Zaki) and Instructor (Professor Hazem Abbas) to explain what had happened and to ask if there was a way to verify my work. I can provide evidence, including timestamps from my Jupyter Notebook, to show that my code was completed before the exam ended. Unfortunately, I was informed that only the work officially submitted could be graded and that no exceptions could be made.

Why I Am Requesting a Review

I respect the policies in place and fully understand the importance of submission deadlines. However, I am concerned that my grade does not reflect the work I actually completed due to an unexpected technical emergency beyond my control. Additionally:
*My instructor mentioned that other students encountered similar issues, which suggests this was not an isolated problem.
*My past coursework and assessments demonstrate a solid understanding of the material, which is not reflected in this exam grade.

Since this exam accounts for 20% of my final mark, I am now at risk of failing a course in which I have otherwise been performing well.

Supporting Documentation

To assist in the review, I have attached:
Email correspondence with my instructor and TA, showing my immediate outreach after the incident, and my attempts to find support on campus. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-UKBnidVzi89IniUyt3MmO6POK1-jLz9WrrTGM-XvG8/edit?usp=sharing
A summary of my coursework performance, demonstrating my engagement and understanding of the material.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yp3zRWUuUeNKm0ctUNJocSpF8Yfcnevk/view?usp=sharing

I greatly appreciate your time in reviewing my case. If there are any additional steps I should take or further information I can provide, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Thank you for your consideration.
Best regards,
Elise Jones
Student ID: 20468921
23hkr5@queensu.ca

Academic Plan

Academic Plan: Should my petition be granted, here is an outline of my Academic Plan for success in my CISC 151 course:

Retaking or Reassessing the Exam (if applicable)
*If my petition is granted, I will work closely with my instructor to determine an appropriate way to demonstrate my understanding of the material, whether through a reassessment, an alternate form of evaluation, a re-weighting of the exams, or any opportunity that my professor or his team proposes.

Improving Technical Preparedness for Future Exams
*To prevent a recurrence of this issue, I will contact IT support to explore ways to safeguard against technical emergencies in online assessments.

Maintaining Strong Academic Performance
*I will continue to actively participate in coursework and seek additional academic support when needed.

Time Management & Contingency Planning
*I will schedule meetings with my professor or TA before future exams to clarify any potential submission concerns.

I appreciate your time and consideration in reviewing my request. Please let me know if you require any further details regarding my academic plan.

Best regards,
Elise Jones
Student ID: 20468921
23hkr5@queensu.ca

Documentation

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History

Originally submitted March 2, 2025 at 9:49:27 PM.

FieldReferenceOld ValueNew ValueNoteUserDate/Time
statusN/AReceivedWithdrawnKerri Andrews2025-03-03 8:44:03 AM