Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jill Atkinson,

I am appealing to have CISC 121 from winter 2018 removed from my transcript. I was distressed to learn that in failing the final exam, I had failed the entire course. In CISC 101 I got an A-.¿¿I have passed all my other courses with above the grade point average required for automatic admittance.¿¿My grade in CISC 121 was 72 prior to the exam, but I am now unable to proceed in Computer Science.

I am a student that relies on accommodations to meet the required standards. The relevant accommodations I was to receive for this course are extra time on exams, class notes provided by a note taker and a computer (for typing function only) for exams. For CISC 121, I received only 1 of 3 of my required accommodations, extra time. I require notes for this class because I have dexterity problems and weak fine motor skills resulting in slower processing speed. My notes are incoherent if I try to write at the class pace. In CISC 121 the note taker I was assigned at the start of the semester stopped posting notes as of January 25. I approached my accessibility service advisor more than once but was unable to rectify the situation. The second accommodation I did not receive was the use of a computer during exams. In the first semester I had access to a computer for ASTR 101 and COGS 101 and was told that I was not allowed to use the computer for CISC 101 when I believe I was entitled to one. This stayed consistent with CISC 121 because when I arrived to write my exam I was told I was not allowed to use a computer. Because of these inconsistencies and confusion, I used roughly 60 of the regular exam period time and all my extra time attempting to hand write code. As a result, I received my first ever failing grade in a course. I know this is not an accurate representation of my knowledge of the material. My grades in the courses in which I did receive the required accommodations are more indicative of my potential. If I had received notes from class and allowed to type the code on a computer I believe I would have passed the course.

I understand I bare some responsibility for this outcome and If I am allowed to continue in the Computer Science program I would make some changes to my approach. I will need to be more diligent in advocating for myself. I will schedule regular appointments with my accessibility service advisor where we can discuss my required accommodations. If there are problems with obtaining the accommodations, I will escalate the requests appropriately. This will put me in a position where there is no ambiguity and I am not waiting to see in I will receive my accommodations.

I feel I have matured in the past year and can better navigate the more unstructured University environment. I always managed to achieve above average grades throughout high school and want to achieve similar results in this program. First year university has been a humbling and eye-opening experience for me. I know that Queen¿¿s has numerous services to aid students such as tutors and advisors. I have already contacted and plan to work with Student Academic Success Services in second year. I feel I can improve on my study skills and habits.

I enjoy programming, have a keen interest in the field and want to pursue a career in computer science. I actively looked for relevant summer employment and obtained a coop position at TD Bank where I will gain experience coding for the mobile development team. I am willing to do whatever it takes and really hope you will grant my appeal, allow me the opportunity to redo CISC 121 and continue in the Computer Science program at Queen¿¿s.