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Petition Letter: Petition Letter: IDIS 199 Midterm Examination

Dear Members of the Academic Petitions Committee,
I am respectfully petitioning regarding the IDIS 199 midterm examination, which closed on Friday, March 6, at 11:30 a.m. Unfortunately, due to a technical issue with the required Guardian Browser, I was unable to access and complete the exam, despite making every reasonable effort before the deadline.

The midterm opened on Thursday, March 5, at 8:00 a.m. Because I also had an Economics midterm and several major assignments that day, I scheduled the IDIS 199 exam for the following morning, within the allowed time window. I had prepared extensively for the exam in the days leading up to it and felt confident in the material.
On the morning of Friday, March 6, I woke up at approximately 10:00 a.m. and attempted to begin the exam between 10:15 and 10:30 a.m. However, when I attempted to launch the exam through the required Guardian Browser, I encountered a persistent error message indicating that “this computer’s processor requires a different version of Guardian Browser.” I have a screenshot, but I cannot provide it in this petition letter submission.

I attempted to resolve the issue immediately by:

Downloading and installing the different Guardian Browser versions provided


Restarting and relaunching the software multiple times


Reattempting the installation process several times despite extremely slow download times


These troubleshooting attempts took over an hour, and despite my continued efforts, I was still unable to launch the exam; there was no way for me to use Guardian. I took a screenshot in the last couple of minutes, realizing that I may have to submit proof that the site wasn't working. I should have taken more screenshots throughout the troubleshooting process, but I was focused on getting the site working.

Immediately after the exam closed at 11:30 a.m, I started drafting an email. At 11:34 a.m, I sent it to my professor to explain the situation and notify them of the technical issue. I can also provide both the email I sent and the email the professor replied with if needed; however, once again, I cannot submit them through this submission.

I want to emphasize that I had prepared thoroughly for this exam and had planned my schedule carefully around my other assessments. The inability to access the exam was solely due to a technical problem with my computer or the required exam software, rather than any lack of preparation or failure to attempt the exam on my part.

Receiving a 0% on an assessment worth 20% of the final grade would have a significant impact on my academic record. I am currently working toward transferring into the Smith Commerce program, and such a penalty could strongly affect my eligibility despite my preparation and efforts to complete the exam.

For these reasons, I respectfully request consideration of one of the following accommodations:

The opportunity to write a deferred or alternate version of the midterm, or


That the weight of the midterm be transferred to the final examination.


I am fully willing to cooperate with any reasonable solution, including completing the exam in person under supervision or checking with IT services before writing to ensure that my computer can use Guardian. My only goal is to demonstrate my knowledge of the course material under fair conditions.

Thank you very much for taking the time to review my petition. I appreciate your consideration of my circumstances and the opportunity to present this request. As stated, I was unable to attach screenshots through the petition portal. I would be happy to provide these materials another way if they are required for review.

Best Regards,
Jacob Shull
​Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Economics
Email: jacob.shull@queensu.ca
Phone: 778-999-8104
Net ID: 24FP31