Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 9508
Submitted: August 26, 2022 at 1:35:48 PM
First Name: Shantal
Last Name: Johnson
Student Number: 20315087
Email: 21sej6@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: Global Development Studies
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline
Level 1 Status
Status: DeniedLevel 2
Appeal Type: Level 2
ID: 96
Submitted: September 12, 2022 at 9:31:09 AM
Relevant Petition: 9508
Decision(s) Being Appealed: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline
Appeal Letter
Appeal Letter: ASTR 101 - Fall 2021 September 12th, 2022
Academic Appeal - Board of Studies
Shantal Johnson 20315087
I would like to thank you in advance for taking the time to consider my appeal. I have chosen to submit an appeal to the Board of Studies, as the Associate Dean did not grant me a late drop.
Firstly, the requirement to pass an exam to receive a passing grade in this course is unfair. In my circumstance, I received A letter grades throughout the term on all of my assignments and quizzes (save for one assignment where I obtained a C, which was dropped per the assignment guidelines in the Syllabus). These assignments and quizzes accounted for 65% of the final grade in the course. I also attended all but two of Dr. Hanes?? twice-weekly optional drop-in sessions; many times it was just the two of us. Not the typical behaviour of an F student. Further, what indication did I receive before the drop deadline that I wasn??t progressing as I should have? Again, I was receiving A??s. Had the course work and quizzes been an accurate representation of what was to be expected on the exam, I assume I would have received much lower grades, which would have in turn caused me to drop the course, as it was an elective course (I am a DEVS student). I was not allowed to drop this course by the deadline, as I received deceitful feedback regarding my academic performance leading up to the exam
If the coursework was not an accurate representation of the material to be featured on the exam, why not mandate a mid-term? I feel as though I was deceived, and to have ruined my transcript over an elective course is very disheartening. As stated in Dr. Stephenson??s decision letter, a course design issue is not considered an extenuating circumstance (which I did not believe it to be), but the 33% failure rate on the final deferred exam proves that there is a bigger issue that keeps being overlooked. I have been going through the process of appealing this grade since February 2022, meeting with several departments, advisors, heads of departments as well as the Ombudsman??s office. I have mentioned the failure rate, mandating a mid-term, etc. more than once. Further, I will not retake the course as long as the instructor remains the same. I worked very hard over the twelve-plus weeks I was in Dr. Hanes?? course and was taken aback by his response when I asked to meet with him following the receipt of my final grade. The effort and participation that I put forward were quickly forgotten by him, which is disappointing as I mentioned earlier in my appeal that often it was only him and I in the twice-weekly zoom meeting.
I hope that this appeal will open the door to an investigation into the course design, as well as motivate the instructor to move forward with delivering future courses fairly and equitably.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Shantal
Academic Appeal - Board of Studies
Shantal Johnson 20315087
I would like to thank you in advance for taking the time to consider my appeal. I have chosen to submit an appeal to the Board of Studies, as the Associate Dean did not grant me a late drop.
Firstly, the requirement to pass an exam to receive a passing grade in this course is unfair. In my circumstance, I received A letter grades throughout the term on all of my assignments and quizzes (save for one assignment where I obtained a C, which was dropped per the assignment guidelines in the Syllabus). These assignments and quizzes accounted for 65% of the final grade in the course. I also attended all but two of Dr. Hanes?? twice-weekly optional drop-in sessions; many times it was just the two of us. Not the typical behaviour of an F student. Further, what indication did I receive before the drop deadline that I wasn??t progressing as I should have? Again, I was receiving A??s. Had the course work and quizzes been an accurate representation of what was to be expected on the exam, I assume I would have received much lower grades, which would have in turn caused me to drop the course, as it was an elective course (I am a DEVS student). I was not allowed to drop this course by the deadline, as I received deceitful feedback regarding my academic performance leading up to the exam
If the coursework was not an accurate representation of the material to be featured on the exam, why not mandate a mid-term? I feel as though I was deceived, and to have ruined my transcript over an elective course is very disheartening. As stated in Dr. Stephenson??s decision letter, a course design issue is not considered an extenuating circumstance (which I did not believe it to be), but the 33% failure rate on the final deferred exam proves that there is a bigger issue that keeps being overlooked. I have been going through the process of appealing this grade since February 2022, meeting with several departments, advisors, heads of departments as well as the Ombudsman??s office. I have mentioned the failure rate, mandating a mid-term, etc. more than once. Further, I will not retake the course as long as the instructor remains the same. I worked very hard over the twelve-plus weeks I was in Dr. Hanes?? course and was taken aback by his response when I asked to meet with him following the receipt of my final grade. The effort and participation that I put forward were quickly forgotten by him, which is disappointing as I mentioned earlier in my appeal that often it was only him and I in the twice-weekly zoom meeting.
I hope that this appeal will open the door to an investigation into the course design, as well as motivate the instructor to move forward with delivering future courses fairly and equitably.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Shantal