Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 3941
Decision Date: January 9, 2018
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Kirusika Thanabalasinham
Student Email: 9kt35@queensu.ca
Course: CISC 220
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Request aegrotat (AG) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Margaret Lamb
Course: CISC 260
Term: Winter
Year: 2017
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Margaret Lamb
Dear Ms. Thanabalasinham:
I have carefully considered your appeal to receive Aegrotat standing in CISC 220 (F 2016) and an extension of your incomplete grade in CISC 260 (W 2017). After reviewing your file I must unfortunately deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.1. states that, Aegrotat estimated standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed and passed at least 60 per cent of the work for a course and has demonstrated that they have met the learning outcomes, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control, is unable to complete all of the work of the course.€ The Appeal Regulations go on to stress that Aegrotat standing will only be granted due to extenuating circumstances€. The integrity of Arts and Science transcripts in general would be greatly diminished if the Faculty were to effect changes to students€™ records without clear and compelling documentation indicating that the student€™s performance was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond her control.
Academic Regulation 10.3.4 also states that, €œto qualify for an extension of an incomplete grade, the student must have actively participated in the class and only has one or two elements outstanding. Students with extenuating circumstances who have not completed the majority of work for a class should consider an appeal to drop the class past the academic deadline instead.€
In CISC 220, Dr. Lamb confirmed that you completed 4 out of 6 assignments (the best 5 are counted and make up 20 of the final grade), 2 out of 3 quizzes (two of which you completed but received failing grades in both, and make up 40 of the final grade). The final exam was not written. You have therefore, not completed at least 60 of the work, you do not have a passing grade on the work you have completed to date and you have not demonstrated that you have successfully met the learning outcomes for this class.
Further, you have not completed the majority of work for CISC 260 to be eligible for a further extension. Professor Lamb confirmed that you wrote two quizzes only and are missing 5 assignments and the final exam.
Your appeal documentation confirms that your medical condition affected your studies since December 2016 but it does not explain why only CISC 260 was affected and not CISC 221 or CISC 282 which you also took at that time. Further, your grades from the 2016/17 academic year are not significantly different from the other grades on your transcript so there does not appear to be a pattern to support the effect of your illness on your studies.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, you must submit an appeal to the Board of Studies within 21 days of the date this decision was sent. Guidelines for appealing to the Board of Studies and the appeal form can be found at: http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/students-at-queens/academic-appeals (click on €œBoard of Studies€) Do not use the on-line application for this process. You may contact Mr. Harry Smith, Office of the Ombudsman for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 421 Robert Sutherland Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
Cc: M. Lamb, School of Computing
06321185 Thanabalasinham2
Decision Date: January 9, 2018
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Kirusika Thanabalasinham
Student Email: 9kt35@queensu.ca
Course: CISC 220
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Request aegrotat (AG) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Margaret Lamb
Course: CISC 260
Term: Winter
Year: 2017
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Margaret Lamb
Dear Ms. Thanabalasinham:
I have carefully considered your appeal to receive Aegrotat standing in CISC 220 (F 2016) and an extension of your incomplete grade in CISC 260 (W 2017). After reviewing your file I must unfortunately deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.1. states that, Aegrotat estimated standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed and passed at least 60 per cent of the work for a course and has demonstrated that they have met the learning outcomes, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control, is unable to complete all of the work of the course.€ The Appeal Regulations go on to stress that Aegrotat standing will only be granted due to extenuating circumstances€. The integrity of Arts and Science transcripts in general would be greatly diminished if the Faculty were to effect changes to students€™ records without clear and compelling documentation indicating that the student€™s performance was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond her control.
Academic Regulation 10.3.4 also states that, €œto qualify for an extension of an incomplete grade, the student must have actively participated in the class and only has one or two elements outstanding. Students with extenuating circumstances who have not completed the majority of work for a class should consider an appeal to drop the class past the academic deadline instead.€
In CISC 220, Dr. Lamb confirmed that you completed 4 out of 6 assignments (the best 5 are counted and make up 20 of the final grade), 2 out of 3 quizzes (two of which you completed but received failing grades in both, and make up 40 of the final grade). The final exam was not written. You have therefore, not completed at least 60 of the work, you do not have a passing grade on the work you have completed to date and you have not demonstrated that you have successfully met the learning outcomes for this class.
Further, you have not completed the majority of work for CISC 260 to be eligible for a further extension. Professor Lamb confirmed that you wrote two quizzes only and are missing 5 assignments and the final exam.
Your appeal documentation confirms that your medical condition affected your studies since December 2016 but it does not explain why only CISC 260 was affected and not CISC 221 or CISC 282 which you also took at that time. Further, your grades from the 2016/17 academic year are not significantly different from the other grades on your transcript so there does not appear to be a pattern to support the effect of your illness on your studies.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, you must submit an appeal to the Board of Studies within 21 days of the date this decision was sent. Guidelines for appealing to the Board of Studies and the appeal form can be found at: http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/students-at-queens/academic-appeals (click on €œBoard of Studies€) Do not use the on-line application for this process. You may contact Mr. Harry Smith, Office of the Ombudsman for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 421 Robert Sutherland Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
Cc: M. Lamb, School of Computing
06321185 Thanabalasinham2
Generated January 9, 2018 at 3:46:45 PM.