Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 6507
Decision Date: February 10, 2020
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Owen Gray
Student Email: 17olg@queensu.ca
Course: PSYC 202
Term: Fall
Year: 2018
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: William Nelson
Dear Owen Gray:
I am sorry to have read that you struggled with an illness during the Fall term 2018 and I understand that you are seeking Credit standing in PSYC 202 (F 2018) due to the impact that circumstance had on this course. After reviewing your appeal letter, documentation and the information we have received from your instructor, I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.2. states that, Credit standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed all of the work in the course including the final examination, and achieved a passing grade in the course, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected, normally a grade of C or lower.€ Credit standing is only granted in cases where there are well documented and unforeseen extenuating circumstances outside of a student€™s control. 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 his or her control.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however, there is no relevant documentation submitted which confirms the impact your circumstance had on this course in particular. Furthermore, the information we received from your instructor notes that you did moderately well in your class quizzes and tutorials so you were in fact quite successful in keeping up with the demands of the course. It seems you struggled in the tests and exam so the grade received accurately reflects the learning outcomes you achieved in this course and is a clear reflection of your mastery of the course content.
Going forward, I suggest that you inform yourself of the academic regulations concerning deadlines as they are outlined in the Important Dates section on the Arts and Science web page and assess your progress in your courses or discuss your options with an Academic Advisor during week 7 or 8 of the term. If you find that you have fallen behind in your attendance, readings or assignments, it is your responsibility to drop by the end of week 8.
Let me remind you Owen that if a student repeats a course, the lower grade is excluded from their GPA and the higher grade is included. If you are concerned about the impact this grade may have on your GPA, you may decide to repeat it.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, information and deadlines can be found at 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 the Office of the University Ombudsperson for information about student rights and responsibilities as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
20074031Gray
Decision Date: February 10, 2020
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Owen Gray
Student Email: 17olg@queensu.ca
Course: PSYC 202
Term: Fall
Year: 2018
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: William Nelson
Dear Owen Gray:
I am sorry to have read that you struggled with an illness during the Fall term 2018 and I understand that you are seeking Credit standing in PSYC 202 (F 2018) due to the impact that circumstance had on this course. After reviewing your appeal letter, documentation and the information we have received from your instructor, I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.2. states that, Credit standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed all of the work in the course including the final examination, and achieved a passing grade in the course, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected, normally a grade of C or lower.€ Credit standing is only granted in cases where there are well documented and unforeseen extenuating circumstances outside of a student€™s control. 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 his or her control.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however, there is no relevant documentation submitted which confirms the impact your circumstance had on this course in particular. Furthermore, the information we received from your instructor notes that you did moderately well in your class quizzes and tutorials so you were in fact quite successful in keeping up with the demands of the course. It seems you struggled in the tests and exam so the grade received accurately reflects the learning outcomes you achieved in this course and is a clear reflection of your mastery of the course content.
Going forward, I suggest that you inform yourself of the academic regulations concerning deadlines as they are outlined in the Important Dates section on the Arts and Science web page and assess your progress in your courses or discuss your options with an Academic Advisor during week 7 or 8 of the term. If you find that you have fallen behind in your attendance, readings or assignments, it is your responsibility to drop by the end of week 8.
Let me remind you Owen that if a student repeats a course, the lower grade is excluded from their GPA and the higher grade is included. If you are concerned about the impact this grade may have on your GPA, you may decide to repeat it.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, information and deadlines can be found at 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 the Office of the University Ombudsperson for information about student rights and responsibilities as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
20074031Gray
Generated February 10, 2020 at 1:05:18 PM.