COLLEGE POLICY

Institutional Policy on the Evaluation of Student Achievement (IPESA)

Division or Sector: Academic

Responsibility: Academic Dean

Recommended by Academic Council: November 20, 2020

Approved by the Board of Directors: November 30, 2020

Contents SECTION 1 – POLICY CONTEXT ............................................................................................................................ 4

1. POLICY STATEMENT – HOW DOES THIS POLICY ALIGN WITH VANIER’S VISION AND VALUES? .................................................. 4 General Objective ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Guiding Principles .................................................................................................................................... 4

2 PURPOSE – WHAT DOES THIS POLICY DO? .................................................................................................................. 5 3 SCOPE OF APPLICATION – TO WHOM DOES THIS POLICY APPLY? ...................................................................................... 6 4 UNDERSTANDING ASSESSMENT IN THE CEGEP SYSTEM ................................................................................................ 7

The Program Approach ............................................................................................................................ 7 Competency-Based Education ................................................................................................................. 7 Learning Outcomes and Integrative Assessments ................................................................................... 9

SECTION 2 – ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ........................................................................................................ 11

5 ROLES OF INDIVIDUALS ......................................................................................................................................... 11 Students ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Teachers ................................................................................................................................................. 12 Faculty Deans and Coordinator of Continuing Education ...................................................................... 13 Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar .................................................................................................. 13 Pedagogical Counsellor in Continuing Education ................................................................................... 14 Academic Dean ...................................................................................................................................... 15

6 ROLES OF GROUPS ............................................................................................................................................... 15 Departments .......................................................................................................................................... 15 Student-Teacher Mediation Committee ................................................................................................ 16 Grades Review Committee ..................................................................................................................... 16 Cheating and Plagiarism Review Committee ......................................................................................... 17 Program Committees and General Education Committee ..................................................................... 18 Academic Advising ................................................................................................................................. 18 Learning Commons ................................................................................................................................ 19 Pedagogical Support and Innovation (PSI) ............................................................................................. 19 Student Services ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Academic Steering Committee ............................................................................................................... 20 Academic Council ................................................................................................................................... 21 Management Executive Committee (MEC) ............................................................................................ 21 Board of Directors .................................................................................................................................. 21

7 EVALUATION AND REVISION OF THIS POLICY .............................................................................................................. 22 Ongoing Policy Monitoring .................................................................................................................... 22 Scheduled Policy Revisions ..................................................................................................................... 22 Unscheduled Policy Revisions ................................................................................................................. 22

SECTION 3 – RULES FOR THE EVALUATION OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ............................................................. 23

8 COURSE OUTLINES ............................................................................................................................................... 23 Content of Course Outlines .................................................................................................................... 23 Changes to Course Outlines ................................................................................................................... 24

9 PURPOSES OF EVALUATION .................................................................................................................................... 25 Types of Evaluation ................................................................................................................................ 25 Feedback ................................................................................................................................................ 25 Learning Integration Assessment (LIA) .................................................................................................. 27 Program Comprehensive Assessment (PCA) .......................................................................................... 27

10 STUDENT PROFICIENCY IN THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION (SPLI) ............................................................................... 28 11 ACADEMIC CONDUCT ........................................................................................................................................... 29

Conduct in the Classroom ...................................................................................................................... 29 Classroom Management During Assessments ....................................................................................... 30 Absence or Lateness of Teacher ............................................................................................................. 30 Academic Integrity ................................................................................................................................. 31

12 CALENDAR FOR STUDENT ASSESSMENT .................................................................................................................... 32 Important Dates ..................................................................................................................................... 32 Feedback on Learning and Grading ....................................................................................................... 33

13 ATTENDANCE, ABSENCES, AND MISSED ASSESSMENTS ................................................................................................ 34 Student Attendance ............................................................................................................................... 34 Attendance for Assessment ................................................................................................................... 35

14 ACCOMMODATIONS ............................................................................................................................................. 36 Excused Absences .................................................................................................................................. 36 Long-term Excused Absences ................................................................................................................. 38 Accommodation for Students with Disabilities ...................................................................................... 38

15 SUCCESS IN A COURSE .......................................................................................................................................... 38 Understanding the Grade ...................................................................................................................... 38 Special Conditions for Passing a Course ................................................................................................. 39

SECTION 4 – TRANSCRIPT AND CERTIFICATION .................................................................................................. 40

16 GRADES ............................................................................................................................................................. 40 17 MINISTERIAL TRANSCRIPT REMARKS ........................................................................................................................ 40 18 AWARDING OF DIPLOMAS AND ATTESTATIONS .......................................................................................................... 42

Maintaining Good Academic Standing .................................................................................................. 42 Procedures for Awarding Diplomas ....................................................................................................... 42

SECTION 5 – MEASURES FOR ADDRESSING STUDENT ACADEMIC COMPLAINTS .................................................. 43

19 ACADEMIC COMPLAINTS AND RECOURSE MECHANISMS .............................................................................................. 43 Definitions .............................................................................................................................................. 43 Support for Complaints and Recourse.................................................................................................... 43

20 INFORMAL MECHANISMS FOR ADDRESSING COMPLAINTS ............................................................................................ 45 21 FORMAL MECHANISMS FOR ADDRESSING COMPLAINTS .............................................................................................. 45

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Section 1 – Policy Context This section presents the laws and regulations framing the policy, the educational system and local context in which it exists, its general aims, and the principles it adheres to.

1. Policy Statement – How does this policy align with Vanier’s vision andvalues?

General Objective

As reflected in its Strategic Plan and Student Success Plan, Vanier College believes in and strives for respect, integrity, and responsibility for all members of its community and for the environment.

This policy aims to ensure the fairness and equity of the evaluation1 of student achievement at Vanier College, in coherence with the program approach, competency-based education, and the College’s mission and values.

Vanier strives for evaluation processes that are open and transparent, and which are understood and accepted by all members of the community, i.e. students, teachers, and staff. This policy therefore aims to clarify the structures and means that ensure the fair and equitable evaluation of student achievement, including the conditions for learning, assessment, and certification. It also aims to clarify the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders, as well as the processes for complaints and appeals.

Guiding Principles

Evaluation is an essential activity in the learning process. It can take various forms and plays an essential role in directing learning, supporting learning, and attesting to it. Evaluation serves as a diagnostic tool to orient and inform the adaptation of teaching methods and learning activities. It is also an object for reflective practice, helping to ensure that programs and individual courses meet their objectives.

Evaluation is an act of professional judgement generally performed by teachers—individually and in collaboration—and exercised within the broader context and constraints of institutional, program, and departmental responsibilities. Everyone involved in the evaluation of student achievement at Vanier College adheres to the following guiding principles.

1 For the purposes of this policy, the terms evaluation and assessment are used interchangeably. They are near-synonyms. Evaluation is generally used here as a broader concept, while assessment refers to the action of and the tools for measuring or judging student achievement.

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Equity of assessment

Measures of equity are designed to ensure that what is being assessed is meaningful and coherent with the competencies and standards that are addressed in the course and must be achieved by the students. Equitable assessment means that all students have an equivalent opportunity to prepare, practice, receive feedback, and demonstrate, through rigorous assessment tools, that they are meeting the course’s learning outcomes and are mastering the course competencies. Teaching methods, learning activities, and assessments are designed2 to be accessible and inclusive, i.e. to address biases and be adapted to specific contexts. Equity in evaluation should be considered at multiple levels: among students in a given class, across multiple sections of a course, across cohorts of a given program, and even as broadly as across different colleges where the same competencies are taught.

Fairness of assessment

Measures of fairness ensure that students have a clear understanding of the learning objectives and of what will be expected of them in evaluation. All evaluation of student achievement is performed in accordance with the same rules and regulations, which students must know and understand. To be fair is to be transparent throughout the learning process. Students should be aware of the learning outcomes of their program and of each course. They should understand the relevance of learning activities and of assessments. They should know ahead of time when they will be assessed and what they will be assessed on. They should also have proper and expeditious recourse should they think that they are not being treated according to the principles stated in this policy.

2 Purpose – What does this policy do? The purpose of this policy is to explain the general principles followed by Vanier College with regard to the evaluation of student achievement and to make clear the mechanisms put in place to translate these general principles into practice.

This policy aims to

• provide information that will allow all students to actively participate in their educationalexperience at Vanier;

• define the principles to be followed in evaluating student learning;• articulate the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders with respect to the evaluation of student

achievement;• provide the structure and means to ensure the equity and fairness of the evaluation of student

achievement;• describe the structures and processes for recourse, such as complaints and appeals;• explain how Vanier College is accountable for its standards of learning and the awarding of course

grades, transcripts, diplomas, and attestations;• describe the structures and means to ensure the application and review of this policy.

2 Refer to inclusive pedagogical approaches, such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

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3 Scope of Application – To whom does this policy apply? It is the responsibility of all members of the Vanier College community to become familiar with, understand, and adhere to this policy.

The policy covers all credited programs and courses offered at Vanier College, both in the regular sector and in Continuing Education.

This policy applies to students, teachers, staff, and administrators, as well as disciplines, departments, program committees and other institutional committees (pedagogical or administrative). The policy applies to all persons and bodies involved in the evaluation of student achievement and the ensuring of its quality, equity, and fairness at Vanier College.

The policy and its associated procedures are carried out within the provisions set by the government and other external bodies in documents such as the following:

• College Education Regulations (Règlement sur le régime des études collégiales);• General and Vocational Colleges Act (Loi sur les collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel);• Act Respecting the Commission d’évaluation de l’enseignement collégial (Loi sur la Commission

d’évaluation de l’enseignement collégial); • Collective agreement between La Fédération nationale des enseignantes et enseignants du

Québec (FNEEQ) and Management Negotiating Committees in the Education and HigherEducation Sectors (Le Comité patronal de négociation des collèges (CPNC);

• Collective agreement between La Fédération du personnel professionnel des collèges (FPPC-CSQ)and Management Negotiating Committees in the Education and Higher Education Sectors (LeComité patronal de négociation des collèges (CPNC));

• Collective agreement between the Federation for Support Staff in Higher Education (La Fédération du personnel de soutien de l’enseignement supérieur, au nom des syndicats du personnel desoutien des collèges (FPSES-CSQ)) and Management Negotiating Committees in the Education andHigher Education Sectors (Le Comité patronal de négociation des collèges (CPNC));

• Plan de classification des emplois types et guide de classement des postes de cadre pour lepersonnel d’encadrement des collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel;

• The Regulation Respecting Certain Conditions of Employment of Senior Executives of General andVocational Colleges (le Règlement déterminant certaines conditions de travail des hors-cadre descollèges d’enseignement général et professionnel)3.

In addition, all information and data collection, as well as all documentation and reporting, are carried out according to Vanier College’s Records Classification and Management and Information Security policies.

3 The documents not hyperlinked here are subject to periodical changes and reeditions. They are however easily searchable and accessible online.

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4 Understanding Assessment in the CEGEP System The CEGEP system follows the program approach and the competency-based approach.

The Program Approach

A program is defined by Québec’s Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur (MES) as an integrated set of learning activities leading to the achievement of educational objectives based on set standards. (Taken together, educational objectives and standards make up competencies.) In Vanier’s Program Management Policy (PMP), it is specified that these learning activities include the individual courses as well as experiences such as stages4, PASS Day activities, or symposia. Within the program approach, learning activities of many types, from all program disciplines, collaboratively contribute to students’ achievement of the program’s aims, goals, and competencies, which are expressed in an integrative manner in the exit profile.

The MES establishes DCS (Diploma of College Studies; Diplôme d’études collégiales, DEC) programs of study, and approves ACS (Attestation of College Studies; Attestation d’études collégiales, AEC) programs, which are both articulated in a program devis.

Part 1 of Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between elements of a college-level program found in a devis. Those elements are mandated and common to all colleges that offer the program. Individual colleges are responsible for interpreting the devis, for determining the learning activities, and for ensuring the implementation of the program of study.

Competency-Based Education

CEGEP programs lead students toward the achievement of competencies. A competency is the ability to act effectively by mobilizing a range of resources5. Those resources include knowledge, skills, and attitudes6. Each devis provides a list and description of every competency to be developed in the program. These competencies are made up of objectives (what the students will be able to do) and standards (the type of situation and the performance criteria). The interpretation of the program devis (see parts 2 and 3 of Figure 1) leads to the production of local program documents, such as the exit profile, the program grid (the courses and their sequence), and the course frameworks, which describe the role of each course in the program. The exit profile and the course frameworks clarify the program-level and course-level

4 Stage is a French word used in Québec to identify a type of practical learning activity occurring in the work place. 5 See Tardif, J. (2006). L’évaluation des compétences. Documenter le parcours de développement. Chenelière Éducation., and Scallon, G. (2004). L’évaluation des apprentissages dans une approche par compétences. Éditions du Renouveau pédagogique. 6 An attitude is a “mental and neural state of readiness, organized through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual’s response to all objects and situations with which it is related”. This definition from Allport (1935) is cited in Delisle, I., and Côté, F. (2016). Evaluating Attitudes: Tools for More Objective Assessment. Pédagogie collégiale, 29:5 (Special Issue in English). URL.

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learning outcomes to be achieved by the students throughout the program. Learning outcomes are evaluated through integrative assessments.

Figure 1. Structure of a College-level program

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Learning Outcomes and Integrative Assessments

Evaluation in a competency-based approach reflects the level of mastery of the learning outcomes. Learning outcomes are observable, measurable actions that demonstrate students’ learning (i.e. the attainment of the competencies and transversal learning7). Depending on the course, evaluation will include assessments of knowledge, skills, and attitudes either separately or together, as well as integrative assessments that measure the ability to mobilize those resources through complex and authentic8 tasks.

Teaching methods, learning activities, and assessments should all be coherent with the learning outcomes and with one another. Teaching and learning activities should adequately prepare students for assessment activities, so assessments should never be surprising. This coherence, which is effectively achieved by the employment of a backward-design approach9, is also called curriculum alignment. Curriculum alignment should exist both at the program level and within each course.

Exit Profiles and the Program Comprehensive Assessment

Every program has an exit profile, which is a coherent, unified expression of the learning outcomes that students will have achieved upon successful completion of their program. It illustrates the purpose of the program, its main areas of training, and some additional elements such as some of the essential skills and attitudes developed in the program. The integrative assessment which verifies the achievement of the exit profile is the Program Comprehensive Assessment (PCA).

Required for all DCS (DEC) programs, the PCA is an integrative evaluation that verifies that the student has, at the end of the program, met the aims of college education, met the exit profile, and is able to integrate and apply the competencies of the program through the realization of complex and authentic tasks. In other words, the PCA verifies that the student has achieved program-level learning outcomes.

Course Frameworks and the Learning Integration Assessment

Every course requires a course framework, which is a required program document that describes a given course’s role and place in a program. It includes the competencies covered by the course, the learning outcomes, the main knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be developed, and the Learning Integration Assessment (LIA) and its evaluation criteria. It will also include any other elements deemed essential to the success of the program approach, and to the equity and fairness of the course over multiple sections and years. The course framework forms the basis from which teachers develop their course outlines.

7 Transversal learning is defined as being developed throughout an entire program. It may be laid out in the program devis, for instance in the Common Competencies of College Education, be proposed by another official body, such as the ICT profile by the Fédération des cégeps, or adopted by the program committee as a local colour or in alignment with College values (e.g. sustainability). 8 Authentic tasks are central to demonstrating competencies. They provide a realistic context, are challenging and are conducive to intrinsic motivation. For a more thorough description, refer to Duval, A.-M., and Pagé, M. (2014). The Authentic Situation: From Design to Assessment. AQPC. 9 Starting with the end in mind. See Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J. (1998). Backward Design. In Understanding by Design (pp. 13-34). ASCD.

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The course framework therefore plays a pivotal role in connecting the College’s two main academic policies, the Program Management Policy (PMP) and the Institutional Policy of Evaluation of Student Achievement (IPESA).

Taken together, course frameworks document the coherence of a given program, as illustrated in Figure 1. On its own, a given course framework documents a department’s concerted vision for the course, documenting how it will ensure its equity and fairness.

Stated in the course framework, the course-level learning outcome is a concise expression of the learning students will develop in the course. It aligns with the statement(s) of the course competency(ies). It is a descriptive statement expressed with (an) action verb(s) and is typically a sentence or two in length.

The LIA is the integrative course assessment. It evaluates students’ achievement of the course-level learning outcome through the realization of a complex and authentic task. The description of the LIA will focus on the nature of the task, on the learning to be demonstrated, and on the criteria for evaluating achievement. It may retain flexibility with respect to the format or the means by which the demonstration is made10.

10 For example, a complex task may be to analyze a work of art, with evaluation criteria including an appropriate understanding of context, of intent, of the medium used, and of the impact of the work. Such an analysis could be presented through an oral presentation, an essay, or even a student’s own artistic response.

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Section 2 – Roles and Responsibilities This section explains how ensuring the equity and fairness of evaluation at Vanier College requires the contribution and collaboration of multiple actors at the College, beginning with students and teachers, but also involving groups such as departments and program committees, and other academic staff and services.

5 Roles of Individuals

Students

The role of students is to be active and engaged participants in their learning process. They need to understand what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how their achievement will be evaluated. As such, students have the following responsibilities:

Be present, on time, prepared, and fully engaged in all activities; seek feedback and adopt behaviours that will facilitate their success.

Be aware of and adhere to policies, rules, and regulations, whether College-wide or specific to their program of study.

Respect the course outline, the teacher’s chosen teaching methods, learning activities, and assessments, and respect the teacher’s classroom management rules and specific instructions for each class in which they are registered.

Recognize the importance of academic integrity and intellectual property, and abstain from cheating, plagiarism, and other deceptive or dishonest behaviours.

Communicate with their teachers and seek out other College resources when needed.

Notify their teachers of absences, and seek alternative evaluation plans as soon as possible before or after an excused absence.

Take responsibility for missed classes by catching up on missed activities, regardless of whether the absence was excused.

Fulfill all obligations for their courses, including remaining available for the duration of the final examination period (in case activities need to be rescheduled, for instance due to weather events).

Keep any digital or original copies of work, and any returned assessed materials, until at least the course-delete deadline of the following semester, as those may be required for recourse such as a Grades Review request.

Seek out information about and understand the consequences of dropping or failing a course, particularly when the progression of their learning and their success in the program, or their eligibility to write the English Exit Exam or complete the Program Comprehensive Assessment (PCA), may be affected.

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Teachers

The role of teachers – as college educators and as experts in their discipline – is to create and foster an environment of critical thinking, responsibility, and openness11, and to establish the appropriate conditions for learning to occur and be evaluated. As such, teachers have the following responsibilities:

Understand their course’s place in a program, review the course framework, and consult with their departmental curriculum committee or the program committee when needed.

Plan appropriate and coherent teaching methods, learning activities, instruments, and methods of assessment for their courses; ensure adequate preparation for the LIA; develop course outlines that are compatible with the course framework, with this policy, and with other institutional, program, and departmental policies and guidelines.

Respect the course’s ponderation, for instance by distributing the workload of students throughout the semester, by arriving for class on time, by making use of all contact hours, and by respecting homework hours.

Communicate the course outline to students, adhere to its stipulations throughout the semester, and follow Section 8.2 of this policy when there is a need to make a change.

Exercise professional judgement in developing and using fair and equitable assessment methods; ensure that the grades that the students receive are reflective of their level of mastery of the learning outcomes.

Provide students with written instructions for assessments and, where appropriate, with written grading criteria.

Promote students’ understanding of appropriate academic conduct and integrity by applying the concepts to the context of a course or the discipline (for example in the use of different citing formats, in the treatment of data in science, or in applying copyright to music or artwork), by providing students with explicit instructions, appropriate learning opportunities, and clear expectations; refer to Section 11.4 of this policy to address and report any offense.

Provide feedback on student learning through formative or summative assessments on a regular basis throughout the semester—particularly before the course-delete deadline, by the midpoint of the semester, and prior to a related assessment, in agreement with Section 12.2 of this policy.

Use Vanier’s learning management systems (typically LEA) to update student grades on a regular basis throughout the semester, and submit final grades by the grade submission deadline established in the Academic Calendar; in the case of a Continuing Education ACS (AEC), submit final grades within five working days of completion of the ACS (AEC) course.

Respect the diversity of students present in their classes and, when appropriate, use a variety of teaching methods, adapted learning activities, and equivalent assessments.

11 As included in the aims of college education, a college-wide and program-wide shared responsibility.

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Make their classroom management rules and pedagogical instructions known, and apply them equitably and fairly, for instance when dealing with lateness to class and with late submission of assigned work; refer to the Student Misconduct in the Classroom Procedure (sec ti on 11.1.4) for addressing behaviours that are disruptive to learning.

Support student proficiency in the language of instruction, within their program and discipline.

After being absent, reorganize pedagogical activities to ensure that learning outcomes can be met by students.

Make their availability for student support (be it in person or electronically) known in their course outlines.

Adapt their courses and teaching practice, in keeping with developments in their area of expertise and in the teaching of their discipline.

Faculty Deans and Coordinator of Continuing Education

The Faculty Deans and the Coordinator of Continuing Education are responsible for ensuring the implementation of this policy in the courses, departments and programs under their responsibility. As such, they have the following responsibilities:

Ensure that programs, departments, teachers, and staff under their responsibility have appropriate mechanisms in place to apply this policy.

Ensure that teachers’ committees required for the application of this policy are formed and that their composition is communicated to appropriate stakeholders as described in relevant procedures.

Implement mechanisms to monitor the application of the policy.

Receive complaints regarding the application of this policy and ensure that they are addressed appropriately.

Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar

The role of the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar is to oversee all matters pertaining to students’ progression, from admission to certification. In relation to this policy, they have the following responsibilities:

Organize and conduct the admission process, including student placement.

Implement mechanisms to ensure that students follow an optimal progression through their program.

Ensure the operations of mid-term assessments (MTA).

Collect and record student grades.

Record all cheating and plagiarism offenses and disciplinary actions in students’ files, and notify appropriate stakeholders as specified in the relevant procedures.

Receive recourse requests, including Mark Update, Grades Review, and Cheating and Plagiarism Review Requests, and ensure that they are processed according to procedure.

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Validate documentation and grant mentions on student transcripts such as IN, SU and EQ.

Communicate with the MES for the purposes of awarding diplomas and attestations.

Assure standards and conformity of documentation in students’ files for quality assurance, reporting, and audit purposes.

Pedagogical Counsellor in Continuing Education

The role of the Pedagogical Counsellor in Continuing Education to oversee the programs or courses under their responsibility, as well as to review and expand Continuing Education’s program offerings. In relation to this policy, they have the following responsibilities:

For DSC (DEC)/ASC (AEC):

Ensure the appropriate review of ACS (AEC) programs, in accordance with the Fédération des cégeps’ Framework for the Development of Programs Leading to an Attestation of College Studies (ACS; AEC).

Review ACS (AEC) course outlines for the courses under their responsibility, verifying compatibility with course frameworks, with this policy, and with any departmental rules and guidelines. In the case of DCS (DEC) courses, liaise with Faculty Dean's Office and Department Coordinators.

Organize and oversee activities of respective ACS (AEC) program, including student recruitment, student inquiries, and academic progression.

Provide pedagogical support and guidance to staff and teachers within respective programs.

Establish partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to develop/revise courses and programs.

For RAC:

Develop tools and procedures to provide recognition of acquired competencies (RAC) services and to track and support candidates.

Organize and oversee activities of RAC programs, including welcoming candidates, assessing candidates, and candidate follow-ups.

Support and maintain network of content specialists, and provide training on RAC tools and processes.

Coordinate, supervise and support the resources assigned to carry out the evaluations of candidates, while respecting the fundamental principles of RAC.

Provide pedagogical support and guidance to staff and content specialists in the RAC services, and provide feedback on materials and services developed.

Maintain current information on research, changes and innovations related to the field of RAC and monitor current trends in RAC.

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Academic Dean

The Academic Dean is the primary person responsible for the management of all programs at the College, including all services and resources linked to teaching and learning. Therefore, the Institutional Policy on the Evaluation of Student Achievement is ultimately the responsibility of the Academic Dean. The Academic Dean has the following responsibilities:

Play a leadership role in creating appropriate academic structures and means, evaluating priorities and issues, establishing strategic orientations, and ensuring the quality of programs, courses, and of the evaluation of student achievement.

Provide an ultimate opportunity for appeal, for cases where proper application of this policy or of its associated procedures may be at fault.

Attest to the MES on all aspects related to the quality of programs, courses, and the evaluation of student achievement.

Apply the laws governing college education, notably the College Education Regulations of the General and Vocational Colleges Act and the Act Respecting the Commission d’évaluation de l’enseignement collégial.

6 Roles of Groups

Departments

Departments have a collective role to play to ensure the quality of teaching and learning. Departments have the following responsibilities:

Develop and approve course frameworks for their discipline(s).

Ensure the pedagogical quality of courses under their responsibility and the alignment between the regular and Continuing Education sectors, if applicable. Departments may name a curriculum coordinator and/or committee to fulfill this role.

Establish and document equity guidelines for assessment within their disciplines, including but not limited to guidelines regarding the weight and criteria of assessments, in particular for the LIA, late submission penalties, and assessment of proficiency in the language of instruction.

Establish departmental rules or guidelines stipulating appropriate delays for the return of various types of assessments common in their discipline(s).

Review relevant data such as Course Success Reports and establish departmental mechanisms to monitor and ensure the quality of the courses as well as the equity and fairness of assessments under their responsibility.

Approve course outlines for the courses under their responsibility, verifying compatibility with course frameworks, with this policy, and with any departmental rules and guidelines.

Establish the committees required to ensure the application of this policy, such as Curriculum Committee, Student-Teacher Mediation Committee, Cheating and Plagiarism Review Committee, and Grades Review Committee.

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Student-Teacher Mediation Committee

The Student-Teacher Mediation Committee’s role is to provide timely peer support and participatory resolutions to situations where individuals perceive that this policy is not being followed.

The committee is composed of two teachers (one of whom is the Chair) and two students. At least two alternate teacher members are named (for situations where the standing members are involved or others).

A Student-Teacher Mediation Committee is formed by each department, each Faculty, and by Continuing Education.

Typically, the committee of the department responsible for the discipline of the course handles a mediation request, including for Continuing Education DCS (DEC) courses. The Continuing Education committee is called upon for situations involving ACS (AEC) courses. In certain situations, the complaint may be best handled by the Faculty committee. Any of the involved parties (teacher, student, Department Committee Chair, or Faculty Dean) may recommend referral to the Faculty committee.

The Chair of the Student-Teacher Mediation Committee receives requests for informal mediation and handles the situation themselves or delegates it to another committee member. In doing so, they apply the informal mediation mechanisms.

The Chair of the committee receives requests for formal mediation and organizes the committee to respond to the complaint; the committee follows the formal mediation procedure.

Upon concluding a mediation case, the Chair of the committee informs the Faculty Dean or the Coordinator of Continuing Education about whether an agreement was reached or not.

The Chair may communicate committee recommendations for the subsequent steps in the complaint process.

The Chair may communicate committee suggestions for modifications to this policy or its related procedures, to course outlines, or to pedagogical practices that would have a positive impact in avoiding problematic situations in the future. They may refer to the roles of individuals or groups described in this policy to do so.

Grades Review Committee

The role of the Grades Review Committee is to provide an opportunity for a student to appeal a final grade decision, if they perceive that their evaluation was not done in a fair and equitable manner.

At the beginning of each academic year, Departments appoint two standing members (one of whom is a Chair) and at least two alternate committee members and inform their Faculty Office. The departmental committees respond to Grades Review requests for all DCS (DEC) courses. In Continuing Education, a committee is formed from teachers in the different ACS (AEC) programs to respond to requests related to ACS (AEC) courses.

Upon receiving a Grades Review request, the Chair of the committee strikes a full committee comprised of themselves, another Faculty member, and the teacher of the course for which the Grades Review request is made (or a designated substitute).

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In reviewing the request, the Grades Review Committee follows the Grades Review Procedure.

The Committee is responsible for evaluating cases based on this policy. It is responsible for being aware of potential conflicts of interest, and for putting mechanisms in place to avoid them.

The Chair of the committee informs the Faculty Dean or Coordinator of Continuing Education, the Dean of Academic Systems – Registrar, and the student of the result of the committee’s review.

The Chair may communicate committee suggestions for modifications to this policy or its related procedures, to course outlines, or to pedagogical practices that would have a positive impact in avoiding problematic situations in the future. They may refer to the roles of individuals or groups described in this policy to do so.

Cheating and Plagiarism Review Committee

The role of the Cheating and Plagiarism Review Committee is to provide an opportunity for a student to appeal an accusation of cheating or plagiarism. Upon receiving notification from the Registrar’s Office that a report of cheating and plagiarism has been placed in their file, the student may submit a Cheating and Plagiarism Review Form if they perceive the accusation to be unjustified based on the stipulations detailed in this policy.

At the beginning of each academic year, departments and Continuing Education name two standing members (one of whom is the Chair) and two alternate members. The departmental committees respond to Cheating and Plagiarism Review requests for all DCS (DEC) courses. In Continuing Education, an ad hoc committee is formed to respond to requests related to ACS (AEC) courses.

Cheating and Plagiarism Review Committees respond to appeals of cheating and plagiarism reports that occurred in the disciplines for which their departments are responsible. For reports related to the English Exit Exam, the College follows MES regulations. For reports related to the Program Comprehensive Assessment (PCA), the Cheating and Plagiarism Review Committee of the main discipline of the program is asked to review. If a program is composed of several main disciplines, an ad hoc committee will be formed by the Faculty Dean.

Upon receiving a Cheating and Plagiarism Review request, the Chair of the Committee strikes a full committee comprised of themselves, another Faculty member, and the teacher who issued the cheating and plagiarism report (or a designated substitute).

In reviewing the request, the Cheating and Plagiarism Review Committee follows the Cheating and Plagiarism Review Procedure.

The Committee is responsible for evaluating cases based on the stipulations of the policy. It is responsible for being aware of potential conflicts of interest, and for putting mechanisms in place to avoid them.

The Chair of the Committee informs the Faculty Dean or Coordinator of Continuing Education, the Dean of Academic Systems – Registrar, and the student of the result of the Committee’s review.

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The Chair of the Committee may communicate committee suggestions for modifications to this policy or its related procedures, to course outlines, or to pedagogical practices that would have a positive impact in avoiding problematic situations in the future. They may refer to the roles of individuals or groups described in this policy to do so.

Program Committees and General Education Committee

Program Committees and the General Education Committee are the groups most directly responsible for the overall quality of a given program. They therefore have the following responsibilities:

Ensure the quality and pedagogical harmonization of the program and of the general education component, the integration of learning, and interdisciplinary consistency.

Approve course frameworks, with particular attention to the coherence of the program and to student workload.

Collaborate to establish the program’s exit profile and PCA, including the PCA’s description, evaluation criteria, and grading rubric, as defined in the Program Management Policy (PMP).

Ensure a coherence of approach to SPLI across the program and the PCA.

Ensure that mechanisms are in place to ensure the timely communication of PCA requirements (refer to Section 9.4 of this policy) to students (program committees only).

Academic Advising

The role of Academic Advising is to help guide students through their academic progression. In relation to this policy, they have the following responsibilities:

Advise and inform current and, when appropriate, prospective students on choices related to academic strategy, programs, and courses.

Explain admission and registration processes to students.

Inform students about program objectives and graduation requirements.

Help students with course planning and appropriate progression.

Inform students of the consequences of deleting courses, of reducing their course load, and of withdrawing from the College.

Analyze student records and reports connected to students’ academic progress.

Alert students to potential issues with their academic progression and identify ways to rectify them.

Analyze student profiles for standing and advancement, and graduation.

Advise students on university options and other post-secondary possibilities, including admission requirements for these programs.

Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of certain mechanisms related to this policy.

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Learning Commons

The Learning Commons is responsible for supporting learning through its offering of academic support and enrichment services and activities. More specifically, it has the following responsibilities:

Provide academic support to students through college orientation, workshops, peer tutoring, peer mentoring, teacher-led review sessions, or other activities.

Support students, teachers, and staff with information-literacy development and information seeking and retrieval needs.

Support teachers with integrated interventions to address student success needs in specific classes.

Support students with preparation for the English Exit Exam.

Collaborate with programs and disciplines to provide digital and print library collections that align with learning outcomes of courses and programs.

Offer training and workshops, and provide resources for teachers or students to support academic integrity, prevent plagiarism, understand intellectual property rights, and respect copyright laws.

Support student proficiency in the language of instruction, across all disciplines.

Coordinate cyclical interventions such as early alert and mid-term assessments (MTA) to identify at-risk students.

Coordinate Academic Review procedures and interventions with students placed on academic probation.

Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of certain mechanisms related to this policy.

Pedagogical Support and Innovation (PSI)

Under the direction of the Dean of Academic Development and Research, Pedagogical Support and Innovation (PSI) is the service responsible for providing the expertise, resources, and tools needed to support pedagogical development and program quality at the College. More specifically, it has the following responsibilities:

Provide support to individual teachers, departments, and programs in developing approaches and resources as they apply this policy.

Prepare Course Success Reports which ensure that all academic disciplines have access to course data (pass rates and class averages by semester, discipline, teacher, and section) and to the tools to examine the level of assessment equity between different sections of the same course taught by different teachers.

Compile reports, lists, and data relevant to the implementation of this policy for presentation at Academic Council for the purpose of policy monitoring.

Support the implementation of this policy through the production of resources and the documentation and archiving of mechanisms and reports.

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Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of certain mechanisms related to this policy.

Student Services

Student Services comprises a variety of services targeted at supporting student success within and outside of Vanier College, including but not limited to orientation, personal and career counselling, financial aid, health services, ACCESS Centre for Students with Disabilities, Student Advocacy, and the Social Service Office. In relation to the policy, Student Services have the following responsibilities:

Access Centre for Students with Disabilities

Provide specialized support services to students with physical, medical, mental health and/or learning disabilities.

Help determine appropriate accommodations based on student’s diagnosis and associated limitations.

Support students and teachers in the understanding and implementation of accommodations.

Student Advocate

Inform and provide guidance to students and, upon request, to members of the Vanier community on this policy, related procedures, and their application.

Advise students about the various informal and formal mechanisms available for addressing an issue that may become the object of a complaint.

Act as a support person and speak on students’ behalf at related meetings, when appropriate.

Serve on relevant College committees and participate in the review of pertinent College policies, guidelines and procedures as requested by the College.

Maintain records of all formal actions.

Social Service Office

Manage and investigate cases falling under the Code of Conduct calling for disciplinary action, including Academic Fraud. Determine outcomes and implement interventions.

Provide guidance on fostering positive student relations and supporting a safe campus environment.

Facilitate academic accommodations for students within the scope of the Code of Conduct and the Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Official Policy.

Academic Steering Committee

The Academic Steering Committee comprises all Deans and the Academic Dean. They work together to ensure consistent and coherent practices related to the evaluation of student achievement, with a College-wide view and in collaboration with the Director of Continuing Education. More specifically, they have the following responsibilities:

Ensure and coordinate the consistent implementation and application of this policy across faculties and Continuing Education.

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Ensure fair and equitable mechanisms for the hearing of student complaints.

Review the effectiveness of mechanisms, processes, and tools that are used to implement this policy.

Review reports that document the effectiveness of this policy.

Conduct an annual review of this policy’s ability to ensure the fairness and equity of the evaluation of student achievement; if needed, initiate revisions to the policy.

Academic Council

Academic Council is a permanent body whose mandate is to make recommendations to the College on any question pertaining to the maintenance, improvement, or development of the College's academic life, including programs and courses in the regular and Continuing Education divisions. In relation to the evaluation of student achievement, Academic Council has the following responsibilities:

Receive all newly revised course frameworks, exit profiles and PCAs.

Review lists of exceptions12 as specified in other sections this policy.

Receive reports on the effectiveness of this policy, for instance in the form of statistics on academic complaints and compiled recommendations from relevant committees.

Monitor the implementation of this policy using the information listed above and other relevant sources.

Recommend any revisions to this policy.

Management Executive Committee (MEC)

Comprised of the Director General, the Academic Dean, and the directors of the different services at Vanier, MEC is responsible for ensuring the operation of the College. In relation to the evaluation of student achievement, MEC has the following responsibility:

Make operational decisions regarding resources attributed to, or connected with, the application of this policy.

Board of Directors

As the body mandated by law to ensure the governance of the College, the Board of Directors has the following responsibilities:

Approve the transmission of the list of graduating students to the MES.

Approve any revisions to this policy.

12 Exceptions may apply to clearly identified rules in this policy. They must be pedagogically sound and respect the principles guiding this policy. They must be approved by appropriate College bodies and representatives. They are compiled and made available yearly to Academic Council, for the purpose of policy monitoring.

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7 Evaluation and Revision of this Policy A final responsibility of the College is to ensure that this policy is itself the object of evaluation. The College must ensure that the policy is implemented and that it efficiently ensures the quality of evaluation of student achievement.

Ongoing Policy Monitoring

By collecting feedback provided by all aforementioned individuals and groups, the Academic Steering Committee will ensure the annual monitoring of the implementation and effectiveness of the policy based on the following criteria:

COMPREHENSIVENESS: the extent to which this policy includes all of the information necessary to guide the evaluation of student achievement.

COHERENCE: the extent to which the various sections and elements of this policy, as well as the wording of the content, form a logical, consistent and unified whole, as a document and in relation to other College policies.

RELEVANCE: the extent to which the policy sets out adequate mechanisms that allow it to meet its overarching goal of ensuring the quality of evaluation.

EFFECTIVENESS: the extent to which the policy meets its intended goals.

CONFORMITY OF APPLICATION: the extent to which the application aligns with what is specified in the policy document.

Considering recommendations from all stakeholders named in this policy, or by recommendation from Academic Council, the Academic Dean may initiate an unscheduled policy revision based on the results of ongoing policy monitoring.

Scheduled Policy Revisions

The Academic Dean’s Office will review this policy every five years.

Unscheduled Policy Revisions

Unscheduled revisions to this policy may be initiated in response to the following factors:

• External requirements, such as, but not limited to:• changes in the law• changes in collective agreements• requests or recommendations from the Commission d’évaluation de l’enseignement

collegial (CEEC)• Internal requirements such as:

• changes in related policies or procedures• results of policy monitoring• results of an evaluation of the policy.

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Section 3 – Rules for the Evaluation of Student Achievement This section presents the rules put in place to ensure consistent application of the policy.

8 Course Outlines The course outline is an essential communication tool between a teacher and their students. It provides information about the course and its place in the student’s program. It offers a clear road map for the students, describing the course learning outcomes, how learning will occur, and how it will be evaluated. It therefore clarifies mutual expectations and serves as a form of contract between the teacher and the students.

The course outline is posted on Omnivox five working days before the beginning of term13. Adjustments, for example in light of a diagnostic evaluation of the students’ prior knowledge, or as deemed necessary after review by the department curriculum committee, may be made throughout the first week of classes.

The course outline must remain available throughout the entire semester. At the end of the term, it is archived and made available, upon request, by the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar’s Office (administration fees may apply).

Content of Course Outlines

The course outline must contain the following information:

Course information • Identification of College, Faculty or Continuing Education, Title of program or General

Education (as applicable), and Discipline• Course title, subtitle (if applicable), number, and section number• Semester• Weekly schedule• Required reading material• Additional expenses associated with the course, if any• General course description• Specific course description (if applicable)• Course ponderation (theory, lab, and homework hours)• Course’s place in the program (from official course framework: program component, course

prerequisites, co-requisites and related courses)

Teacher information • Teacher’s name and contact information• Teacher’s office hours and/or other forms of availability to students beyond class time

13 Exceptions may occur and will be approved by the Faculty Dean or the Office of Continuing Education, or by the Academic Dean.

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Course objectives and learning activities • Statement of course competency or competencies.• Learning outcomes of the course, as listed in the course framework• The course-level learning outcome and the LIA, including its evaluation criteria• The learning outcomes related to language proficiency and how they will be evaluated• A description of the pedagogical approach, teaching methods and course modality• A plan of learning and assessment activities• Weight and date of all summative assessments worth 10% or more• An indication of when and how students will be notified of minor assessments (ideally one

week prior, but minimally the class before)• Special conditions for passing the course (if any)• Classroom management rules and pedagogical instructions• Clear statement of any approved exceptions to the IPESA

College policies:• A statement regarding all pertinent College policies• A list of whom to contact in case of an Academic Complaint (Department or Curriculum

Coordinator and Faculty Dean, or Pedagogical Counsellor and Coordinator of ContinuingEducation, with their office coordinates), and a reference to the student advocacy serviceavailable in Student Services.

Changes to Course Outlines

The requirements for course outlines aim to strike a balance between the principle of fairness – which means that students are given appropriate information to have a clear understanding of what and how they will learn, and of what is expected of them and when – and pedagogical flexibility for teachers to adjust to the needs of particular groups and circumstances.

In the interest of equity and fairness, when making changes, teachers should exercise their judgement cautiously, keeping in mind that any change to the course outline during the semester may cause a disruption to students’ planning. In some situations, accommodations may be considered to ensure that students are not unduly penalized.

Changes to dates of assessment

Knowing the dates of assessment is important for students to plan their work throughout the semester. However, the sequence and relative timing of learning and assessment activities, central to pedagogical planning, may be affected by group context and external events and therefore may require adjustments. While teachers are the best judges of the most appropriate pedagogical learning sequence, students should understand the reasons for changes and how they are beneficial to their learning.

• If a change has to be made to the date of an assessment, it must be communicated in writing,through one of the College’s learning management systems (LEA or other), as early as possible.

• Moving a tentative date to an earlier one should be avoided unless ample notice can be provided.

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Minor changes to content, methodology or learning activities

Changes to course content or to the nature or sequence of teaching and learning activities, or other minor adjustments to best meet the pedagogical objectives of the course, may be made. In respect of the fairness principle, they should be transparent and beneficial to the students’ progression in the course.

Other changes

Major changes, such as those affecting the general pedagogical approach or course modality, and changes that modify parameters of assessments other than their date (such as their weight, number, or type) should occur only exceptionally. They should be understood, transparent, intended to benefit learning in the course, and they should be made by mutual agreement with the students in the class, or following force majeure events. Changes should not affect the equity of evaluation, in particular between different sections of the same course, and they should still respect the course framework and this policy.

• Such changes must be communicated in writing to students via a LEA Announcement, MIO orother recognized College communication tool.

• Such changes must also be communicated in a revised course outline sent to the students, as wellas to the curriculum coordinator and the Faculty Dean in the regular sector, or the ContinuingEducation Pedagogical Counsellor and Coordinator of Continuing Education.

9 Purposes of Evaluation

Types of Evaluation

The many types of evaluation tools available serve different purposes of evaluation. They may serve as opportunities to assess and confirm learning, identify misunderstandings, provide feedback or encourage interest in and commitment to the specific discipline and the general program of study. Table 1 below summarizes common types of evaluation used.

Feedback

Feedback should be included in all types of evaluation described in Table 1. Feedback is ongoing, consistent information regarding a student’s performance or understanding. It is provided directly by a teacher, or coordinated by a teacher through a learning management system, a self-assessment tool, or peer review. Effective feedback is crucial to student learning, as it serves to improve their knowledge, skills and attitudes, and their ability to integrate these components of the competencies into complex tasks. Feedback allows students to recognize their progress and achievement, and can encourage improvement without academic penalty.

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Table 1. Common types of evaluation, not necessarily mutually exclusive. A given assessment may fulfill more than one evaluation purpose.

Evaluation type Definition Purpose for students Purpose for teacher Diagnostic A tool or activity used to

determine students’ prior or current level of knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to achieve the course competency(ies).

Provides the students with an understanding of their readiness to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to achieve the course competency(ies).

Provides the teacher with an understanding of students’ prior knowledge. Helps teachers determine appropriate learning strategies and evaluations.

Formative A non-graded tool or activity used to monitor and provide feedback on student understanding and learning. Can enhance the learning process and make the learning stronger. It can be ongoing and informal.

Helps students identify their strengths and weaknesses towards attaining the competency(ies), and identifies the target areas that need their attention.

Identifies misunderstandings and learning obstacles. Provides the teacher with information for clarifying and enhancing the learning process.

Summative A formal, graded tool or activity that assesses the progress or the attainment of one or several learning outcomes of the course, or of some of its components. These evaluations should be paced strategically to lead students to successful completion of the course learning outcomes and competency(ies).

Provides students with a grade that identifies how they stand with regards to the attainment of the course learning outcomes and competency(ies).

Measures the degree to which students have achieved one or more course learning outcomes or competency(ies).

Integrative A tool or activity that verifies the integration of student learning. The LIA and PCA are typical integrative evaluations.

Enables students to demonstrate integration of their learning in a competency-based approach.

Assesses students’ integration of their learning in a competency-based approach. Provides teachers with a tool to reflect on their teaching practice and evaluation strategies.

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Learning Integration Assessment (LIA)

Each course includes a Learning Integration Assessment (LIA) that attests to students’ achievement of the course-level learning outcome.

The course should be structured in a way that prepares the students for the LIA—by scaffolding their learning, providing opportunities for practice and feedback, and providing them with a fair chance to succeed.

The LIA should be a single assessment but could include several interrelated components.

The weight of the LIA will be substantial enough to have a significant impact on a student’s success in the course. In making a decision on the weight of the LIA for a given course, departments will consider the nature of the competency or competencies developed, the course-level learning outcome of the course, the place of the course within the program, and the relation of the course to other program courses.

The description of the LIA, its evaluation criteria, and its weight14, as documented in the course framework (and therefore approved by the Department and the Program Committee), are communicated to the students in the course outline.

An LIA worth more than 40% of a course’s total weight must be approved by the Faculty Dean or Coordinator of Continuing Education. Such an exception could occur in the case of a project-based course, for instance. Approval of these exceptions will be based on the equity and fairness principles being followed, in particular with respect to students being provided with adequate opportunity to learn, to receive feedback, and to demonstrate their learning in a way that does not cause undue stress and anxiety. A list of such exceptional cases is compiled by PSI and presented to Academic Council yearly for the purpose of policy monitoring.

Passing a given course may be made conditional on passing the LIA. Identified in the course framework, these cases must be approved by the Faculty Dean or Coordinator of Continuing Education. A list of such exceptions is compiled by PSI and presented to Academic Council yearly for the purpose of policy monitoring.

Program Comprehensive Assessment (PCA)

The PCA verifies that the student has achieved program-level learning outcomes.

14 May be an exact value or a reasonable range.

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The PCA can take various forms such as an integrative project, an essay, a portfolio, or a practicum. The assessment must be coherent with the exit profile; it should be authentic, complex, and sufficiently challenging to allow the student to demonstrate that they have acquired and can integrate the competencies.

The nature of the PCA and its evaluation criteria will be provided in the materials given to the students when they begin their program. The assessment should be integrated into a capstone course15 scheduled in the final semester of the program.

The program should be structured in a way that prepares the students for the PCA—by scaffolding their learning, providing opportunities for feedback, and providing them with a fair chance to succeed.

Students who demonstrate that they have successfully completed their PCA will have the notation "RE" (standing for Réussite) entered on their transcript.

Failing the PCA will result in failing the capstone course.

A student who fails the PCA will be informed, verbally and in writing, of what is lacking in their work. They will have to redo the course, or they might be allowed a further opportunity to complete the requirement upon recommendation by the Program Committee and approval by the Faculty Dean.

Students who wish to challenge their grades may appeal according to the Mark Update and Grades Review process.

10 Student Proficiency in the Language of Instruction (SPLI) Language proficiency is the ability to write, read, speak, and listen in order to communicate effectively at the college level, within and across disciplines. To develop the proficiency of students in English is a shared responsibility; it is not solely the responsibility of English as a discipline, but of all College disciplines and of various supporting services. It requires discipline-specific communication styles and format, vocabulary, documentation, conventions, and presentation skills.

Each department or Continuing Education ACS (AEC) program is responsible for determining and adopting appropriate language requirements for each course under its responsibility where the language of instruction is English. This includes types of language proficiency skills that need to be addressed in each course (e.g. reading, writing, listening, speaking, and in some cases, technical terms), how they will be taught and learned, and how they will be evaluated. Those elements should be stated in the course framework.

15 A capstone course is a course identified in the program grid as the culmination point for the integration of learning in the program, and therefore as the course carrying the program comprehensive assessment (PCA). See also Figure 1.

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Program Committees are responsible for ensuring a coherence of approach to SPLI across the program courses and the PCA.

Formative and summative assessments should address language proficiency, including work done in class. As with any competency, developing language skills requires learning opportunities and feedback, which should be provided throughout the course to enable students to improve their language proficiency within the discipline.

The assessment of language proficiency must account for at least 10% of the grade accorded to any take-home written assignment or oral presentation in which English is the language of expression. When language proficiency makes up an integral part of the competency, such as in English (603) courses in General Education, the percentage of the grade will be proportionally higher, and determined by the department.

The learning outcomes related to language proficiency, expectations as to how they will be achieved, and descriptions of how they will be evaluated must be communicated to the students in the course outline.

When a student faces challenges with language proficiency that are beyond the scope of the course objectives, additional support may be recommended, such as from the Writing Centre or TASC in the Learning Commons.

The Program Committee determines and adopts the appropriate language requirements for the PCA and determines what portion of the grade will be attributed to language proficiency. This information is made explicit to the student through the instructions, criteria, and rubric provided to them.

11 Academic Conduct

Conduct in the Classroom

All members of the Vanier Community are responsible for knowing and following appropriate standards of behaviour expected at the College. Behaviour policies may be found in the Policies section of the Vanier College website.

Teachers are responsible for communicating their classroom management rules and pedagogical instructions.

Students are responsible for respecting the course outline, the teacher’s chosen teaching methods, and in particular the teacher’s classroom management rules and specific instructions.

If disruptive behaviour occurs, the teacher should follow the Student Misconduct in the Classroom Procedure, which details a structure of incremental interventions in four stages (Table 2).

Students who disagree with a decision related to conduct in the classroom may contact the Faculty Office or the Student Advocate for assistance.

Teachers or staff who become aware of inappropriate student behaviour under Vanier’s non-Academic policies should notify Student Services or Vanier Security, as appropriate.

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Table 2. Stages of classroom misconduct intervention

Stage Description and Intervention 1 When minor disruptions occur that affect the classroom, the teacher intervenes in a prompt,

appropriate, incremental, and respectful way to remind the student (or students) that the behaviour is unacceptable.

2 When disruptive behaviour continues, the teacher meets confidentially with the student to discuss the behaviour and may ask the student to sign an agreement of conduct. A safe space to do so may be provided by the Faculty Office or the Coordinator of Continuing Education Office.

3 When misconduct in the classroom continues, the teacher notifies the student that they are to stop attending the class until the case is reviewed by the Dean of the Faculty of the course or the Coordinator of Continuing Education, as appropriate. The teacher contacts the Faculty or Continuing Education Office as soon as possible to inform them of the situation. Students may then be given specific conditions for returning to class, or they may be suspended for a period of up to three weeks.

4 If the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar is informed of more than one course suspension due to misconduct, they will investigate the case and interview the student. They may then recommend that the student be suspended or expelled from the College or allowed to continue their studies on a probationary status.

Classroom Management During Assessments

Movement during in-class assessments, tests, or exams can be very distracting. Teachers or invigilators should provide clear instructions to minimize disruptions. Students should be respectful of others and minimize such distractions.

To ensure equity, departments and programs should discuss and agree on late admission guidelines. To ensure fairness, students should be made aware of these guidelines.

Late admission does not entitle the student to additional time at the end of the allotted period.

Students must follow the teacher or invigilator’s instructions regarding departure from the room for a break or finishing an in-class assessment, test, or exam.

Teachers will communicate clear guidelines with respect to bathroom breaks and apply them with discernment and respect of human dignity.

Absence or Lateness of Teacher

When a class is cancelled, students will receive a notification from their teacher as soon as possible through the electronic absence/class cancellation module in Omnivox.

Teachers should inform their students, when possible, if they will be late for a class and when they should be expected.

When a teacher is not present at the scheduled time for the class and has not notified the class, students should wait 15 minutes for the teacher to arrive or to notify them before leaving.

For some courses, such as in the case of laboratories where live material might have been prepped, the course outline will include specific instructions to follow in case of an absence.

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Academic Integrity

Academic integrity may be defined as honesty in a pedagogical and scholarly context. It is a value that one adheres to by recognizing intellectual property and by abstaining from cheating, plagiarism, and fraud. Both teachers and students are expected to recognize the intellectual work of others, by citing sources appropriately16, for instance. Teachers are responsible for setting a good example with regard to academic integrity, and they should support students as they develop their academic integrity in and across their program’s disciplines. Students are responsible for being proactive in the development of their academic integrity; they should be vigilant, and they should ask questions and seek assistance if they need it.

Cheating during formal in-class evaluations includes any dishonest or deceptive practice relative to in-class examinations, tests, quizzes, or the English Exit Exam. Common cheating practices include but are not limited to: • Copying or attempting to copy another student’s work;• Obtaining or attempting to obtain unauthorized assistance of any kind;• Providing or attempting to provide unauthorized assistance of any kind;• Sharing examination questions and answers with peers through various means;• Using or possessing any unauthorized material or instruments that can be used as information

storage or retrieval;• Using unauthorized communication of any kind during an examination, test, or quiz, for any

purpose, related or not to the evaluation.

Cheating in course work includes any dishonest or deceptive practice related to assigned work, such as: • Falsifying data, facts, or sources in any assignment such as lab reports;• Claiming to have submitted work that never was submitted.

Plagiarism is the presentation or submission of another person’s work (words, images, music, etc.) as one’s own. It includes: • Copying, translating, paraphrasing, purchasing, or otherwise using published or unpublished

work without acknowledging the source;• Working with others on work presented as one’s own;• Permitting one’s work to be copied;• Doing an assignment for someone else or having someone else do one’s assignment.

16 Consult https://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/learning-commons/plagarism-citing-sources/

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Re-using one’s work in a given class for another class or in the same class is also considered a form of plagiarism.

Cheating and plagiarism offenses are detected by teachers or invigilators and are reported to the Office of the Dean of Academic Systems – Registrar, following Vanier’s Cheating and Plagiarism Policy and Procedure17.

Offenses are tracked in students’ files, and consequences are incremental when multiple offenses occur.

Academic fraud is the act of making false representation in an academic context. While being an act of academic dishonesty, it may also constitute an offense under Vanier’s Code of Conduct that would be handled under the conditions set by that policy. Therefore, it may jeopardize a student’s continuation of studies at Vanier, and it may even result in criminal charges. Fraud includes, but is not limited to: • Submitting a false medical certificate; • Falsifying any academic record; • Falsifying other relevant documents; • Using an impersonator or impersonating someone for an examination, test, or quiz.

12 Calendar for Student Assessment

Important Dates

Students may delete a course without penalty if they do so by the course-delete deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Normally, course deletion occurs during the third week of a semester by a date that is determined by the MES. For DCS (DEC) courses that do not follow the academic calendar, such as intensives and intersession courses, and for Continuing Education ACS (AEC) courses, the course-delete deadline occurs before the completion of 20% of scheduled class time. In such cases, the exact start and end dates, and the course-delete deadline are clearly communicated in writing—in the course master schedule and the course outline or in the Continuing Education welcome sheet.

All assessments should be placed in a learning sequence and scheduled so that students have sufficient time for practice and preparation as well as opportunities to receive feedback.

17 Note that the question of academic integrity and the Cheating and Plagiarism Policy and Procedure are currently under review by a subcommittee of Academic Council. The IPESA will integrate the recommendations of this committee in an upcoming planned revision, in Fall 2021. Should there be a conflict between the two official documents, the IPESA prevails.

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Assessments administered during class time during the semester must not exceed the class time, taking into account the required time for transition between classes. Teachers are encouraged to apply accessible and inclusive pedagogical approaches in these situations. Such approaches accommodate students with special needs directly in the context of the whole group and classroom, and they frequently benefit all students.

With the objective of preventing work overload and minimizing undue stress in students, no assessment (or combination of assessments) counting for more than 30% of the final grade should be completed in its entirety over the last 10 days of classes. (The last day of classes is identified in the Academic Calendar.) The limit becomes 20% of the final grade in the case of courses with a compulsory final exam in the final exam period.

Rule 12.1.4 does not apply to courses where final assessments are scaffolded and the work is clearly distributed and completed throughout the semester (for example in project-based courses, stages, portfolios, etc.).

Exceptions ay apply to rule 12.1.4 in intersession or intensive courses, or in ACS (AEC) courses in Continuing Education, and are approved by departments and by the Faculty Dean or Coordinator of Continuing Education. All exceptions must be made explicit in the course outline. A list of these exceptions will be presented at Academic Council and updated once a year for the purpose of policy monitoring.

While extensions and accommodations may be possible, all class work and assignments (other than final assessments formally scheduled during the final exam period) should be due during the 15-week class period.

The teacher must submit final grades according to a schedule determined by the Academic Calendar.

All assessments that are not returned to students must be kept on file by the teacher (or by the department coordinator or a delegate for multi-section examinations) for one full year.

Feedback on Learning and Grading

The rules below ensure that students receive timely feedback, which is crucial to their learning, as well as up-to-date information about their standing. This information will enable them to plan and make informed decisions about their progression.

Students receive feedback on their learning performance in the form of formative or summative assessments on a regular basis throughout the semester.

Feedback (through formative or summative assessment) and access to any graded work must be given to students before the course-delete deadline.

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Feedback and access to graded work should also be provided within a reasonable period of time following each assessment (usually a maximum of 2 weeks), and at least one week before a related18 assessment is due. Exceptions may apply for intensive courses or Continuing Education courses, and must be approved by the Faculty Dean or the Coordinator of Continuing Education.

At the midpoint of the semester identified in the Academic Calendar, students must have a general indication of their current standing in each of their courses. For DCS (DEC) courses on a regular schedule, this is formally done through the mid-term assessment (MTA) process. Academic Systems notifies teachers of the official dates for the process. Through the MTA process, students at risk of poor standing are contacted and referred to appropriate support services. While intersession and intensive courses and ACS (AEC) courses fall outside of the formal MTA process, students in such courses must be given an indication of how they are doing in their courses, and they should be directed toward appropriate resources as needed. In the case of intersession, intensive, and ACS (AEC) courses, the mid-point of the course will be identified in the course outline.

Grades for all assessments should be posted on one of the College’s learning management systems, e.g. LEA (Omnivox) or Moodle in a timely manner throughout the semester.

The final grade for a DCS (DEC) course must be submitted by the grade submission deadline established in the Academic Calendar. In the case of Continuing Education ACS (AEC) courses, final grades must be submitted within five working days of completion of the ACS (AEC) course.

13 Attendance, Absences, and Missed Assessments

Student Attendance

Class attendance is an essential component of the learning process. Regular class attendance and academic success are positively correlated. Regular class attendance optimizes the opportunity for students to participate in class activities such as group work, presentation of activities, peer review, discussion, reflection, and feedback. These activities are inherent to student learning; they help students develop mastery of program competencies, leading to successful achievement of the exit profile and success on the PCA.

Grades cannot be deducted due to an absence; however being absent for a class is likely to have an impact on success in the course.

Attendance may be mandatory for assessment purposes, as detailed below. The consequences of being absent will depend on the type of assessment and on the reason for the absence.

18 A related assessment is one that directly builds on what was assessed in the prior assessment. Feedback is then crucial for students to learn from their mistakes and improve for a subsequent assessment.

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Attendance for Assessment

Scheduled Assessments

The dates of all assessments such as quizzes, tests, examination, and in-class graded activities are communicated to students in advance (refer to course outline section of this policy).

An excused absence should be notified to the teacher as early as possible so that the teacher may provide an alternative assessment plan (defined below).

Alternative assessment plans may include a make-up date, a make-up assessment, or a modified assessment scheme (such as transferring the weight to a different assessment). The teacher is responsible for determining the alternative assessment plan, which must be compatible with the course framework and this policy, with particular attention to equity.

A student’s unexcused absence on the date of a scheduled assessment may result in a grade of zero on the planned assessment.

Ongoing Assessment

The evaluation of clinical training and stages requires a set number of hours of observation in a practical setting. Attendance is compulsory for such learning activities.

In exceptional cases, some competencies may require frequent or ongoing observation to be properly evaluated. This occurs when a process rather than a product is the object of evaluation. Examples include being able to perform patient evaluation under a variety of circumstances in Nursing, or exhibiting respect of activity rules, ethical conduct, sportsmanship, and safety regulations through the practice of a sport in Physical Education.

In these exceptional cases, the course outline should clearly state the criteria and observable behaviours that will be monitored throughout a segment or the entire course; it should identify the minimal frequency of observation required for a teacher to be able to evaluate with accuracy.

These exceptions are approved by the Department and Faculty Dean or Coordinator of Continuing Education.

Failure to meet the minimal attendance required for evaluation may result in a grade of zero for the component being evaluated or for the entire course. In such cases, students should not be unduly penalized for an occasional absence, and accommodations should be actively sought, especially for excused absences.

A list of these exceptions will be presented at Academic Council and updated once a year for the purpose of policy monitoring.

Critical Learning and Assessment Activities

In exceptional cases, students must complete a formative activity called a critical learning activity in order to progress in the sequence of learning of a course. For example, Respiratory and Anaesthesia Technology students may be required to demonstrate mastery in a simulated situation before they are permitted to treat a real-life patient.

Descriptions of critical learning activities, as well as their dates and requirements, must be clearly identified in the course outline and approved by the Department and the Faculty Dean.

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While students should not be unduly penalized for an occasional absence, and while accommodations should be actively sought–especially for excused absences–in cases where accommodations cannot be made, students may fail the component associated with the activity, or they may fail the course.

A list of these exceptions will be presented at Academic Council and updated once a year for the purpose of policy monitoring.

14 Accommodations

Excused Absences

Excused absences are documented absences for reasons deemed legitimate by the College. Excused absences should be, except under the exceptional circumstances listed in section 13.2, accommodated. Teachers are responsible for providing appropriate alternative assessment plans in such cases. When accommodation is not possible, Academic Advisors–who will consult appropriate parties–may guide students towards alternatives, such as registering for a different course.

Response teams from Student Services are available to support students going through difficult and confidential situations. When the student wishes or requires confidentiality of the reasons for an excused absence (sexual violence, abortion, participation in a high profile jury, victim of criminal act…), the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar will act as the unique point of contact to inform teachers that the absence is excused. With situations related to sexual violence, the Student Services Response Team (SVRT) can serve to facilitate communication with the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar and may propose appropriate accommodations. Students may also contact the Dean of Academic Systems – Registrar directly.

Medical Reasons

In the case of a missed assessment for medical reasons, the student needs to document the absence with a verifiable medical note in order to receive an alternative assessment plan.

It is the student’s responsibility to contact the teacher as soon as possible after an assessment is missed, and when possible, before the assessment is missed. The student should present the medical note to the teacher at the next opportunity, and the teacher will provide an alternative assessment plan.

If the teacher has doubts as to the validity of the medical note, the note must be sent to the office of the Faculty Dean or the Coordinator of Continuing Education for verification. Once the responsible office has verified the validity of the note, the teacher is informed.

The production or use of fraudulent medical notes constitutes Academic Fraud and is dealt with under the Code of Conduct Policy.

In the absence of a note or documentation, teachers will exercise their professional judgement.

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Religious Holy Days

Students whose religious obligations require them to be absent from the College on a holy day not formally recognized in the College calendar must inform their teachers in writing during the first week of classes, or in the case of intensive courses, on the first day of classes. Students must specify the particular date(s) and times of the religious holy days on which they will be absent by completing and submitting to their teacher the Religious Holy Days Absence form.

Absences approved in this manner are considered excused absences and the teacher will provide an alternative assessment plan in the event that the absence coincides with an assessment date.

Teachers are encouraged to take religious holy days into account when planning assessments in a given course.

Bereavement

The College recognizes the effects that the death of a close relative can have on a student’s academic work and understands that grief impacts every student differently. Teachers will provide alternative assessment plans where reasonable. Academic Advising and the Dean of Academic Systems – Registrar will support students who may require other measures. Counselling also available from Student Services.

If teachers have doubts about the veracity of a student’s claim about an absence for reasons of bereavement, verification should follow the same process established for verifying medical notes, with support from the Faculty Dean’s Office or the Coordinator of Continuing Education.

Students may be required by the Faculty Dean’s Office or the Coordinator of Continuing Education to provide documentation of their situation in order to receive accommodations.

Other reasons

Other events outside of one’s control might justify absences, including planned instances such as participation in elite sports events, or unplanned incidents such as being a victim of a crime or being involved in an accident.

In those cases where an event is planned, students must provide their teacher with documentation justifying their absence in advance, in order to be provided with an alternative assessment plan.

Following an unplanned or emergency situation, appropriate documentation19 should be provided to the teacher as soon as possible, usually by the next class, and an alternative assessment plan will be provided for an excused absence.

When unsure whether an absence should be excused or not, the teacher or student may consult the Faculty Dean’s Office or the Coordinator of Continuing Education.

19 Appropriate documentation will vary based on the event that occurred. It should support the veracity and validity of the absence. It may take the form of an official incident report, metro service shutdown notice, etc.

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In the case of a disagreement on the application of section 14.1, students should consult the Faculty Office responsible for the course.

Long-term Excused Absences

For consecutive absences adding up to more than 20% of the contact hours of a course, and for those that fall under the exceptional cases where an accommodation is not possible, documentation should be provided to the Faculty Dean, who will be responsible for consulting the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar, the teacher, or any other relevant parties to determine an appropriate solution to the situation.

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

Vanier College undertakes the responsibility to ensure that all students with disabilities obtain services and/or accommodations related to their needs. As such, the College has established the Access Centre for Students with Disabilities (Access) as the department responsible for carrying out these services.

In order to become eligible for accommodations, the student must self-disclose and provide Access with the appropriate supporting documentation that justifies their needs for accommodations.

The Access Centre will then review the documentation to determine eligibility for specific accommodations according to ministerial guidelines.

For assessment, accommodations must take into consideration both the student’s needs and the competencies being evaluated.

Teachers are responsible for respecting and implementing the accommodations outlined by Access, while ensuring student confidentiality in all communication and interactions. For pedagogical reasons, a teacher might discuss other accommodation options with the Access team.

Any student who wishes to make use of assessment accommodations should communicate this information to their teachers and the Access Centre.

For more information, refer to the Inclusion Policy for Students with Disabilities.

15 Success in a Course

Understanding the Grade

In the competency-based approach, the grade is a reflection of the mastery of the competency or competencies developed in a given course.

The grade must be reflective of a student’s individual achievement, even for teamwork. Teachers are responsible for implementing assessment strategies that are adapted to these situations.

As designated by the MES, the passing grade in all courses is 60%.

Grades below 60% indicate that there are gaps to attain the minimum standards of the course.

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Grades from 60% to 100% are representative of the level of mastery of the competency or competencies, based on explicit criteria, and typically defined in a rubric.

Special Conditions for Passing a Course

Depending on a) the competencies to be developed in a given course, b) the importance of certain competency elements, c) critical learning activities, or d) the place of a course in a program, the final grade may be best determined using an approach different from the straightforward addition of marks. In such cases, special conditions for passing a course may be established.

When attesting to the achievement of a particular competency is deemed crucial to students’ progress in the program, passing the LIA may be made a condition to passing the course. In such cases where the total of marks would have been higher, the grade attributed to a student failing the LIA will be 55%, notwithstanding the total of marks accumulated.

When a course comprises two distinct yet equally important components, such as a theoretical and a practical component, two special conditions may be set for passing the course. In such a case where the total of marks would have been higher, failing either component will result in a final course grade of 55%, notwithstanding the total of marks accumulated.

Failure in a course may also be related to certain conditions specified in the Student Professional Unsuitability for Career and Technical Programs Policy.

When the PCA is included in a capstone course, failing the PCA will result in failing the course. In such a case where the total of marks would have been higher, the grade assigned will be 55%.

All special conditions must be defined in the course framework, stated in the course outline, and approved by the Faculty Dean or the Coordinator of Continuing Education.

A list of all special conditions is compiled by PSI from the information provided in the course frameworks, and presented to Academic Council annually for the purpose of policy monitoring.

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Section 4 – Transcript and Certification

16 Grades Grades are attributed by the teacher responsible for the course. They are transmitted to the MES by the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar.

17 Ministerial Transcript Remarks Aside from numerical grades, letter codes may be transmitted to the MES by the Dean of Academic Systems – Registrar. They thus appear on the student’s transcript. The following codes are used to indicate whether a student has attained course credit or diploma requirements.

RE – Standing for Réussite, signifies a pass in the program comprehensive assessment (PCA) or English Exit Exam.

EC – Standing for Échec, signifies a fail in the program comprehensive assessment (PCA) or English Exit Exam.

IT – Temporary incomplete • The IT code is used by permission of the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar and the Faculty

Dean, in exceptional circumstances.• It is used when a student is not in a position to complete a course in the required time, but

may do so in the foreseeable future.• If not updated by the teacher before the deadline indicated by the Dean of Academic

Systems - Registrar, the IT is converted to the previously compiled total of marks in thestudent’s file for this course. This can result in a failure.

DI – Dispensation • A dispensation denotes that a student has requested and been recommended for an official

exemption from a course which is normally part of his or her program.• A DI does not count as credit, but the course does not need to be replaced. The number of

credits required by the program is reduced by the number of credits carried by the course forwhich the dispensation is granted.

• The code DI is only given in exceptional circumstances to avoid causing serious detriment tothe student or unduly postponing of graduation. It may be recommended in carefullyreviewed and well-documented medical circumstances, when the College cannot adapt thecurriculum to the student’s needs.

• A request for a dispensation must be submitted to the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar.

EQ – Equivalence • An equivalence denotes that a student has previously attained the objectives and standards

of the course to which it is associated.• The code EQ is only given where it is determined by the College that the competencies of a

course have been attained through previous studies, out-of-school training or otherwise.

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• The student requesting the EQ will be required to demonstrate the attainment of thecompetencies through appropriate documentation.

• No grades are recorded, but credits are assigned to an EQ.• The course for which an EQ is recognized does not have to be replaced by another course.• A request for an equivalence must be submitted to the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar.

SU – Substitution • A substitution denotes that the College has approved the replacement of one or more CEGEP

courses by one or more other CEGEP courses – the competencies are deemed equivalent orthe same. For example, this measure is applied after a program revision that has resulted inthe discontinuation of certain course numbers, or when a student is admitted following otherCEGEP studies.

• In order to allow students to obtain the credits necessary for their DCS (DEC) or ACS (AEC),discontinued courses can be replaced by courses in the new program.

• A course passed in a previous program and/or college can replace one in the student’s newprogram if the competencies are deemed equivalent.

• A substitution is granted following the examination of a student’s file by an Academic Advisor,who may consult appropriate parties, and who will make a recommendation to the Dean ofAcademic Systems - Registrar.

IN – Incomplete for an authorized absence • This code may be used in cases where, after the official ministerial course drop deadline has

passed, a student faces a situation beyond their control that meets the following conditions:o They are prevented from completing the course for a reason of a grave and serious

nature such as an illness, the death of an immediate family member, or an accident.o The situation prevented the student from attending or participating in class.

• The IN code does not entitle the student to the credits related to the course.• The course will have to be repeated.• To receive an IN, students must provide appropriate documentation to support their

request, and complete and submit the Incomplete Request Form.• Students must submit their request by the last day of classes as per the published academic

calendar.• Requests submitted after the last day of classes of the semester concerned must be

accompanied by supporting documents as mentioned above, as well as a detailed explanation for their request explaining the exceptional circumstances that prevented the student from submitting the form by the deadline.

• If an incomplete is granted, the remark IN will replace the numerical grade on the student’s transcript.

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18 Awarding of Diplomas and Attestations

Maintaining Good Academic Standing

In order to continue their studies, students must remain in good standing at the College. The definition of good standing at Vanier College is set forth in College By-Law Number 8 – Academic Success. By-Law 8 applies to all students registered at the College in a Diploma of College Studies (DCS; DEC) program, an Attestation of College Studies (ACS; AEC) program, or Springboard to a DCS (DEC)/Explorations pathways.

Procedures for Awarding Diplomas

The Minister of Higher Education grants a DCS (DEC)/DEC to a student upon recommendation of the College, which, through Academic Advising and the Registrar, verifies the following:

• The student has earned, prior to studies at Vanier College, a Secondary School diploma (SSD) or has been recognized to possess a level of education deemed equivalent to an SSD.

• The student satisfies the specific admission requirements defined by the MES for the respective program. These requirements are published in Vanier’s Prospectus.

• The student has satisfied the objectives and standards of the program studies. • The student has passed the minimum number of courses required to qualify as a student at

the College and be eligible to the DCS (DEC). • The student has passed the English Exit Examination set by the MES. • The student has successfully completed the Program Comprehensive Assessment (PCA). • The student has been granted all credits pertaining to their program of studies. These credits

allocated can also consist of equivalencies (EQ), substitutions (SU), and dispensations (DI).

The College grants an ASC (AEC) to a student who has fulfilled the following: • The student satisfies the admission requirements specific to each ACS (AEC) defined by the

MES and the College as detailed on the Continuing Education website. • The student has satisfied the objectives and standards of the program. • The student has been granted all credits pertaining to their program of studies. These credits

allocated can also consist of equivalencies (EQ), substitutions (SU), and dispensations (DI). • When determining a student’s eligibility for the awarding of an ACS (AEC), the Academic

Advisor will ensure that the student has fulfilled the requirement for the minimum length of stay at the College.

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Section 5 – Measures for Addressing Student Academic Complaints

19 Academic Complaints and Recourse Mechanisms

Definitions

Academic complaints may be defined as grievances related to any matter that is covered in this policy, and which may have an impact on student achievement. It is the College’s responsibility to offer a fair and equitable hearing of student complaints. To do so, the College provides students who perceive that there have been mistakes, errors, or breaches of procedure involving any aspect of this policy with clear complaint and recourse processes.

Complaint and recourse processes may be informal or formal. Students are always encouraged to approach their teacher before seeking help from any outside person or body, but other courses of action may be followed depending on the situation.

Table 3 presents a summary of complaint and recourse processes available to Vanier students.

Support for Complaints and Recourse

Support with identifying the nature of a complaint and clarifying the appropriate process may be obtained from the Faculty Dean’s or Coordinator of Continuing Education’s office or through the Student Advocate in Student Services. The Student Advocate may also support students as they participate in different mechanisms, such as mediation, Grades Review, or Cheating and Plagiarism Reviews. Vanier’s Student Advocacy Policy outlines the available Advocacy Services.

For complaints that are not academic in nature, or which are outside the scope of this policy, one should refer to the relevant policy, such as Vanier’s Harassment and Discrimination, Prevention and Resolution Policy, Vanier’s Code of Conduct, or Vanier’s Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Official Policy.

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Table 3. Classification of student academic complaints and summary of mechanisms to address them.

Complaint Type Informal Process Formal Process Related to a Course Examples: The student thinks that: • The teacher is not adhering to the

course outline • The teacher is not providing

instructions or criteria for evaluation • Any other element of the course is

not compatible with the IPESA

See informal mechanisms section of this policy

1. Talk to the teacher. 2. Request informal mediation. 3. Seek advice from the Department

or Program Coordinator or from Faculty Dean or Coordinator of Continuing Education, or from the Student Advocate.

*Note that while strongly recommended, informal processes are not mandatory.

1. File Academic Complaint with the Faculty Dean or Coordinator of Continuing Education, who will assess the nature and admissibility of the complaint and direct it to the appropriate next step: • Formal mediation for

pedagogical matters under departmental or Faculty responsibilities (see formal mechanisms section of this policy)

• Direct intervention for issues determined to be related to the Collective Agreement, individual responsibilities under the IPESA, and unsuccessful formal mediation.

• Intervention by another College body concerned by the complaint.

Related to a Mark or Final Grade Examples: The student thinks that: • A mark was entered wrong • They were marked unfairly

1. After the end of the course, file a Mark Update request.

2. If unresolved following the Mark Update, file a Grades Review request.

Related to a Cheating and Plagiarism Case

1. The student will be given the opportunity by the teacher or invigilator to discuss the situation.

1. Upon being notified by the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar, file a Cheating and Plagiarism Review request.

Related to a College Decision Examples: The student wants to appeal an official decision such as: • A Registrar decision on a request for

IN, SU, EQ, or DI. • An Academic Standing Decision

under By-Law 8. • A decision under the Student

Professional Unsuitability for Career and Technical Programs Policy

No informal process 1. Submit a letter to the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar to request the review of a decision related to IN, SU or EQ, to Academic Standing – By-Law 8, or to the Professional Unsuitability Policy.

Related to a Breach of Recourse Procedure Examples: The students thinks that the individual or Committee responsible for making the decision did not follow the principles laid out by this policy or the associated procedures.

No informal process 1. Submit a letter of appeal to the Academic Dean.

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20 Informal Mechanisms for Addressing Complaints When students have a concern or a disagreement with a teacher over issues related to the course

outline, over issues arising in the classroom, or concerning an evaluation, they should first bring the issue to the attention of their teacher.

If the student and teacher are unable or unwilling to come up with a solution, they may approach the Department or Program Coordinator, the Student Advocate, or the Faculty Dean, who will advise them on how to proceed.

For pedagogical matters, informal mediation through the Student-Teacher Mediation Committee may be requested.

21 Formal Mechanisms for Addressing Complaints For matters that are not resolved informally, students may file an academic complaint or a

recourse request.

All involved in recourse processes will respect the principles of fairness and equity laid out in this policy, with particular concern for preventing retaliation of any kind.

The Faculty Dean or Coordinator of Continuing Education identified in the course outline of the course related to the complaint will receive academic complaints, direct them through the appropriate mechanism, and document their resolution.

Pedagogical matters will be directed to formal mediation or, as appropriate, to the attention of the Department’s Coordinator or Curriculum Coordinator.

Issues related to teachers’ responsibilities under the collective agreement, individual responsibilities under IPESA, and unsuccessful formal mediation will be handled directly by the Faculty Dean.

Complaints deemed non-academic in nature will be directed to the service responsible for the College policy that responds most directly to the complaint.

Mark Update requests are submitted electronically through Omnivox. The teacher and Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar are automatically notified of the request. The teacher then has 10 working days to respond to the request. The decision is communicated to the student and the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar.

If a Mark Update request is unsatisfactory, the student may file a Grades Review request with the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar, who directs the request to the appropriate Grades Review Committee. In keeping with the student’s request, the Grades Review Committee reviews the case through a meeting or based on documentation submitted. It gives its decision within 15 working days of receipt of the request form. The decision is communicated to the student, the teacher, the Faculty Dean or the Coordinator of Continuing Education, and the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar.

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Within ten working days of receiving notification of a cheating or plagiarism report having been added to their file, a student may request a Cheating and Plagiarism Appeal to the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar, who will direct their request to the appropriate Cheating and Plagiarism Appeal Committee. The Committee must convene a meeting and communicate a decision within ten working days of receiving the request. The decision is communicated to the student, the teacher, the Faculty Dean or the Coordinator of Continuing Education, and the Dean of Academic Systems - Registrar.

Teacher vacations in the summer are not considered working days for the regular day sector. Treatment of appeals may therefore sometimes be concluded at the beginning of the next academic year.

Expedited treatment of appeals is possible for cases where the timing and the nature of the decision have a major impact on student progression, such as for prerequisites, or for university admission.

Decisions from the formal decision-making bodies are final unless a breach of policy or procedure is identified. In these cases, a request to review a decision may be submitted as a letter to the Academic Dean, who will determine the admissibility of the complaint and create an ad hoc committee to review the decision if deemed appropriate.