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Fine Arts – Grading and Academic Standards

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Refer to section on Grades and Grading Schemes within the Academic Information section of this publication for general information.

Alternative Grading Option (Pass/Fail)

Students in good standing may, after successfully completing 24 credits, enrol in up to 12 credits on an ungraded (pass/fail) basis. Courses taken on an ungraded basis may not be used to satisfy major, minor, general education or certificate requirements. Courses taken on an ungraded basis are recorded as P (pass) or F (fail), and neither grade is included in the calculation of grade point averages.

To designate a course as ungraded, a student must complete an application form available at Student Client Services and submit it to that office before the end of the second week of classes in the course.

It is possible to revert to the regular grading scheme after choosing the alternative grading option. The Registrar’s Office must be notified of this decision no later than the last day to withdraw from the course without academic penalty.

Repeated Passed or Failed Courses

Students may repeat either a passed or failed course once for academic degree or certificate credit. Students should note that course availability and space considerations may preclude the possibility of repeating a course in the session they choose.

A course can be credited only once towards satisfaction of degree or certificate academic credit requirements. When a student is allowed to repeat a course for academic degree or certificate credit, the second grade will be the grade of record and the only grade calculated in the students’ grade point average (major, cumulative, sessional and overall). The grade for the repeated course will remain the grade of record, regardless of the number of times that the course is repeated; the first instance of the course being taken will appear on the student’s transcript with the designation NCR (No Credit Retained).

Grading Policy

1. Within the first two classes, a course outline must be provided to each student. Such an outline should announce the means of determining the final grade in a course. Such information must include the kinds of assignments, essays, examinations and other components which make up the grade; their relative weights; and any other procedures which enter into the determination of the final grade.
2. In exceptional circumstances, a previously announced marking scheme for a course may be changed; the new marking scheme must also be distributed in written form. Any changes to a previously announced marking scheme must have the consent of all students registered in the course, such consent to be signified by their signatures.
3. Feedback during course: instructors are obligated to provide a mechanism by which students can be apprised of their progress in a course; in particular, students must be able to make an informed decision on whether to withdraw from a course. This will normally mean that students will receive graded feedback on work worth at least 15 per cent of the course grade before the deadline to withdraw from that course.
4. No examination or test worth more than 20 per cent of the course grade may be scheduled during the last two weeks of class time, but must be scheduled during the formal exam period.
5. Grades submitted by an instructor are subject to review by the teaching unit in which the course is offered.

Grade Reappraisals

Students may, with sufficient academic grounds, request that a final grade in a course be reappraised (which may mean the review of specific pieces of tangible work). Non-academic grounds are not relevant for grade reappraisals; in such cases, students are advised to petition to their home Faculty. Students are normally expected to first contact the course director to discuss the grade received and to request that their tangible work be reviewed.

Further information may be obtained from the Student and Academic Services Office, Faculty of Fine Arts or from the unit offering the course. Students submitting a formal request to have a grade reappraised in a Faculty of Fine Arts course should note the following:

Deadlines: requests for reappraisal must be filed within three weeks of the release of grade reports for the term.

Reassessable work: students may question the overall course grade or the marking of the specific pieces of work. For reassessment of specific projects or assignments, tangible evidence of the original submitted work must be provided. Tangible work may include: graphic, modelled, video recording or audio recording, and are acceptable formats for reassessment. The live performance component of any course is excluded from grade reappraisal.

Possible grade changes: when a student asks for a reappraisal of a grade or assignment, an original grade may be raised, lowered or confirmed.

Faculty appeal procedures: the decision of the department may be appealed to the Faculty of Fine Arts Academic/Administrative Policy and Planning Committee (AAPPC) only on grounds of procedural irregularity or new evidence. Appeals to AAPPC must be submitted to Student and Academic Services, Faculty of Fine Arts.

Deferred Standing

Deferred standing may be recorded and in effect in the following cases:

1. If a student has missed an examination, or has not completed the course work due to sickness or other misfortune, it is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the instructor to complete the course and to file a deferred standing agreement with the department by the specified deadline.
2. If the nature of the academic exercise precludes the completion of certain course requirements before the grading deadlines, it is the instructor’s responsibility to provide a written rationale to the Academic/Administrative Policy and Planning Committee.

Aegrotat Standing

In cases where deferred standing is not possible, students may be granted aegrotat standing (AEG) on the grounds of sickness, accident or family misfortune. Aegrotat standing excuses students from completing the remaining and required work for a course or courses although course credit is granted. The notation AEG is recorded on the transcript in place of a final grade. Aegrotat standing is normally dependent upon the student’s having completed 75 per cent of the required course work at a minimum C+ level. Requests for aegrotat standing will not be considered before the final date for withdrawal from a course.

Petitions for aegrotat standing must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office with documentation substantiating the misfortune and written support from the instructor(s). The petition will then be considered by the Faculty Academic/Administrative Policy and Planning Committee.

Aegrotat standing is seldom granted and will not be granted for more than one academic session prior to the completion of a degree.