Procedures

These procedures can be amended from time to time by approval of the Okanagan Senate Academic Policy Committee.

General Considerations

a. Faculties may vary the procedures and practices they implement to facilitate the submission and determination of requests for academic concession; however, in doing so they will adhere to the principles and provisions of Policy O-135.

b. Course instructors are normally responsible for responding to requests from students who miss required assignments, tests, or deadlines during the term. Any options for making up for missed work should be described in the course syllabus. If the instructor’s academic unit manages such inquiries centrally (i.e., in the Dean’s office of the instructor’s home Faculty or School or by the graduate supervisor/advisor for the student’s program), that information should also be provided to students.

c. Students are expected to pay timely attention to life events that disrupt normal participation in academic work and are urged to contact their instructor, graduate supervisor/advisor, or Dean as soon as possible upon realizing that they require an academic concession.

d. Instructors are strongly encouraged to make clear in their course syllabi any options for missed/late work and the potential penalties that students may incur.

e. Other issues may require the intervention of the office of the Dean of the student’s home Faculty/School, either directly or with input from another support unit.

Students must plan so as to avoid when possible conflicts with academic requirements

a. When registering for courses, students who know they have commitments outside their academic studies are expected to try to schedule those commitments and their academic courses so as to avoid conflicts. This includes checking the schedules for the start and end dates of each upcoming term and of the term-end formal examination periods.

b. Once a term starts, students should use their course syllabi to anticipate any possible conflicts between course requirements (e.g., dates of tests) and their outside commitments. If the details of a course schedule in the syllabus is not sufficient, students must ask the course instructor for more information.

c. If efforts under a. and b. above do not avoid all conflicts, students should look in the course syllabus for information on options for meeting course requirements when a required activity is missed. If options are not provided in the syllabus, students must discuss options with the relevant course instructor(s).

d. Students who are registered with the Disability Resource Centre must provide each course instructor with the requisite letter describing the required accommodation (see Joint Board and Senate Policy LR7 – Accommodation for Students with Disabilities).

Managing Unanticipated Disruptions During a Term

a. Missing one or only a few classes, tests, or deadlines:

• Students who miss required course or program activities over a short period for reasons of a medical circumstance that quickly resolves or a change in circumstances that creates a conflict with course or program requirements should look in the course syllabus for options as described in 1.b and d. above.

b. Missing several classes, tests, or deadlines over one or more courses or encountering repeated or prolonged episodes of disruption:

• If a medical circumstance is prolonged, the student has a compassionate ground for seeking an academic concession (see Policy clause 8.c), or a change in circumstances creates a long-term conflict with academic work, then the student should consult the Dean of their home Faculty/School, either directly or via a representative of another support unit, to discuss options.

c. Sources of support other than academic advising offices:

• Depending on the student’s circumstances, instead of first speaking to the Dean of their home Faculty/School, a student may wish to consult a different source of support (such as the Disability Resource Centre, Health and Wellness, the Ombudsperson for Students, the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office or an outside agency) and then have a representative communicate with the Dean on their behalf.

d. What students can expect from their home Faculty or School:

• The Dean makes decisions on academic concessions based on the student’s individual circumstances, including the grounds for academic concession and the student’s understanding of the implications of alternative actions on the student’s academic progress.
• Information provided by a student or on behalf of a student by another support unit will be kept confidential, subject to the provisions set out in Section 12 of this policy. In many instances, students will be asked to provide a self-declaration to describe their situation. However, if the Dean feels that the student’s situation warrants input from or referral to one or more support units on or off campus, a decision on academic concession may require feedback from the other unit(s).
• If a student seeks repeated academic concessions without evidence that proactive steps have been taken to address their issue(s), further academic concessions will not normally be granted.

Managing Missed Term-end Submission Deadlines or Formal Examinations

a. In these cases, the student’s home Dean must be involved in decisions on academic concessions (see Policy clause 10. b-f.).