Missed Work

General Remarks on Missed Work

If a student is unable to turn in an assignment or write an exam due to medical, emotional or other reasons recognized by the University, one of the following
courses of action will be taken after receipt of appropriate documentation of the situation.
 
  1. Usually the assignment or the exam will receive a computed mark that is judged to be equivalent to what the student would normally be expected to have received had the assignment or exam been completed by the student. The specific calculation will involve a ``scaled z-score'' in which the computed mark will be based on the class average and standard deviation for that mark, the class average mark(s) and standard deviation(s) for related work, and the student's actual mark(s) for the related work. The computed mark will be such that it is the same number of standard deviations from the class average as for the related mark(s). Usually the related mark(s) will be of the same category (i.e., assignments will be used for a missed assignment and exams will be used for a missed exam).
  2. If the missed work is a significant portion of the term mark, then a standing of AEGROTAT may be awarded, as provided for by the University's policies. A student will always be able to elect this option if the missed work is a final exam.
  3. In rare cases, where there is clear justification, a deferred examination may be given to the student if the missed work is a final examination, subject to approval by the Office of the Dean of Science.
Students will be consulted before a course of action is chosen, but the final decision will be that of the instructor except as noted above.

Documentation of Illness or Other Problems

It is the responsibility of the student to provide adequate documentation of the situation and to inform the instructor in a timely manner so that the necessary appropriate action can be taken. Usually it is expected that the student will provide a written explantion of the situation to the instructor within three days of returning to the University after any absence or period of illness or other problem. In no case will documents be considered more than seven days after a student has returned to the University.

A form for the information required in the documentation is available on this Web site.

Missing an Assignment

Students who miss an assignment because of medical, emotional, or other problems should talk to the instructor about it as soon as possible. In such cases a mark computed using the z-scores of the other assignments in the course will be substituted.

The form for missed work must be submitted; talking to the instructor is not an acceptable substitute for submitting the required form.

Missing a Midterm Exam

Students who miss a midterm exam because of medical, emotional, or other problems should talk to the instructor about it as soon as possible. In such cases a mark computed using the scaled z-scores of the other exams in the course will be substituted.

The form for missed work must be submitted; talking to the instructor is not an acceptable substitute for submitting the required form.

Missing the Final Exam

Refer to the University's policies on exams for more information. In some cases a mark computed using the scaled z-scores of the other exams in the course will be substituted.