Woodsworth College

Students are responsible for observing sessional dates, course prerequisites, and exclusions, satisfying program requirements and following the rules and regulations in the Calendar, Registration Instructions and the Timetable; failure to observe them may result in academic and/or financial penalties. Students should always consult with an Academic Advisor for guidance if anything happens  that interferes with continuing or completing their courses, or that appears to be contrary to rules, regulations and deadlines.

Note that regulations below only concern certificate courses administered by the Professional and International Programs Office.  For regulations concerning courses administered by the Faculty of Arts & Science (LIN200H) see the A&S Calendar: www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/rules.htm#petitions.

Departmental Appeals

Issues arising within a course that concern the pedagogical relationship of the instructor and the student, such as the organization of a course, grading practices or conduct of instructors, fall within the authority of the department or college sponsoring the course. Students are encouraged to discuss any issues regarding the academic aspects of a course with the instructor.  It is recommended that, if appropriate, an issue should be documented in writing. Students should consult with the following individuals in the order listed: the course instructor, the Director of Professional & International Programs and finally, the Principal of Woodsworth College.

Petitions

The Professional & International Programs Office considers petitions to have regulations waived or varied, if a student presents compelling reasons; however, students must convince the Professional & International Programs Office that they have acted responsibly and with good judgment in observing the University regulations.  The Petition Committee routinely denies petitions that in its view do not present a valid reason for an exemption from the regulations.  Students are encouraged to seek counselling and, if necessary, to initiate a petition through the Professional & International Programs Office.

Petitions must (1) state the student’s request; (2) the reasons for the request in a clear and concise manner; and, (3) be accompanied by relevant supporting documentation.  The petition is considered in confidence by the Petitions Committee, which is charged with interpreting and administering the regulations of Certificate programs.  The Committee has the authority to grant exceptions and to attach conditions to its decisions. It is the responsibility of the student to provide an accurate address to which a petition decision may be sent. Non-receipt of a decision due to postal error or incorrect address is not grounds for reconsideration.

 

Deadlines to File Petitions:

Term work:                The last day of the examination period.

Examinations:           Within one week of the end of the examination period.

                                (end of the first week of classes in January for the December examination period)

Withdrawal:              Fall/Winter Session courses:  the following 15 November.

                                Summer Session courses:  the following 28/29 February.

 

All supporting documentation must be submitted within three weeks of the date of initiating the petition. Late petitions and petitions with late documentation will not be considered.

 

Documentation in Support of Petitions

The Professional & International Programs Office seeks documentation that provides pertinent evidence for decisions determining whether or not an exception should be made to regulations that are designed to ensure equitable treatment for all students.

 

Medical Documentation

The University of Toronto Student Medical Certificate must be submitted in support of a request for an exemption from University regulations, if illness is being used as the reason for the request. The claim of illness, however, is not sufficient grounds in itself to guarantee approval of the request. The certificate is available below. Note that the physician’s report must establish that the patient was examined and diagnosed at the time of illness, not after the fact. The Professional and International Programs Office will not accept a statement that merely confirms a report of illness made by the student for documentation by the physician.

Petitions Regarding Term Work

Matters concerning term work normally fall within the authority of the instructor. Students unable to comply with given deadlines must contact their instructor prior to the deadline if an extension to the deadline is requested. All term work must be submitted by the last day of classes, unless an earlier date has been specified. Instructors may grant extensions beyond their own deadlines or beyond the last day of classes up to the last day of the examination period provided that a student presents reasons of illness, etc. with appropriate documentation. Extensions beyond the last day of the examination period interfere with the Professional & International Programs schedule for the submission of final grades and must therefore be approved by petition. These petitions for an extension of time for term work must be initiated by the last day of the relevant examination period. Late requests will not be accepted. Students must file the petition after consultation with the instructor regarding a suitable extension date. The Petitions Committee consults the department concerned for information about the status of the course work, and the steps, if any, that must be taken to complete the course. Students seeking an extension of time for term work are expected to continue their course work while they await a decision. They will not be granted additional time after the petition decision has been issued.

Petitions Regarding Examinations

Students are expected to write examinations as scheduled.  Only in cases of documented debilitating illness or legitimate conflict should a student request a deferral of a final examination.  Students who are too ill and/or incapacitated at the time of the examinations should petition to defer the examination they are unable to attend due to their medical condition.  Petitions based on travel, employment or personal plans will not be considered. 

A deferred special examination at a subsequent examination period or the regular offering of the examination when next taught may be granted at the discretion of the Professional and International Programs Office.  Satisfactory evidence in the form of the University of Toronto Student Medical Certificate (see above) must be provided to corroborate the illness.  Students with chronic illnesses must provide medical documentation for the specific date on which the illness was acute.    Students must submit a petition within one week of the end of the examination period through their college registrar.  There is a fee of $70.00 per deferred examination (maximum $140.00).  In the petition decision students are notified of the examination period in which the deferred examination will take place, and if the examination will be a regular or special examination. They must register and pay the fee by a given deadline, in order that arrangements can be made, an examination requested, etc. The Professional and International Programs Office will notify those who do not register by the deadline that they have lost their privilege of a deferred examination and will revert the grade to one that includes a “0” for the final examination. No further consideration will be given. The Professional and International Programs Office sends written notification to the students who have registered for deferred examinations of the specific date (within the already specified examination period), time and location of a deferred examination, as well as the reserved seating (if a special examination). Note: letters are mailed as early as possible, but due to the constraints of scheduling with the regular examinations, the mailing will occur five working days after the release of the regular August examination schedule, and ten working days after the release of the April/May and December examination schedules. Those who do not respond lose the privilege of a deferred examination and their grade reverts to one that includes a “0” for the final examination.

 

Final Examination                    Deferred Examination

April/May                                   June examination period, if course is offered in Summer Session May to June;

                                                  August examination period for all others

June                                          August examination period, if course offered in Summer Session May to August;

                                                  December examination period if course is offered in Fall Session

                                                  August examination period for all others.

August                                       December examination period

December                                  April/May examination period, if course offered in Winter Session;

                                                  Reading Week for all others

 

Students who must write a deferred examination in a course that serves as a prerequisite for subsequent courses may enrol in those courses with the approval of the department concerned and provided that the term mark in the prerequisite (deferred) course is at least 60%.

NOTES:

Students who are granted Deferred Standing (i.e., the notation of “SDF”, for an extension of time for term work or for a deferred examination) and who have earned a Cumulative Grade Point Average of less than 1.50, will not be permitted to enrol in further courses until the outstanding course work has been completed and final cumulative and sessional GPAs and status for the session have been assessed.

If students decide to write an examination which does not go well, they MAY NOT PETITION FOR A REWRITE. Post hoc arguments claiming an inability to function at full potential or to exhibit full knowledge of the subject matter will not be accepted as grounds for consideration of a petition concerning performance on an examination. Furthermore, students who choose to write an examination against medical recommendation should do so knowing that they will not be given consideration after the examination has been written. Students must not only take responsibility for making appropriate judgments about their fitness to attend examinations, but also must accept the outcome of their choices.

Students who miss a deferred examination receive a grade of “0” for the examination in the calculation of the final grade. If the Program Office accepts the student’s reasons for missing a deferred examination as legitimate, a further deferred examination may be permitted; however, the “SDF” notation will be replaced by the original grade. Students are charged a further fee for each subsequent deferred examination. Note that in such situations of further deferrals the Petitions Committee on Standing regularly prohibits registration in further sessions until the outstanding course work has been completed.

Appeals Against Petition Decisions

If a request is twice denied by the Woodsworth College Petitions Committee, the decision may be appealed to the Woodsworth College Appeals Board within six months of the date of the decision being denied and to the Office of the Principal of Woodsworth College within ninety days of the decision being appealed. Particulars of this procedure may be obtained from the Professional & International Programs Office.

Reassessment of Marks

Note that regulations below only concern certificate courses administered by the Professional and International Programs Office.  For regulations concerning Faculty of Arts and Science courses, consult the A&S Calendar: www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/rules.htm#reassessment.

Reread of Final Examinations

If a student believes that a final examination has been incorrectly marked in its substance, he/she may request a “reread”. The student must first purchase a photocopy of the final examination from the Professional & International Programs Office, for a fee of $13.00 per course.  The student must then fill out a “Request for Reread of Final Examination” form, which is available at the Professional & International Programs Office. The student must demonstrate that his/her answers are substantially correct by citing specific instances of disagreement, supported by such documentary evidence as course handouts, textbooks, lecture notes, etc. The student must do more than simply assert that “I disagree with the marking” or that “I believe I deserve more marks”. The examination will be reread in light of the arguments presented. A reread or recheck may result in a raised mark, a lowered mark, or no change. There is a $35.00 fee for this procedure, which is in addition to the $13.00 fee charged for the photocopy of the final examination. The fee must be submitted, with the completed form, to the Professional & International Programs Office within six months of the final examination period. If the mark is changed as a result of this review, both the photocopy and reread fees will be refunded. It should be noted that when a course is failed, the examination must be reread before the mark is reported.

Recheck of Course Mark

If a student believes that there has been an arithmetical error in calculating the course mark, he/she may request a “recheck.”  This can be done with or without purchasing a photocopy of the final examination. The student must fill out a “Request for Recheck of Course Mark” form, which is available at the Professional & International Programs Office. The student must indicate precisely where he/she thinks the error has occurred. The Department concerned will check that all answers have been marked and that the marks have been added correctly; the examination will not be reread. The Department will also check that all term work marks have been correctly calculated. There is no charge for this procedure. The completed form must be submitted to the Professional & International Programs Office within six months of the final examination period. A reread or recheck may result in a raised mark, a lowered mark, or no change.

Deadlines for requesting a photocopy of a final examination, a reread or a recheck:

February examinations              - the following August 31

April/May examinations             - the following November 15

June examinations                    - the following January 15

August examinations                 - the following February 28/29

December examinations            - the following June 30

 

FORMS

Copy of Final Exam request
Deferred Exam form
Mark Recheck-Reread form
Petition form
U of T Medical Certificate