Frequently Asked Questions - Online Academic Consideration Request's (ACR's) and Grade and Standing Appeals for administrators and students - Winter 2022
** New Features and Enhancements the on-line submission systems
ACR administrators can delete requests that are in “PENDING” status where the “one time per semester option selected”.
A request for Academic Consideration using a “one time per semester without documentation “ option, can now be deleted from the system providing the status of the request remains pending. Once deleted, a notification will be forwarded to senate@torontomu.ca and the student.
Pop-up flag - Are you sure you want to verify/not verify this consideration request?
Self explanatory - added as a reminder to verification administrators to check that they are selecting the correct response to an ACR request.
Multiple requests for Academic Consideration - flagged Red
On the ACR landing page, verification decision makers will now notice a red bar indicating students who have multiple requests for consideration per semester/academic career.
This feature has been added as a notification flag to encourage departments to proactively intervene when students may require additional support and services.
ACR / Appeals user profiles
Administrators will no longer be “deleted” from the Appeals/ACR management system when their role changes.
Administrators will now have their access ”expired” as of the date of their change of role. Once a date of expiry is selected, the administrator/verifier will no longer have access to either the Appeals or ACR system. This “soft delete” option will allow returning or transferring faculty and staff to remain within the system, easily re-activated with a new end-date/changes in roles/responsibilities. This feature also improves audit traceability for archived appeal decisions.
Academic Appeals
Appeal decisions at the department, or Faculty level, may now be “rescinded”,
Decisions that fail to meet University policies or that assign remedies that can not be applied, can now be rescinded and reissued with proper decisions. A notification will be automatically sent to students and stakeholders when a decision is rescinded.
For more information on the online ACR or Appeals systems or for information on rescinding an appeal decision, expiry of user rights or deleting submissions, please contact Victoria Madsen at vmadsen@torontomu.ca
Frequently Asked Questions
Academic Consideration Requests FAQs
Please refer to Policy 167 - Academic Consideration. Faculty and administrative decision makers can verify the authenticity of a submission request however, Instructors reserve the right to grant consideration for missed work.
What is the difference between a request for academic accommodation and an academic consideration request?
Academic Accommodations are outlined in policy 159 and means a planned variation in the way a student with a disability receives course curriculum and materials, participates in course activities, or demonstrates mastery of course content and skills through evaluation and assessment.
Academic accommodations must be planned in partnership with Academic Accommodations Support (AAS). Students are responsible for sharing their accommodation “plan” with their instructors through the AAS Student Portal.
Academic Consideration (policy 167) involves extenuating circumstances that are of a short-term duration (normally no more than 3 days). Students who require academic consideration for missed course obligations (e.g. assignments, tests, labs, etc.) must submit their request through the on-line ACR portal to provide instructors with notification of their circumstances and to allow instructors to review and determine next steps.
Requests for Academic Consideration that extend beyond three days must always be submitted with documentation to support the request.
Students should not use their one-time without documentation option for Extenuating circumstances longer than three days. See Policy 167: Academic Consideration, Section 5.2. Documentation.
Does a student with an accomodation still use the ACR process?
Yes,
if the extenuating circumstances do not relate to their accommodation. A student who has an academic accommodation may experience extenuating circumstances that impact their ability to meet their short-term academic obligations and should submit their requests through the ACR portal. e.g. a Student with Accommodations can still get the flu.
What if a student submits an ACR without supporting documentation?
If the student is using their once per-term, no documentation required request, the system will accept it. The system will automatically monitor submissions. If a student has already submitted their ACR without documentation for the term, further attempts to submit an ACR without documentation will be restricted.
A request for academic consideration without documentation will not be accepted for a final exam and/or final assessment as requests of this nature must always be accompanied by documentation.
Do students need to submit medical notes during the pandemic?
Students with symptoms of COVID-19 do not need to submit medical notes until further notice from the University. This decision is currently supported for the Winter 2022 semester. .
For all other academic consideration requests, students are allowed one submission per semester without documentation (except for final exams/assessments), and after that, medical notes, or other documentation as outlined in Policy 167) are required for any further requests in the same semester.
Any academic consideration requests that are not COVID related (after the first “no-documentation” submission) will require medical notes.
What if a student is unable to get a medical note from their family doctor due to COVID?
As of August 25, 2020, The Ryerson Medical Centre is currently operating virtually with appointments by phone or video conferencing.
A medical note can be provided if the circumstances warrant it for a fee of $25. Please have the student contact 416-979-5070 or by email at medicalct@torontomu.ca to schedule a virtual appointment.
Do students need to provide details about or reason for academic consideration requests submitted one-time without documentation?
No, they do not.
Students may submit an ACR without supporting documentation once per semester at their discretion, excluding situations involving final exams and final assessments.
How do we change/update the administrator who verifies the ACR?
The current designated verifier in any department/program/school has the admin rights to assign their own back-up/replacement person within the software application. NOTE: administrators and verifiers will not be deleted from the system but are "expired" when their role changes.
Appeals FAQs
Please refer to Policy 168 - Grade and Standing Appeals for the full Policy regarding: appeal submissions, grounds for appeals, timelines for appeal submissions and corresponding decisions, escalation conditions, examples of remedies and SAC appeal hearing procedures.
Can we recommend that students first informally discuss with their instructor before proceeding with an appeal?
Yes,
According to Policy 168: Grade and Standing Appeals, it is the student’s responsibility to raise concerns with the instructor about issues related to grades as soon as they arise and attempt to informally resolve these issues before an appeal is necessary.
Can the system prevent appeals from being submitted after the deadline?
No
However, the decision-maker can deny appeal submissions based on Policy 168, timelines for submission when appeals are submitted after the appeals deadline of ten (10) business days. Typically, the decision here would be to select “not accepted”.
If a student chooses "not to" proceed with an appeal, how do they stop the appeal process?
Students can choose to withdraw an appeal at any time in the process by selecting “withdraw” from the landing page in the appeal application. Once an appeal has been withdrawn, it may not be re-submitted (e.g. for the same course/term)
I have been advised that a student has escalated their appeal to the next level. Why can’t I see their appeal at my decision level anymore?
Once a student escalates the appeal to the next level in the process, all decision-makers at previous levels lose access to view the new appeal. This is the normal course of the appeal process, designed to protect the privacy and integrity of the appeal process.
Is there a cut-off point where a student can no longer submit an appeal to the on-line system?
Yes
Students can submit appeals for Grades and Standing in the on-line system for the current and previous semester only. Appeals for periods prior to this timeline must be submitted in hardcopy to their department/school/program providing previous approval has been given to submit a late appeal.