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Pertaining to the Policy on Assessment of Student Learning (PASL), which was approved by the Senate on May 11, 2022 and the Board of Governors on May 19, 2022.

Approved by the Faculty of Science Academic Committee March 19, 2024

Approved by the Science Faculty Council April 9, 2024

Article 1. Faculties, Enrolment Services, and other University units have the authority to and should develop local guidelines and procedures that are consistent with this Policy and any other UU直播 regulations.

Addendum to Article 1. This implementation of the Policy on the Assessment of Student Learning (addenda and additional articles) applies to all students of any faculty enrolled in courses offered by the Faculty of Science.

Article 5.2. Regardless of mode of delivery, all forms of assessment shall be conducted in such a manner as to promote academic integrity, using strategies such as changing question content, or reordering questions or answers in different versions of the same assessment task.

Addendum to 5.2. Online quizzes and exams must draw questions from a question bank containing at least twice as many questions as the quiz. This may be done by random question selection in MyCourses or by generating a minimum of four different exam versions with different selections of questions. Instructors must ensure that all non-proctored assessments (e.g. online or take-home exams or problem sets) do not already have solutions readily available on the internet and are not easily answered correctly by generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. This article and its addendum apply to both in-term and final assessments.

Article 5.5. Instructors must include in the course outline expectations for all assessment tasks, including for participation, detailing explicitly the variety of ways in which grades can be earned. Details include explicit criteria to describe the key elements of students鈥� learning. Instructors are to provide in writing concrete descriptors for each level of performance when the assessment task is formally assigned to students.

Addendum to 5.5. Course syllabi must include descriptions of all assessment tasks and all grading schemes available to students. The criteria that describe key elements of students鈥� learning are considered to be inherent to many types of assessments, for example written examinations or take-home problem sets, and do not require further elaboration in the course outline. Concrete descriptors for each level of performance can be given in the form of a grading rubric. If an instructor does not provide a grading rubric, the General Science Grading Rubric (Appendix 1) will apply.

Article 6.7. In-term assessment tasks must not have due dates scheduled in the last 10 working days of classes as specified in the University Calendar, except in these cases:

• Oral examinations in language courses
• Take-home assessment tasks (such as essays, papers, examinations, problem sets, and lab reports) if the questions, topics, and/or instructions are given to students in advance (at least 15 working days before the end of classes)

• Assessment tasks worth 10% or less of the final course grade

Addendum to 6.7. In-class presentations delivered by students may be scheduled within the last 10 working days of classes provided that all information regarding the presentation, including the topic, rubric, and presentation date are provided at least 15 working days before the end of classes.

Article 7.2. Students who for valid documented reasons (such as extenuating illness or serious personal circumstances) cannot undertake or submit an assessment task in a course may request academic accommodations within a timeframe that is in accordance with local guidelines and procedures, and instructor approval. Processes around academic accommodation vary by Faculty, and students should consult their academic advisor for the appropriate request pathway.

Addendum to 7.2. Students should submit their request for accommodations and supporting documentation directly to the course instructor (or course coordinator in the case of team- taught courses). Valid reasons include, but are not limited to, conflict with a UU直播-sanctioned activity, physical or mental incapacitation due to illness or injury, family emergencies, bereavement, and unforeseeable events such as natural disasters and civil unrest.

Article 7.3. Students who wish to request an academic accommodation must do so before the assessment task is submitted.

Addendum to 7.3. Students who wish to request an academic accommodation must do so before the assessment task is submitted, and no more than 5 working days after the due date.

Article 7.4. Exceptionally, if additional information becomes available after an assessment task has been submitted, a request for reasonable accommodation may be submitted within 7 working days.

Addendum to 7.4. In almost all cases, no requests for accommodation will be accepted after an assessment is submitted. This article applies only to exceptional cases where situations are so extreme that a student cannot be held responsible for the decision to submit the assessment.

Article 7.5. Students who without a valid documented reason fail to submit an assessment task shall receive a grade of 0 or F for that task (or J in the case of a final assessment).

Addendum to Article 7.5. An instructor may, at their discretion, provide accommodations (e.g. shifting the weight to the final assessment) for in-term assessments for valid reasons without documentation.

Additional Article 7.6. Accommodations for in-term assessments missed due to valid reasons must consist of either an extension of the deadline, a deferred (make-up) assessment, or reweighting of the remaining assessments with the following provisions:

1. The deferred assessment must have the same modality as the original assessment (e.g. in-person vs online, short answer vs multiple choice, etc.) This is the preferred option.
2. The weight of the missed assessment can be transferred to graded items submitted later (but not earlier) in the course. The adjusted weight of the final exam can only exceed 75% if the student has first been offered at least one opportunity to write a deferred assessment.
3. If student misses an assessment or a deferred assessment without a valid reason, they will receive a grade of F on the assessment.
4. If a student has a valid, documented reason for missing the deferred assessment, then then an alternative accommodation must be offered in the form of another deferred assessment or reweighting of other graded items (including reweighting of the final assessment in excess of 75%).
5. If there is a conflict between assessments in two or more courses given by the Faculty of Science (e.g. exams scheduled at the same time), all instructors must offer accommodations consistent with this Article (7.6). The student must complete one of the assessments at the regular time and will receive accommodations for the other assessments. The choice of which assessment to complete is at the discretion of the student. If the student does not complete any of the conflicted assessments at the regularly scheduled time, this will be considered an unexcused absence, and the student will receive grades of F on all the conflicted assessments.
6. Students wishing to contest the accommodations offered by the course instructor should contact the Associate Dean (Student Affairs) in the Faculty of Science.
7. Accommodations for final assessments are handled by Service Point.

Article 8.1. Students may request an impartial and competent reread by a third party designated by UU直播 for any assessment task, including oral assessment tasks that are recorded. Requests for rereads must be made within 10 working days of the date of the return of the graded materials to the student, and reassessments should normally be completed within 20 working days of the request, subject to reasonable administrative arrangements.

Article 8.2. Before requesting a third party reread, the student must make a request to the course instructor for an explanation of the grade. This request must be in writing and include a rationale for any requested change of the grade. No penalty may be assessed for this request or for a formal reread request. If a third party reviewer deems the original grade to be inappropriate, it will be revised up or down accordingly. The reviewer鈥檚 grade overrides the original grade.

Addenda to 8.1 and 8.2. The request to the instructor for an explanation of the grade must be made within 10 working days of the date of the return of the graded materials to the student. If the student subsequently requests a reread, the third party will be selected by the head of the unit which delivers the course and may include any lecturer or tenure-track faculty at UU直播, except for the instructor who gave the original grade. In a course with multiple instructors, the third party may be one of the other course instructors. When possible, the third party will receive a copy of the student鈥檚 assessment, the grading rubric, a copy of an assessment that scored higher than the student鈥檚, and a copy of an assessment that scored lower than the student鈥檚. The reviewer鈥檚 grade is final and no further requests for regrades will be accepted.

Article 9.5. Regardless of where examinations take place, all students in the same course must be provided with the same access to examination instructions.

Addendum to 9.5. It is expected that the instructor (or one of the instructors in case of a team- taught or multi-section course, or the associate examiner by arrangement with the instructor) attends the exam in person. In exceptional cases, when this is not possible, it is the instructor鈥檚 responsibility to be reachable by phone for the entire duration of the regularly scheduled exam. This article and its addendum apply to all examinations, including final assessments.

Article 9.6. If instructors choose to hold an examination after the last day of classes as specified in the University Calendar, it shall be called a 鈥渇inal assessment鈥� and be worth at least 25% and no more than 75% of the final grade.

Addendum to 9.6. If a final assessment is held, students must be offered a grading scheme in which it is worth no more than 75% of the final grade. Students may be offered alternative grading schemes in which the final assessment is worth more than 75% of the final grade. Also, academic accommodations may involve final assessments reweighted to be worth more than 75% of the final grade, under exceptional circumstances.

Additional Article 9.8. All oral exams must be recorded unless the student requests to not be recorded. In that case, a second examiner must be present for the entirety of the exam. The second examiner must be a faculty member knowledgeable in the subject matter of the course. It is the responsibility of the instructor to ensure the availability of a second examiner. If requested by the examined student, the oral exam may be answered in French. The total combined weight of all oral exams in a course of level 100 to 400 may not exceed 25%.

Additional Article 9.9. Instructors are permitted to use class attendance as part of their assessment scheme as long as the weight constitutes 5% or less of the final grade.

Additional Article 9.10. This regulation refers to an option in the myCourses quiz tool labeled 鈥淧aging: Prevent moving backwards through pages鈥� but is often referred to as the 鈥渘o review鈥� or 鈥渇orward only鈥� quiz option. The use of the 鈥渘o review鈥� quiz option on any graded assessment in the Faculty of Science will only be allowed by special permission of a committee chaired by the Associate Dean (Academic) of the Faculty of Science. Submissions for such requests must be sent on a course-by-course basis to the Associate Dean (Academic) at adacademic.science [at] mcgill.ca (.) Permission will only be granted if convincing pedagogical reasons make the use of the 鈥渘o review鈥� option more appropriate than other available assessment options. Requests solely based on the prevention of cheating will not be granted.

Article 10.1. In cases where a student believes this Policy is not being respected, they are advised to make their concern known by contacting the instructor and/or Program Director/Chair of the Department in writing. A response shall be provided to the student within 7 working days. If the matter is not resolved satisfactorily, any party may refer it to the Office of the Dean of Students or an Associate Dean of the Faculty where the course resides. A response outlining the process and indicating an expected resolution date will be provided within 7 working days. All parties should exercise discretion around the student鈥檚 identity to maintain the integrity of the process.

Addendum to Article 10.1. Appeals pertaining to courses delivered in the Faculty of Science will be considered by an Assessment of Student Learning Appeals Committee, consisting of the Vice-Dean, the Associate Dean (Academic), and the Associate Dean (Student Affairs), which will convene monthly, as needed.

Appendix 1. General Science Grading Rubric