By Brooklin Begg
University students may face unexpected personal challenges that temporarily hinder their ability to fulfill academic requirements. To account for students in these situations, Western University’s Senate Committee on Academic Policy has developed a policy outlining the conditions under which academic responsibilities can be adjusted or excused due to “extenuating circumstances.” Students can submit an Undocumented Absence to receive appropriate academic consideration without needing a Student Medical Certificate.
Purpose of Western’s New Policy on Academic Consideration:
Western’s Policy for Academic Consideration describes the guidelines under which students enrolled in a first entry undergraduate program at Western University or its Affiliated University Colleges (Huron and Kings) can be excused from academic responsibilities due to uncontrollable personal circumstances affecting scholastic performance. Students no longer need formal supporting documentation (e.g., a Student Medical Certificate) to be granted academic consideration. This policy accounts for students affected by “extenuating circumstances,” which are defined as “personal circumstances beyond the student’s control that have a substantial but temporary impact on the student’s ability to meet essential academic requirements.”
Circumstances Where the New Academic Consideration Policy Does Not Apply:
Students in second-entry programs, such as Education, Law, Medicine and Dentistry, the Ivey Business School, and graduate programs, are not included in this policy; therefore, they cannot submit an Undocumented Absence. Should these students need academic consideration, they should consult their Faculty of Registration for more information.
Additionally, students with longer-term challenges impacting their academic responsibilities should seek appropriate accommodations through Accessible Education. In the event that the student’s absence is correlated to a permanent or temporary disability, the student should seek accommodation through Accessible Education.
Statement of Principles:
The Policy of Academic Consideration for Undergraduate Students in First Entry Programs depicts the following goals and principles:
Transparency and Accountability: The paper stresses equal emphasis on the instructor's and the student's actions being reliable, fair, and adhering to the rules. It encourages students to take ownership of their choices regarding absences and advises students to fulfill their course outcomes even with the additional flexibility now being implemented into course outlines. Students and administration are expected to act sincerely and honestly when approaching requests for academic consideration, for proof of the opposite (e.g., false statements, altered documentation, etc.…) will result in an investigation as either a Scholastic Offense or a violation of the Code of Student Conduct.
Mindfulness: The policy highlights that students are not required to be in peak physical or mental health to fulfill their academic responsibilities; courses should begin to be more flexible to account for the varying student health. All the same, academic considerations should not burden the course instructor where they are undue. The policy aims to support student well-being and academic fairness while respecting interactions with campus resources and services, including faculty members, academic advisors, Accessible Education, Learning Development, Health and Wellness Services, and community healthcare professionals.
Details of the Policy Regarding Undocumented Absences:
Academic consideration requests are still overlooked by the Academic Advising office of the student’s Faculty of Registration.
All requests for academic consideration, including those with a Student Medical Certificate (supporting documentation where it is relevant to the request), must show:
Self-attestation, where the student self-reports and signs their name
Information regarding the course(s) and assignment(s) affected
Supporting documentation where it is relevant to the request
Requests without supporting documentation (e.g., a Student Medical Certificate) can only be used once in each class per term.
Otherwise, in the event of a medical illness, the student must submit a Student Medical Certificate; in the event of examinations, labs, and performance tests scheduled by the Office of the Registrar (official examination periods), the student must submit a Student Medical Certificate; and in the event of retroactive relief (where the student has completed the work but has requested academic consideration after the fact), the student must review the Undergraduate Student Academic Appeals policy.
The student must request academic consideration as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours (two days) after a missed assessment.
Once the request and supporting documentation are submitted and assessed, the instructor, in collaboration with the academic advisor of the student’s Faculty of Registration, will determine academic consideration in line with the course syllabus.
Conversely, certain forms of academic adjustments, such as scheduling Special Examinations, assigning an Incomplete grade, or permitting late withdrawals without penalty, must be authorized by the Academic Advising office of the Faculty of Registration.
The course instructor may deny academic consideration if a class syllabus includes flexibility in the final grade distribution (e.g., only counting a certain number of assessments out of a total amount, like 8 of 10 quizzes).
The course instructor may deny academic consideration if a class has flexibility in the timeframe submission of assessments (e.g., 72-hour submission window).
Academic Appeals:
A student can challenge a decision regarding academic consideration made by the Dean’s Office of the student’s Faculty of Registration by appealing to the Senate Review Board Academic (SRBA), as outlined in the Undergraduate Student Academic Appeals policy.
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