Please note that these departmental policies are in addition to the Faculty policies, found on the Faculty website under Current Student Resources.
1. Students with Disabilities
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome to the Department of Chemical Engineering. In particular, if you have a disability or health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to contact the Student Wellness Services as soon as possible. For further information, visit Student Wellness Services at http://www.queensu.ca/studentwellness/
Final exam accommodations will be made automatically by Student Wellness with the Exams Office.
2. Academic Accommodations
From https://smithengineering.queensu.ca/current-students/academics/academic-accommodations
Engineering students currently registered with, or awaiting an evaluation at QSAS should read this carefully.
The process for submitting Letter of Accommodation within the Engineering Faculty has changed this year.
3. Passing a Course
Students are required to pass a weighted average of the examination components (eg. quizzes, midterms, and/or final exam, as outlined in the course syllabus) of a course to receive a passing grade. If a student does not pass the overall combined examination component, he/she will fail the entire course and be allocated a mark of FR (40-49%) or his/her actual mark, whichever is lower.
Example for a course with the following marking scheme:
Assignment. . . . . 25%
Exam Component. . 75% (Midterm 25%, Final Exam 50%)
In this example, the student must achieve a minimum of 37.5 marks on the combined midterm and final examination to meet the minimum grade of 50 required to pass the course.
Some courses also have a major laboratory/project/assignment component, representing 25% or more of the grade, as designated by the instructor. In such cases, students must ALSO pass this component to receive a passing grade. If a student does not pass the designated laboratory/project/assignment component, he/she will fail the entire course and be allocated a mark of FR (40-49%) or his/her actual mark, whichever is lower.
4. Missed Midterms, Quizzes
If a student misses a midterm test or quiz for legitimate reasons (see Appendix A below), the Faculty policy requires that the student submits a completed Self-Declaration of Brief Absence form in order to receive consideration for possible accommodation (for full details see https://smithengineering.queensu.ca/current-students/academics/absences-and-academic-accommodations.html
For MOST courses the Department policy is that when a midterm/quiz is missed (as per above), the student MAY be exempt from the quiz/midterm in question and the course mark calculation will be redistributed accordingly to the rest of the evaluation components of the course, at the discretion of the instructor.
Always check the course syllabus for instructions pertinent to specific courses as some courses MAY NOT follow this policy.
Otherwise, a missed midterm test or quiz will be given a grade of zero. No make‐up midterm tests or quizzes will be provided.
Note that deferred final exams in the Faculty are offered during the Supplemental Exam Period (Orientation week in September) for both fall and winter courses. If your absence means that you miss a final exam, the instructor will submit a request for an Incomplete Grade through the Faculty Office.
5. Missed Oral Presentations, Workshops, Laboratory Sessions
If a student misses an oral presentation, workshop or laboratory session for legitimate reasons (as per Appendix A below), and submits a self-declaration form (as per section 3 above), suitable accommodations will be arranged in consultation with the instructor. Otherwise, a grade of zero will be assigned for the missed component of the course.
6. Late Assignments/Reports
If a student submits a late assignment/report for legitimate reasons (as per Appendix A), and submits a self-declaration form (as per section 3), suitable accommodations will be arranged in consultation with the instructor.
Otherwise a minimum penalty of 15% of the total assignment value will be incurred for each day, or partial day, beyond the submission deadline. However, the instructor may refuse late submissions altogether by communicating this intention in advance on the course website and/or course learning management system (such as onQ).
7. Courses and Group Work
In courses where group work comprises a main component of the evaluation, all group members are expected to contribute fairly and equitably to group work. If the instructor becomes aware of serious deficiencies in the contribution of an individual student (for example through peer assessments, observations of group work, or complaints from other group members), the student will be issued a written warning that clearly states the expectations and timelines for compliance. At the discretion of the instructor, the student may also be assigned individual work to compensate for the lack of contribution. If the student does not comply within the specified timeframe, a second written warning will be issued (with a copy to the Associate Head and Undergraduate Chair). Subsequent failure to comply will result in automatic expulsion from the group, and possibly a failing mark in the course. Please refer to the individual course syllabi for more specific details, as they apply to each course.
8. Re‐evaluation of Midterms, Assignments, Projects
Students can request that a midterm test, assignment or project be reassessed by submitting a written petition to the instructor or the designated teaching assistant within one week of the release of the results. This petition must be appended to the original marked document, and must describe the specific reasons for the request (incorrect addition, missed question, etc.). Please note that the original mark may be reduced as a result of reassessment.
9. Communications Related to Courses
Student notices will be posted on course websites and learning management system (eg. OnQ), the Faculty or Queen’s University portals, and/or directed to student email accounts provided by Queen's University. The official email route for announcements and communication between instructors and students will be to student email accounts. Other accounts (e.g., Hotmail, Gmail) will not be accepted.
10. Plagiarism
Plagiarism (academic dishonesty) will not be tolerated. Any work found having academic dishonesty will be given a mark of zero. More information on the definition and consequences of academic dishonesty can be found at https://smithengineering.queensu.ca/about/policies-and-governance/academic-integrity
11. Relationship to Other Academic Policies at Queen’s
Undergraduate students taking courses from the Chemical Engineering department are governed by academic policies and regulations at Smith Engineering at Queen's and Queen’s University level as well. Additional information and links to both Applied Science and Senate policies and regulations can be found at https://www.queensu.ca/academic-calendar/engineering-applied-sciences/
Missing a midterm or other mandatory component of a course (eg. oral presentations, workshops, mandatory lab sessions) may be justified in the following cases: 1) incapacitating illness; 2) extenuating circumstances; 3) scheduling conflicts, as described below:
Department of Chemical Engineering
Updated January 4, 2018