Program Policies
1. COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC ADVISOR
At the time of your admission, you will be assigned a member of faculty who will serve as your "Academic Advisor." This information will be communicated to you via email, typically sometime in May, along with instructions on how to proceed with the on-line Program Planning process (course and program registration). Your Academic Advisor will approve your course selections and guide you through administrative details. Your Academic Advisor may or may not become your thesis or directed research project Supervisor.
All courses taken by a graduate student, as well as all course and program changes, must be approved (in advance of course registration where applicable) by an Academic Advisor and the Graduate Chair. You should consult your Academic Advisor frequently. If you are having difficulty contacting your Academic Advisor, call the Graduate Education Office (5l9-661-2099) for assistance in arranging an appointment with your Academic Advisor.
The on-line Program Planning process is done at the beginning of a student's program and updated every March as long as the student remains in the program. This annual process is mandatory for all continuing students and instructions are sent via email from the Graduate Education Office. For course and program changes at other times, please see section 8 below, "Add/Drop."
2. COURSES EXTERNAL TO THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION
Students may take up to two half courses (or one full course) at the graduate level either in other Departments of UWO or at another university with the permission of the Academic Advisor and the Graduate Chair. Approval will normally be given on academic grounds only and must be obtained well in advance of the term in which the course is to be taken.
Students who wish to take courses from universities other than UWO are advised that there are two categories of visiting graduate students:
- Graduate students visiting a host university in Ontario with which UWO has inter-university cooperation in graduate instruction, and
- Graduate students visiting a host university with which UWO has no inter-university arrangement.
Students who wish to take a course(s) from a university in category (i) should request the permission of their Academic Advisor who will in turn request the Graduate Chair to initiate the necessary arrangements. An Ontario Visiting Graduate Student (OVGS) form must be completed and can be obtained from the Graduate Education Office.
Students who wish to take a course(s) from a university included in category (ii) must obtain written approval for such course(s) from their Academic Advisor and the Graduate Chair. Students should then register with the host university under its regulations and ensure that, upon completion of the course(s), two official transcripts are forwarded to the Graduate Education Office, Faculty of Education, UWO.
Students who wish to take a course(s) from another department within UWO must have the written approval of the course instructor in addition to that of their Academic Advisor. A Special Permission Form must be completed and can be obtained from the Graduate Education Office.
3. RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS
The residence requirement of a graduate degree program is the minimum number of terms in which the student must be registered on a full-time basis. For a PhD program the normal residence requirement is six terms (four terms for the Joint PhD). For a Master's program , the normal residence requirement is three terms of full-time registration (or equivalent). Two terms of part-time registration are regarded as fulfilling one term of full-time registration. If a student has not completed the minimum residency period at the time of graduation, the total fee for the residency period will be charged.
Students registering for a full course load (i.e. 3 courses per term) should note that most Masters courses are scheduled in the evening to accommodate the majority of students who are in-service teachers. |
4. TIME LIMIT FOR DEGREE COMPLETION
After the residency requirement has been completed, students for all graduate degree programs must complete the program requirements within a period not exceeding: four years for the PhD (i.e. 6 years total maximum) and two years for the MEd (i.e. 4 years total maximum).
After completion of the residence requirement, the deadline for degree completion will not be extended if a student takes a leave of absence or has been withdrawn from a program due to failure to register in any term.
5. PROGRAM PROGRESSION
We encourage full-time students to take no more than three half courses per term. MEd students employed for more than ten hours per week (on average) in any term should register as part-time students.
Part-time students are limited to two half courses per term. However, students who are employed full-time should not enroll in more than one half course during each of the Fall and Winter Terms. Part-time students are limited to one course during Intersession. Summer Term consists of two sessions: Intersession in May and June, and Summer Session in July.
Graduate students are expected to meet progression requirements in a timely fashion according to milestones specified by the program concerned. If the Graduate Chair and/or Supervisor judge that process in scholarly work or research as unsatisfactory, a student may be required to withdraw at any time. In addition, a graduate student must maintain at least a 70% averaged over all courses of the degree program with no grade less than 60%. A student who fails to achieve this standard will be considered as not making satisfactory progress towards the degree.
6. GENERAL PROGRAM MATTERS
Class Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes. In the case of absence, instructors may assign additional course work. Normally, students who are absent from one-quarter or more of their classes will be assigned a grade of "F" (Fail), (GSS - December 3, 1999). As an example, most onsite half courses (with the exception of some Counselling Psychology classes) meet 12 times during a term, so students in these courses cannot miss more than 2 classes.
Scholastic Offences: Students are reminded of the scholastic offences and associated penalties listed in the University Calendar. Scholastic offences include plagiarism, submitting false or fraudulent assignments, or submitting for credit any academic work for which credit has previously been obtained. The complete description is provided at: http://grad.uwo.ca/section_ten.htm (Graduate Calendar home: http://grad.uwo.ca/calendar.htm).
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious Scholastic Offence. The following policy statement from Senate is in effect for all graduate courses. “Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea, or a passage of text from another author, they must acknowledge their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing such as footnotes or citations. Plagiarism is a major academic offence (see Scholastic Offence Policy in the Western Academic Calendar).
“Plagiarism checking: The University of Western Ontario uses software for plagiarism checking. Students may be required to submit their written work in electronic form for plagiarism checking.”
Ethical Review: For all research involving human subjects, students are required to follow established University procedures. Adherence to the regulations as specified in the Review Board for Non-Medical Research Involving Human Subjects: Guidelines is essential. These guidelines are available from the "Forms and Guidelines" page of the Graduate Education web site: http://www.edu.uwo.ca/graduate/forms.html.
The Appeals Process
Appeals: An appeal is a request for exemption from a Senate regulation or the ruling of
a Dean in academic matters; or a request that a grade on a particular piece of work or a
final standing in a course or program be changed.
(UWO Graduate Calendar: http://grad.uwo.ca/section_eleven.htm.)
In the case of an appeal by a graduate student, the successive levels for an appeal are:
- Course instructor or person responsible for matter being appealed (informal consultation) 1
- Graduate Chair 2
- Dean of the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
- SRBA 3
Where the appeal is against a decision by an individual faculty member, the student must first inform the member of the nature of the appeal and attempt a resolution without resorting to a formal appeal.
Where the appeal is against a program requirement or decision, the student must first consult informally with the appropriate chair or graduate committee for the program and/or concentration and attempt a resolution without resorting to a formal appeal.
Each step of the appeals procedure should be completed as soon as possible but no later than six weeks from the date of the action or decision giving rise to the appeal.
Students must submit an appeal in writing (complete with all necessary documentation) to the appropriate body within three weeks of the decision under appeal. That body must then provide a written decision, including the reasons for the decision, within three weeks of receiving the written appeal and complete documentation.
The appeals process must follow principles of fairness and natural justice. This includes provision that an appellant has a right:
- to be heard, in person in cases deemed appropriate by the appeals committee,
- to be made aware of any information that may adversely affect his or her case, and
- to have the case judged by an unbiased decision-making body.
The proceedings of an appeal hearing must be confidential.
Legal counsel is not permitted below the level of SRBA. However, a student may be accompanied to a meeting or hearing by a colleague who is a graduate student in Education or another department within the Social Sciences Division at UWO.
The Appeals Committee
- An ad hoc Appeals Committee shall be struck whenever an appeal cannot be resolved with the appropriate chair to the student's satisfaction, and prior to submission of the appeal to the Dean of Graduate Studies;
- An Appeals Committee shall consist of three members: one faculty member from the student's program, one faculty member from another program or concentration in the Faculty of Education, and one graduate student in the Faculty of Education.
For additional information on appeals please consult the current UWO Calendar .
7. EVALUATION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS
Graduate students must maintain at least a "B" average in their program. Although only numeric grades are assigned by instructors in this faculty, the following alpha grade ranges are provided for your information.
A = 80% and above
B = 70% - 79%
C = 60% - 69%
F = Fail - less than 60%
The following guidelines for assigning grades are in effect at the Faculty of Education.
| A: | Reserved for those students whose work is excellent. Their work will contain an element of originality, creativity, or thoroughness. It will be well organized and expressed, and will reflect a particularly clear command of techniques and principles, incisive judgements, sound critical evaluations, and so on. |
| B: | Assigned for proof of good competent work. A "B" grade indicates that a student has mastered the course material and can manipulate it, can write clear prose, can demonstrate an ability to critically evaluate and synthesize material, and can apply the course material to relevant situations or problems. |
| C: | Assigned because a student does not meet one or more of the above criteria. Even though the student may be conscientious, he or she has not demonstrated a mastery of the graduate work in the course. A lack of mastery may include any number of characteristics such as an inability to write clearly, to research a topic adequately, to synthesize material, or to make basic judgements about relevance, and so on. |
| F: | Glaring inaccuracy and confusion, little or no grasp of techniques and principles, trivial and irrelevant treatment of topics. In general, a failure to demonstrate the minimal knowledge and skills for effective work in the discipline. |
| INC: | (Incomplete) An INC may be granted for a course where the student has not been able
to complete the assigned work in the normal timeline due to exceptional circumstances.
Permission to carry an INC must be sought from the Chair, Graduate Education before the
end of the term. The INC must be completed by the end of the following term or a grade
of F (FAIL) will be assigned. According to SGPS policy, NO exceptions
will be granted to this rule. A numerical grade submitted for an INC grade, or an F grade resulting for an INC, is final. The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will not consider a subsequent revision of either such grade except on documented medical or compassionate grounds. Instructors shall inform students, both in class and in the course outline, as to any policies and/or penalties concerning late submission of assignments. |
| IPR: | (In Progress) assigned during preparation for thesis or directed research project or a half or full course which extends over two or more terms. |
8. ADD/DROP PERIOD
The Add/Drop period for a course ends after the first scheduled class . With permission of the instructor and the Academic Advisor, students may ADD a course after missing the first class. Students may DROP a course after attending the first class.
Regulations regarding withdrawal from graduate courses (WDN)
Courses dropped within one month of the official beginning of the term will not appear
on the transcript. When students withdraw after this date, but within eight weeks of the beginning
of the term, the course stays on the transcript along with the notation "WDN" (withdrawn).
Courses dropped after eight weeks from the beginning of the term are recorded as failures (F).
9. SCHOLARLY WRITING
Guidelines for Thesis and Directed Research Projects are available on our web site. Specific program requirements are provided in Section VII (Counselling) and Section VIII (Educational Studies) of this handbook.
Style Manuals: Each instructor and thesis/project Supervisor offers advice on selecting an appropriate style manual. Commonly used manuals include:
American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Barzun, J., & Graff, H. F. (1992). The modern researcher (5th ed.). New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
Fowler, H. R., & Aaron, J. E. (1989). The Little, Brown handbook (4th ed.). Toronto: Little, Brown.
Messenger, W. E., & DeBruyn, J. (1986). The Canadian writer's handbook (2nd ed.). Scarborough: Prentice-Hall.
Turabian, K. L. (1996). A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations (6th ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Suggestions and requirements for using style manuals in preparing theses or directed research projects can be found in the relevant Guidelines . Note that within any one thesis or project, consistency of style is expected. Further, the thesis must adhere to the guidelines as outlined in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies publication: Guide for the Preparation of Theses - http://grad.uwo.ca/current_students/thesis_regulation_guide.htm
Note: Prior to submitting a completed thesis to the Thesis Officer in the Faculty of Graduate Studies, students must attend to all requirements as outlined on the Checklist for the Presentation of a Thesis to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies . This checklist must be signed by the student and submitted along with the thesis.
STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONSIDER THE PREPARATION OF THEIR RESEARCH (IN WHOLE OR IN PART) FOR PUBLICATION IN EITHER SCHOLARLY OR PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS.
1 Appeals relating to a specific course (e.g., against a mark, grade, appropriateness of assignments or examination, or grading practices) must be initiated with the appropriate course instructor. Appeals on other matters should be initiated in the office having immediate jurisdiction for the particular requirement or regulation in question. Students in doubt as to the appropriate level at which appeals should be initiated should consult the Graduate Chair.
2 Should any party believe a Chair may have a conflict of interest, the Dean of Education shall act in lieu of the Chair.
3 SRBA appeals are only concerned with issues that affect a number of students (i.e., they do not hear appeals against grades assigned to individual students).
