Governance and Faculty regulations

As future teachers, graduates of the Faculty of Education's Bachelor of Education and Certificate of Education programs will be responsible for the physical safety, the psychological health and educational well-being of students (children, adolescent or adult) in schools. In Ontario, teacher candidates are associate members of the Ontario Teachers Federation and subject to its standards of professional ethics during their practicum. Under the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession of the Ontario College of Teachers, teachers must also demonstrate care, integrity, respect and trust in all of their interactions with students, parents, other teachers, school personnel and with members of the public.

While the Faculty of Education recognizes that its teacher candidates are learning their professional responsibilities as teachers, it expects all of its teacher candidates to demonstrate certain responsibility before they are placed in a school or other practice teaching situation. This includes, to be responsible for the physical safety, the psychological health and educational well-being of students (children, adolescent or adult). It further expects that they will at all times demonstrate care, integrity, respect and trust in their interactions with all of the parties involved. These include each other, the representatives of the Faculty of Education and during their practicum with students (children, adolescent or adult), parents, other teachers, principals, other school personnel and members of the public.

The following procedures apply to this regulation:

1.1. Prior to the Practicum

a) Only those teacher candidates who demonstrate that they can act with care, respect, integrity and trust and that they have the knowledge, attitudes and capacities needed to be responsible for the physical safety, the psychological health and educational well-being of students (children, adolescent or adult) will be placed in the practicum.

b) If a teacher candidate has not demonstrated his/her ability to comply with Ethical Standards as set by the Ontario College of Teachers (care, integrity, respect or trust), or if the Faculty has well founded reason to believe that the teacher candidate may endanger the physical safety, psychological health or educational well-being of students (children, adolescent or adult), the director of the Teacher Education or Formation à l'enseignement program may deny a practicum placement to the teacher candidate. In the absence of the program director, the decision to refuse a practicum must be made by the Vice-Dean Academic Programs or the Dean.

The teacher candidate must be informed in writing of this decision and the reasons for it within five working days from the date of the decision.

1.2. During the Practicum

a) A teacher candidate will be immediately withdrawn from the practicum if he or she puts at risk the physical safety, the psychological health or educational well-being of students (children, adolescent or adult), or otherwise demonstrates an absence of care, respect, integrity or trust.

b) Such decision may be made by the school principal, by another school board official such as a Director of Education, or by the Director of Teacher Education or of Formation à l'enseignement, the Vice Dean (Academic Programs) or the Dean. The teacher candidate must be informed in writing of this determination and the reasons for it, normally within five working days of the withdrawal from the practicum.

c) In the event of such a decision, the teacher candidate will only be placed in another practicum by the Director of Teacher Education or of Formation à l'enseignement, or in his or her absence the Vice-Dean (Academic Programs) or the Dean, when the teacher candidate demonstrates that he or she

i) no longer poses a risk to students (children, adolescents or adults);

ii) is capable of acting with care, respect, integrity and trust, and;

iii) has the knowledge, attitudes and capacities needed to be responsible for their physical safety, psychological health and educational well-being.

1.3. Denial or Withdrawal from Practicum

In the event that a teacher candidate is denied or withdrawn from the practicum under this regulation, a committee consisting of three regular professors chosen by the Vice-Dean, Academic Programs will examine the case.

a) The committee must meet within ten working days of the written notification to the teacher candidate of the decision to deny a practicum.

b) The committee may make one of three decisions:

i) it may uphold the denial of a practicum placement;

ii) it may identify conditions that the teacher candidate must satisfy before being placed in a practicum; or,

iii) it may authorize the placement of the teacher candidate in another practicum.

c) The teacher candidate may make a written submission to the committee and may request to appear before it.

d) The committee must provide written reasons for its decision.

e) In the event that the committee upholds the decision to bar the teacher candidate from the practicum, a grade of F will be noted on the teacher candidate's transcript for the practicum and the teacher candidate will be withdrawn from the program.

f) In the event that the committee identifies conditions that the teacher candidate must satisfy before being placed in a practicum, a grade of E will be noted on the teacher candidate's transcript for the practicum.

1.4. Right of Appeal

The teacher candidate may appeal the decision of the committee through the normal procedures associated with a grade appeal as defined by the Senate of the University of Ottawa.

Professional Ethics during Community Service Learning Practica

The professional Ethics standards listed above refer to practicum placement.  White the Community Service Learning component of the program may occur outside the context of classrooms, the professional standards will be upheld in the context of a Community Service Learning placement.

Undergraduate courses in the Faculty of Education: coursework and examinations must be completed in the language of the program except for language courses or courses in language teaching for which the coursework and examinations must be produced in the language of the course.

Regular attendance in classes, seminars, and workshops is compulsory. At the beginning of the session, the professor must communicate to the students the exact requirements to this effect.

In compliance with the Ontario College of Teachers' regulations, it is strictly forbidden to accept supply teaching contracts in publicly funded schools while enrolled in the Teacher Education Program.

In the first two weeks following the start of a course, or a part of a course, if necessary, professors will provide the evaluation methods and their respective value for each part of the evaluation.

6.1.

Students must justify their absence due to illness by a certificate authenticated by Health Services and given to the academic secretariat during the week following the examination. Students who write an examination or are doing a practicum during the period specified on this certificate may not plead illness to appeal their examination or practicum results.

6.2.

The Associate Teacher, the Practicum Office and the Practicum Supervisor must be advised of an absence from a practicum on the day prior to, or at the latest, before beginning of classes on the same day.  The Faculty reserves the right to accept or refuse the reason given for the absence.

6.3.

With respect to a community service learning placement, the Community Service supervisor and the Faculty supervisor must be advised within the same timeframe as above.

6.4.

Absence for any other reason must be justified in writing no later than five working days after the examination. The Faculty reserves the right to accept or reject the reason offered; travel, summer employment and misreading the examination schedule are not usually accepted.

6.5.

Students who have been authorized to miss a final or supplemental examination for an acceptable reason will be allowed to write a deferred examination on a date chosen by the Faculty.

6.6.

Students who have been authorized to defer a practicum or a community learning placement practicum must complete the requirement within one year. It is the student's responsibility to contact the Faculty regarding practicum placement.

Supplemental examinations consist of a written examination or additional assignments.

Students who fail a course have the right to one supplemental examination in which they must obtain 60 per cent standing or the non-numerical grade “S” to be successful. The supplemental examinations or assignments must be completed within the time limit determined by the professor.  Such limit may not exceed 12 months after the end of the session.  Eligible students who wish to write supplemental examinations must register with the Faculty’s Academic Secretariat.  They must also get in touch with the professor within ten working days after the grade in question becomes official (see the University calendar for the exact date) to confirm the date of the supplemental examination.  Failure to do so will result in an “ABS” mark.  Fees will be required for the supplemental examination.

8.1. Preamble

The University recognizes the right of every student to see, on request after grading, all documents that have been used to establish their grade for courses in which they are duly registered. These documents include those produced by the students themselves or evaluations written by supervisors (as part of work terms, clinical placements or internships).

The University also recognizes students’ right to ask for a grade review and to appeal grades.

8.2. General provisions

When students do not understand a grade assigned to them, the University encourages them to contact their professor or practicum supervisor for clarifications or for the reasoning behind the grade.

If students still question the grade despite the explanations they receive, they can ask for a review, as set out in this regulation.

The revised grade can be higher than, lower than or equal to the grade submitted for review.

The grade review cannot be cancelled once the process has been completed and the new grade assigned.

This regulation applies to grade reviews for all courses under the University of Ottawa’s responsibility.

This regulation does not apply to technical errors (calculation errors, transcription errors, omissions, etc.), because they are quickly corrected by professors themselves.

A request for revision for any given mark may only be submitted once.

8.3. First stage

8.3.1. Grade review

Students who are not satisfied with their grade after discussing the matter with their professor can ask for a grade review.

• When grade reviews can take place during the session, students must submit their request within five (5) working days of receiving the contested grade. For grades received on final exams or in cases when grade reviews take place only at the end of the session, the request must be submitted within ten (10) working days after the grade in question becomes official (see the University calendar for the exact date).
• Students submit their requests for grade reviews in writing to the chair of the academic unit offering the course. The request must include a) the course title, the course syllabus, the grade assigned and the name of the professors having assigned it, b) the grounds for the appeal, and c) the assignment/test corrected by the professor, if applicable, and other relevant documents.
• The chair of the academic unit, or a designate, immediately sends a copy of the student's request to the professor concerned, inviting him or her to submit in writing any comments as well as the evaluation criteria used for the test or assignment, and other relevant documents. When appeals can be made during a session, professors must respond within five (5) working days for tests given during the session. For final tests and exams or in cases when appeals can take place only at session's end, professors must respond within ten (10) working days.
• Upon receiving the required documents from the professor, the chair of the academic unit, or a designate, asks at least one other professor to review the test or assignment under appeal and forwards all documents from the student and the grading professor to this reviewing professor. The chair of the unit, or a designate, must ensure that the reviewing professor possesses the necessary professional qualifications. The reviewer’s anonymity must be maintained. When appeals can be made during a session, the review must be done within five (5) working days for tests given during the session. For final tests and exams or when appeals can take place only at session's end, the review must be done within ten (10) working days.
• Based on all of the documents received, including all evaluations (initial evaluation and revisions), the chair of the unit, or a designate, determines the grade to be awarded and immediately informs both the student and the professor in question.
• Students have the right to obtain a copy of all the documents used in reaching the decision.

8.3.2. Appealing work-term grades, clinical placements or internship

Students who fail a work term or practicum and who do not agree with the grade received may, after discussing the matter with their work-term supervisor, ask for a grade review. Students must submit their appeal no more than ten (10) working days after receiving their grade at the end of his/her work term.

• Students must submit their appeal in writing to the chair of the unit offering the work term or to the director of the Coop programs, depending on the case. The appeal must include:
  • a) all work-term-related information, such as the course title, the course syllabus, the number of work-term days, the work-term location, the type of supervision, the grade obtained, and the name of the supervisor having assigned the grade, as well as
  • b) the grounds for the appeal,
  • c) the work-term evaluation reports and d) all other relevant documents.
• The chair of the academic unit, or a designate, immediately sends a copy of the student's request to the supervisor(s) concerned, inviting him or her to submit in writing any comments, as well as the evaluation criteria explained to the student, and other relevant documents. Supervisors must respond within ten (10) working days. For the Faculty of Education, supervisors are the Faculty appointed mentor professors, not the associate teachers in the schools.
• Upon receiving the required documents from the supervisors concerned, the chair of the academic unit, or a designate, asks one or several other professors to assess the request for review (the appeal). Then, forwards all documents from the student and the grading supervisors to these reviewing professors, and asks them for recommendations (ex., maintain the grade or have the work term, clinical placements or practicum repeated in whole or in part). The chair of the unit, or a designate, must ensure that the professor or these professors possess the necessary professional qualifications. This review must take place immediately.
• Based on all of the documents received, the chair of the academic unit, or a designate, determines the grade to be awarded and immediately informs the student, the professor the supervisors, and the faculty in question.

 8.4. Second stage: Appealing to the Senate

• A student can approach the Senate Appeals Committee to contest decisions handed down after an initial grade review.
• Once a student has filed such an appeal, the academic unit will provide to the committee all relevant documentation and its comments.

Consult Procedure for Senate appeals

9.1. Official grading system (Approved by the Senate on November 4, 2013)

The following is the grading scale for all undergraduate and Professional Development courses in the Faculty of Education

 * Redeemable failure in the Faculty of Education.

Note: All grades below "C" are failing grades for undergraduate
students in the Faculty of Education.

9.2. Practica marks

In circumstances where a redeemable failing grade "E" has been obtained in a pass/fail course, once the course has been passed, the "E" will not be counted in the cumulative average. However, the final grade of "S" may not be used for application towards an excellence award.

To obtain a BEd, a student must meet the following conditions:

A. Practice of teaching

1. Obtain the grade of "S" (satisfactory) in the two teaching practica (including the make-up practicum, if applicable). While on practicum, students must at all times comply with the ethical standards of the teaching profession. These are established by the Faculty of Education, the Ontario Teachers Federation and its affiliated bodies and with the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession of the Ontario College of Teachers. Any violation of these standards will result in the immediate withdrawal of the student from the practicum.

2. A student may receive no more than one grade of "E" (failure with the right to a make-up practicum) in his or her practica. Any student who obtains an "E" in the practicum must complete a make-up practicum, of duration equal to that of the failed practicum.

A make-up practicum must be held at a date determined by the Faculty within twelve months after the end of the session in which the practicum was originally scheduled. Students must pay the cost of a make-up practicum. For the practicum (including a make-up practicum), if a grade of "E" (failure with the right to a make-up) is obtained twice, the grade of "F" (failure with no make-up) will be entered on the transcript. This grade results in the compulsory withdrawal of the student from the program and the Faculty.

The Faculty of Education will make reasonable efforts to place a student in the practicum so that the placement meets the academic requirements of the program and, where necessary, to accommodate the student's documented special needs. If the Faculty is unable to find a suitable placement for a student within twelve months after the end of the session in which the practicum was originally scheduled to take place, the student will be asked to withdraw from the program. If a student unreasonably refuses a practicum placement, the Faculty of Education may ask the student to withdraw from the program.

B. Other conditions

1. Pass every course in the program with a mark of at least 60% (C), excluding PED1599, which is an extra-curricular course and must be passed with a grade of "S" (satisfactory). A grade of "E" (failure with the right to a make-up) means that the student must pass a make-up assignment(s) or examination as determined by the professor in consultation with the Director of Teacher Education or Formation à l’enseignement. If the student passes the make-up assignment(s) or examination, the original and the make-up mark will be entered on the transcript[L1] . If the student fails, an "F" (failure with no make-up) will be entered on the transcript. A grade of "F" (failure with no make-up) in a course will require that the student repeat the course or withdraw from the program.

2. A student who fails a compulsory course with an ‘F’ (failure with no make-up) will be allowed to repeat it once.  If a student fails an elective course, he will be able to repeat it or replace it by another elective course.  Both marks will be entered on the transcript, but only the second mark will be used to calculate the CGPA.  A second grade of ‘F’ for a course will result in the compulsory withdrawal of the student from the program.

3. Submit required assignments by the date specified in the course outline. Failure to submit assignments results in a grade of "EIN" (Failure/Incomplete). Such symbol is equivalent to a grade of "F" (failure with no make-up).

4. Provide proof of an acceptable level of competence in the language of instruction, i.e. English, in the Teacher Education Program and French in the Formation à l’enseignement Program and in the French Teaching Option (French as a Second language) of the Teacher Education Program.  With respect to the French Teaching option, obtain an ‘S’ (satisfactory) in the extra-curricular course PED 1599 (FSL students).

5. Guidelines in the case of failure in PED1599:

Students in the Teacher Education Program who fail the PED1599 make-up exam and who wish to continue working for their degree must register again in the upgrading course offered by the Faculty of Education in the following September.

Before re-registering in PED1599, it is strongly recommended that students take two university-level French First Language courses. These courses should mainly involve grammar and writing because these are the areas where the greatest weaknesses have been noted. These courses can be taken in the summer or during the academic year.

Students must re-register for the PED1599 upgrading course and pass according to the requirements of this course, which means obtaining an "S" (satisfactory) on the exam.

Students must pay the cost for making up this course. Students who take PED 1599 a second time but fail both the final exam and the make-up exam, will not be granted a degree.

11.1.

Students admitted and registered prior September 2015: the maximum duration of studies for the Formation à l’enseignement program and the Teacher Education Program is two (2) years from the initial registration date for full-time students, and four (4) years for the Aboriginal Teacher Education program.

The maximum time allowed to complete the requirements of part-time programs offered in French (B.Ed en mode alternatif and Éducation technologique) is four (4) years from the initial registration date.

11.2.

Students admitted and registered as of September 2015:  the maximum of studies for the Formation à l’enseignement program and the Teacher Education Program is four (4) years from the initial registration date for full-time students, and six (6) years for the Aboriginal Teacher Education.

The maximum time allowed to complete the requirements for part-time programs offered in French (B.Ed. en mode alternatif and Éducation technologique) is six (6) years from the date initial registration date.

Graduates of the University of Ottawa Aboriginal Teacher Education Certificate Program, who submit proof of an undergraduate degree, including 15 full courses or the equivalent, within ten years of receiving their certificate, will also receive a Bachelor of Education degree.

University of Ottawa graduates of the Certificate in Education, Technological Education Program, who submit proof of an undergraduate degree, including 15 full courses or the equivalent, within eight years of receiving their certificate, will also receive a Bachelor of Education degree.