Evaluation
Learning in BLPT courses comes from lectures and activities focused on business issues, from readings, and from research in preparation for presentations, cases, assignments, and projects. The balance of the learning results from in-class discussion, on-line discussion, simulations, and participation in comprehensive business cases as well as out-of-class analysis. All work will be evaluated on an individual basis except in certain cases where group work is expected. Group members will share the same grade.
Students are expected to attend all residencies and synchronous webinars, write tests and examinations when scheduled, and provide all course deliverables by the announced deadlines.
If a student misses a regularly scheduled residency, synchronous webinar, or other course deliverable, for a reason which the program deems legitimate (see below), the activity necessary to compensate for the missed work will be determined by the course instructor. However, there are limits to the number of requirements which can be missed, even for legitimate reasons, which are described below.
If a student misses a major test or exam in a blended learning format course (weekend residency or online format), for a reason in which the program deems legitimate (see below), they can apply for a deferred test.
A student who has missed a residency, synchronous webinar, test, or otherwise not completed a course requirement, must complete a Petition for Missed Term Work and submit it to the BLPT Program Officer for consideration of their case. The Petition, supported by appropriate documentation, must be provided within five (5) working days of the set date of the missed requirement. The BLPT Program Officer will then review the Petition with the Manager, MBA Programs, to determine whether the Petition will be approved.
If a student misses requirements for reasons not deemed legitimate by the program, the circumstances will be examined by the BLPT Program Officer and Manager, MBA Programs, in consultation with the Program Director The student may be required to leave the program temporarily to re-establish the proper sequencing of program requirements, or to withdraw from the program altogether, as appropriate.
Limits to the number of program requirements that can be missed, even when the reasons for missing have been deemed legitimate by the program, are outlined below.
Legitimate Reasons for Missed Requirements
The program specifies four categories of reasons for not meeting program requirements which are considered legitimate, as follow:
| Approved Absence Category | Applicable for Webinar | Applicable for Residency |
| Personal medical reasons | Yes | Yes |
| Death of an immediate family member | Yes | Yes |
| Religious observance | Yes | Yes |
| Work Related Reasons | Yes | Yes (but only for unplanned work emergencies) |
Personal Medical Reasons
If the reason for a request for relief is for personal medical reasons, the approved McMaster University Student Health Care Certificate and a Petition for Missed Term Work must be submitted to the Student Experience – Academic Office, covering the relevant dates. The student must be seen by a doctor at the earliest possible date, normally on or before the date of the missed work and the doctor must verify the duration of the illness.
For any accommodations required for students with disabilities, please see section 5.5 of the Graduate Calendar.
Non-Medical Reasons
To document absences for legitimate reasons other than medical, students must fill out the Petition for Missed Term Work, and provide the documentation described below, as appropriate.
(i) Death of an immediate family member* – Copy of obituary
(ii) Religious observance** – Explanatory statement from a religious leader
(iii) Work-related – Explanatory statement from their supervisor, or other appropriate company official, on company letterhead
* Immediate family member as defined by the Government of Canada (See Guideline #3 “Interpretation”)
**Please refer to McMaster’s Academic Accommodation Policy for Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances
BLPT MBA Students should NOT use the online McMaster Student Absence Form as it is for Undergraduate students only.
Maximum Missed Requirements
There are limits to the number of program requirements that can be missed, even when the reasons for missing have been deemed legitimate by the program. These maximums apply even though a student has completed work assigned by the professor to make up for the missed requirements.
- The maximum missed residencies is one residency per academic year.
- The maximum missed webinars is one webinar per course per term.
- The maximum missed assignments is one assignment per course per term.
Should a student miss a live webinar, for reasons that the program does not deem legitimate, a penalty of 10% will be incurred to the students’ final course grade. If a student misses more than the number of requirements identified above, the circumstances will be examined by the Program Director and Program Manager and the student may be required to leave the program temporarily to re-establish the proper sequencing of program requirements, or to withdraw from the program altogether, as appropriate.
BLPT Students Missing Requirements in Elective Courses that are Part of the Full-Time MBA Program
BLPT students taking electives that are part of the full-time MBA program (and not BLPT MBA program developed electives) will be subject to the midterm, final examination and other policies that apply to those courses as outlined in the MBA Academic Handbook
Students with questions about these policies for missed requirements can reach out to an Academic Advisor at askblpt@mcmaster.ca.
PEER REVIEW ADJUSTMENT PROCESS FOR BLPT DESIGNATED COURSES
The purpose of the peer review adjustment process is to encourage student teams to develop good team management practices and to have team members’ contributions to team deliverables reflected in their marks for that work. Experience with group work has shown that most troubles arise because: a) individuals do not respect the group process, and/or b) there is lack of proper communication among group members.
For teams, an initial group meeting should happen as early as possible so that parameters are set right away (e.g., when the group will meet virtually, what collaborative tools they will use, what are the expected standards of work, when are the milestones, when are the internal deadlines, and how will preliminary assignment of individual tasks be determined). Students’ first step should be the development of an online group calendar that can block off individual commitments and highlight dates and times that are free for all group members so that coordination of meetings is seamless. The worst thing a student can do is surprise their group with a long-standing commitment at the last minute. This is what typically starts group work off on the wrong foot.
To assist teams in coming to terms with group members who may not be performing up to standards, students are encouraged to complete an interim draft version of the peer evaluation form (located in each Avenue to Learn course shell) and use it to guide discussion within their team. This is for the students’ own development and does NOT need to be submitted to the instructor. Everyone on the team deserves feedback and it is important that you provide it early (around the 50% of work done mark) and definitely prior to the completion of the second residency. If you feel there has been a discrepancy in the contributions of your group members, peer reviews should be submitted on Avenue within 48 hours after the deadline of each group assignment.
If problems persist during the term, it is imperative that they are raised and documented to the instructor and TA as early as possible. A certain level of group disharmony is typically present in every group project. Students’ ability to manage through the conflict and leverage the talents of everyone is an important skill. It will serve them well in their workplace, where collaborative work is ever present, as well as in the MBA program.
Instructors will arrange and administer formal peer review processes to adjust students’ marks to reflect their contributions to team deliverables. Instructors will explain the details of how they will manage peer review adjustments for a class early in the semester. The instructor’s mark adjustment may reduce the final mark on a group assignment for a student by up to 25%. In other words, if a group receives a grade of 85% for an assignment, an instructor may choose to adjust that final grade down to as far as 60% if the peer review adjustment form indicates that an individual did not complete his/her fair share. Please note, the downward adjustment of up to 25% is the maximum adjustment that can be assigned. An instructor may choose NOT to apply an adjustment and may choose to assign a penalty that is only a fraction of what his/her peers recommended.