4.3. Academic Offence Appeals

Students have the right to access the Academic Offence Appeal process if they have reasonable grounds and can prove that the Academic Offence did not occur, that their academic work had merit, that a procedural error occurred, or that they experienced any unfair treatment. Reasonable grounds are required in order to pursue an Academic Offence Appeal and there are four categories of reasonable grounds:

• Merit of Work: a claim of erroneous assessment of a student’s academic work – the student is able to prove that their academic work had merit and the Academic Offence did not occur or the student is able to prove that their academic work was not compromised or fully compromised by an Academic Offence that did occur.

• Procedural Error: a claim that a College policy, procedure, or rule has been overlooked, misinterpreted, or misapplied – the student is able to prove that an error occurred during the Academic Offence process or the student is able to prove that an error occurred while their academic work was being assessed resulting in an Academic Offence that did not occur. .

• Any Other Unfair Treatment: a claim that a College decision was unfair, unjust, prejudiced, unreasonable, excessive, or inconsistent – the student is able to prove that their academic work was assessed unfairly and that an Academic Offence did not occur or the student is able to prove that a Warning was issued or Penalty was applied unfairly.

• Compassionate Grounds: a claim that an illness, medical or legal situation, or other extenuating or compelling circumstance has affected timely completion of academic activity (please note that Compassionate Grounds are not an excuse for an Academic Offence that has occurred but, Compassionate Grounds could result in the consideration of a lesser Penalty).

Academic Appeals Process

The Academic Offence Appeal process is detailed in Policy A128: Student Appeals and consists of the following steps:

The student should request a meeting with the Course Instructor to discuss the Academic Offence and attempt to resolve the situation informally. If the student and the Course Instructor are not able to resolve the situation informally, the student should pursue a Step 1 Academic Offence Appeal by doing the following within 7 business days of receiving the Academic Offences Form:

Step 1

• Prepare a brief statement that addresses the Academic Offence, identifies and explains their reasonable grounds for their Academic Offence Appeal, and presents the outcome the student hopes to achieve by way of the Academic Offence Appeal.

• Collect documentation that addresses the Academic Offence and supports the student’s reasonable grounds. It is the student’s responsibility to present a logical and compelling case, based on documented evidence that supports their reasonable grounds.

• Complete the online Notice of Appeal Form and upload the brief statement and supporting documentation as attachments. Please note that students will be required to log in with their FanshaweOnline email address and password.

• Send their Associate Dean an email requesting a meeting to discuss their Step 1 Academic Offence Appeal. Please note that the confirmation number assigned to the Step 1 Academic Offence Appeal upon submission of the online Notice of Appeal Form should be referenced in the email to the Associate Dean.

The Registrar’s Office will process students’ Appeal packages (Notice of Appeal Form, brief statement, and supporting documentation) and will send the processed Appeal packages to the Manager of Academic Integrity and the appropriate Associate Dean. Students can expect to meet with their Associate Deans and have their Step 1 Academic Offence Appeals decided within 7 business days of submitting their online Notice of Appeal Form with their brief statement and supporting documentation as attachments.

Step 2

A Step 2 Academic Offence Appeal can be pursued only after the completion of a Step 1 Academic Offence Appeal. The student must prepare and present a documented case with the objective of demonstrating that the issue of the Step 1 Academic Offence Appeal has not been resolved. Step 2 Academic Offence Appeals are decided by Deans.

Step 3

A Step 3 Academic Offence Appeal can be pursued only after the completion of a Step 2 Academic Offence Appeal. Step 3 Academic Offence Appeals involve a formal hearing before a Committee of Review. Both the student and the Dean who decided the Step 2 Academic Offence Appeal present their cases to the Committee of Review. Step 3 Academic Offence Appeals are decided by the Committee of Review and their decisions are final.