Bachelor of Health Science
University of Calgary
Policies - New Page Version in Revision
Faculty Policies and Regulations
Students in the Faculty of Medicine are governed by the regulations in the Faculty of Medicine section of the University of Calgary Calendar as well by the general University regulations in the section titled Undergraduate Admissions and Academic Regulations. For the precise interpretation of any statement or regulation, students should feel free to contact the Coordinator, Student Affairs or Program Coordinator at the BHSc Office.
Guidelines for Requesting a Letter of Permission
Any admitted University of Calgary student must request a Letter of Permission in order to attend another institution and retain their U of C status (please note: students must have attended the University of Calgary within the last two years in order to apply for a Letter of Permission. If unsure please contact your Faculty Office).
If you are on academic probation, permission is normally denied. If you are on probation but still wish to pursue a letter of permission, please contact Program Coordinator, Jennifer Logan.
You may either check with the Bachelor of Health Sciences Coordinator of Student Aaffairs about the transferability of your courses, or for colleges in Alberta, you can check the Alberta Transfer Guide at: http://www.acat.gov.ab.ca/ , or the "Model Transfer Credit" link available through your PeopleSoft student center.
Dean's List
The Dean's List recognizes the outstanding academic achievement of students in the Faculty of Medicine. To be included, a student must achieve a GPA of at least 3.50 over all courses taken in the preceding Fall and Winter sessions, with a minimum of 10 HCE to be counted.
The Dean's List is compiled annually at the end of the Winter Session. A statement of inclusion on the Dean's List will be recorded on the student's transcript.
Student Appeals
Faculty of Medicine Bachelor of Health Sciences program Policy and Procedures Relating to Academic Appeals The Faculty has the authority and responsibility to hear any appeal related to matters under its jurisdiction including:
1. Course grades for all students registered in courses offered by the Faculty irrespective of the Faculty affiliations of those students;
2. Rulings related to general programme regulations of students registered in the Faculty of Medicine Bachelor of Health Sciences.
3. Denial of admission to the Faculty for failure to satisfy other Calendar requirements
The principles governing the hearing of appeals by Faculty Appeals Committees are:
1. That fairness should be applied to all parties in procedures and decisions;
2. That sound academic decisions should not be overturned on the basis of nonacademic technicalities; and
3. That academic decisions should be made as close as possible to the level on which the academic competence resides.
Fairness includes, but is not limited to, such practices as all parties to the appeal having the opportunity to be heard, all parties to the appeal being made aware of the evidence considered by the Committee and no individual sitting in judgment on an appeal at a higher level who has already been a party to the decision at a lower level. It is recognized that unfairness can arise from either the misapplication of otherwise fair regulations or the strict application of regulations that are in themselves unfair.
Launching an Appeal
Each appeal at the Faculty level must be addressed to the Associate Dean in writing and must describe clearly:
1. the nature of the grievance or decision involved;
2. the grounds on which the appeal is based;
3. the remedy sought, and, if appropriate;
4. a description of any actions taken or to be taken by the appellant to ensure the situation under appeal won’t occur in the future. It is strongly advised that copies of medical documentation, relevant letters and other relevant documents be attached to the appeal.
It is the responsibility of the appellants to submit in writing all information available to them which they consider relevant.
Depending on the assessment of the nature of the case, the Associate Dean may either
(a) refer without consideration the matter directly to an Appeals Committee of the Faculty for decision or resolution; or
(b) attempt to resolve the problem in a manner deemed appropriate in the circumstances and on the basis of such enquiries and consultations as are considered necessary, provided that if the appellant is not satisfied with the proposed resolution, the appellant may request that the matter be then formally referred to the Appeals Committee, the decision of which shall then be accepted by the Associate Dean.
Appeals shall be considered in the above manner against departmental or program decisions or against rulings made by the Office of the Associate Dean (Student Affairs).
To be considered, any appeal must be received by the Associate Dean within fifteen days of the event or issuance of the decision under appeal. For an appeal to be upheld, it must be shown that an injustice has occurred.
Before an appeal will be considered, the appellant must provide written documentation that he or she has sought an acceptable resolution at the departmental level, if appropriate. Course-related matters should be taken up first with the instructor and then with the Director of the student's major if a satisfactory resolution is not achieved.
Departmental/program procedures are at the discretion of the Director of the student's major and matched to the nature of the problem. In the special case of a challenge to a final grade, a student's first step must be consultation with the instructor and/or Director of the student's major followed, if necessary, by the submission of a standard "request for reappraisal" form. The latter will automatically initiate an independent Departmental/Program Review of final examination only, with the student's next recourse being at the Faculty level.
Where there is an appeal against alleged unfairness or bias in the awarding of a grade to a student, and the student has followed the appropriate regulations specified in the Calendar, at the discretion of the co-chairs, an independent assessment may be secured as follows:
(a) Where the appeal has been referred by the Associate Dean to the Appeals Committee, the Committee may choose the assessor in consultation with the Director of the student's major. If option 1(b) above has been pursued, the assessor, if needed, shall be chosen by agreement of the Associate Dean and the appellant.
(b) The assessor shall be provided with all materials used in the evaluation process, such as the course outline, grading keys, etc. The assessor shall also be provided with representative samples of students' papers in the course for comparative purposes, if such papers are available. The assessor shall be asked to confirm in writing the appropriateness of the previous grade and/or to propose a new grade and to provide reasons for such recommendation. The assessor must be made aware that his report will be made available to the appellant.
(c) The Associate Dean or Committee shall give very careful consideration to the recommendation of the assessor in arriving at a decision but in cases where good cause exists, are not bound by that recommendation. A copy of the assessor's report shall be made available to the appellant, together with the final decision of the Associate Dean or Committee.
The Faculty Academic Appeals Committee
There shall be a Committee established for the purpose of considering all appeals of an academic nature referred to it by the Associate Dean.
Composition of an Appeals Committee
The Faculty Appeals Committee will consist of at least two members from each Department, nominated by the Academic Affairs Committee and appointed by the Dean for a two-year term. Renewal shall be possible for a second, but not a third consecutive term. At least two of the members will be appointed by the Dean as co-chairs of the Committee and they shall always be from different Departments. During hearings the Committee will be composed of one member from each Department and one of the co-chairs will be identified as the Chair for the hearing. During extended hearings, the co-chairs will rotate as Chair. The Committee to hear any particular case shall consist of at least four faculty members (to include at least one of the co-chairs (and hence Chair) and to exclude, when appropriate, the member from the Department against which the student is appealing) and a student member appointed by the Students' Union. A quorum shall be four members to include the Chair and the student member.
Challenges to the Composition of the Committee
An appellant has the right to challenge, for cause, any member of the Committee. The validity of the challenge shall be judged by the Chair. If the Chair is challenged, such challenge shall be judged by the remainder of the Committee. If the members are equally divided in their opinions on the validity of the challenge, such challenge shall not be upheld. Such cause may include current teacher/student relationships, evidence of potential bias, or any other factor likely to prejudice a fair hearing. The appellant must inform the Dean's Office of the desire to challenge a member of the Committee at least one week prior to the start of the appeal hearing.
Notice of Hearing
The Committee will proceed without unnecessary delay to consider the appeal and will normally respond to it within one month of its initiation. The Chair will give at least fifteen days written notice of the hearing to the appellant and to the party or parties against whom the appeal is made. The notice will include information on the composition of the Appeals Committee. Where a course is involved, the notice will also be sent to the instructor of the course.
Preparation of the Appeal File
(a) In the case of option 1(a) where an appeal is referred to the appeals Committee, the Associate Dean's Office shall provide the file of written material pertinent to the case to the co-chairs as soon as possible. The co-chairs will seek any information they deem necessary to augment the written material provided to them. The co-chairs shall decide if all the available material provides grounds on which the Appeals Committee should hear the case. At the discretion of the co-chairs the appeal maybe upheld without a hearing. If the co-chairs decide that appropriate grounds have not been stated, the case will not be heard by the Appeals Committee and the appeal denied. The appellant will be informed of the decision in writing and will be given one further opportunity to resubmit his or her appeal to the co-chairs of the Appeals Committee.
(b) If the committee is asked to hear the case the parties to the appeal may provide to the co-chairs any further documentation for inclusion in the appeal record. The Committee will itself determine and seek all additional information and documentation which it considers necessary for the achievement of a fair resolution of the appeal. This will include statements from those responsible for the decision under appeal. In particular, when an appeal is made against an instructor or is a challenge against a final grade, the Director of the student's major, and/or the instructor, will have the opportunity to make a submission. The decision of the Appeals Committee will be based solely on the evidence presented at the hearing and on prior written submissions which will be available to all parties.
(c) The co-chairs will make available to all parties to the appeal, at least seven days prior to the hearing, all relevant documents received by the co-chairs pursuant to paragraphs 6(a) and (b).
(d) A party to the appeal may request that the Committee consider a confidential document without divulging its specific contents to the other party because of overriding interests of privilege, confidentiality, or otherwise. The Committee shall, in such cases, only consider the confidential material if the other party to the appeal can be reasonably and fairly apprised of the general nature of the contents.
Procedures Governing Appeal Hearings
The following guidelines shall apply to the procedures of the Committee:
(a) One of the co-chairs will act as chair of the Appeal hearing
(b) The Committee will have access to all relevant documents pursuant to paragraphs 6(a) and (b).
(c) The Committee will provide opportunities for the appellant and the party responsible for the decision under appeal (or their representative) to appear before it and to participate. In the case of an appeal against several individuals or a Department/Program, a departmental/program representative will be given the opportunity to appear before the Committee.
(d) The Committee may, if special circumstances exist, allow the appellant and/or the person responsible for the decision under appeal, to be accompanied by another individual to assist with the presentation of information. The decision to do so will be made by the Chair on presentation of the name and occupation of the individual. This must be made known at least three days in advance of the meeting.
(e) In the case of a group appeal, the Committee at its discretion, will normally provide the opportunity for a single spokesperson for the group to appear before it but may interview others at the hearing at its discretion.
(f) To protect the confidentiality of student records, Committee meetings shall not normally be open. The presence of observers shall be at the Chair discretion following receipt of specific requests, in advance of the meeting, relating to a particular appeal case.
(g) Both parties to the appeal shall have the opportunity to ask questions, through the Chair, about the evidence presented at the hearing. Those persons with the best knowledge of the circumstances should be invited to appear at the hearing to assist the Committee. For appeals against an instructor or a Department, the instructor and the Director of the student's major or representative will have the opportunity to appear. All such invitations shall be made through the Chair in writing.
(h) If either or both parties fail to appear before the Committee, the Committee will proceed on the basis of the written submissions of that party or of both parties.
(i) Proceedings at meetings shall not be tape-recorded unless the Committee considers this essential to assist it in its task.
(j) Only members shall be present when the Committee considers its final decision. The Committee must arrive at a decision or resolution which is supported by at least three members present during its deliberations. In this context, the Chair is a voting member.
(k) The Committee (through a letter written by the Chair) shall report its decision to the Dean without undue delay. Except under provision 1(b) the Dean may solicit further information from the Chair and has the authority to both approve and overturn the Committee’s decision.
(l) The decision will be made known without undue delay to the appellant, the Associate Dean (Student Affairs), the Director of the UPO, and the Registrar in writing, and, if appropriate, the instructor and Director of the student's major of Department/Program. The Committee's (or Dean’s) report should include a brief description of the procedures followed and a concise statement of the factors leading to the decision. The Chair of the Appeals Committee will normally represent the Faculty at any subsequent appeals of the decision.
(m) If in a particular case the Committee wishes to suggest that useful actions might be taken to improve Faculty regulations or procedures, or to avoid recurrence of certain problem situations, appropriate recommendations or comments should be transmitted to the Dean in a separate memorandum, with copies to the instructor, Head of Department, and Associate Dean (Student Affairs), when appropriate.
Bearing in mind the possibility of further appeal, the Committee Chair should retain adequate notes on the case in order to be able to respond to subsequent queries
