Difficulties Completing Coursework
Having difficulty understanding the course content?
Academic Skills focuses on helping you review and revise the skills you apply to navigating course work. There may be a strategy that you are not currently using that you might find helpful to work through the course content. https://www.trentu.ca/academicskills/how-guides/how-manage-your-time
Academic Skills Instructors offer appointments with students which might be another helpful resource to you: https://www.trentu.ca/academicskills/appointments
The next step we would recommend would be to reach out to your course instructor either through email or their office hours to discuss the course content and identify which parts you are struggling to keep up with. They might be able to help walk you through the content in a way to better understand the subject or provide some recommendations on strategies for approaching the content. An academic advisor would advise you on resources that are available on campus to support your learning, and help you understand degree and program requirements.
Although Academic Skills Instructors (and Academic Advisors) do not offer tutoring for courses, they can certainly connect you to options for tutoring if that might be helpful. Additionally, the TCSA sponsors the Nimbus tutoring app on campus - Nimbus hires, trains, and provides a virtual platform for scheduling, meeting, and payment of tutors - they are all Trent students and many of them are also advertised on the tutor board on the Academic Skills website: https://www.trentu.ca/academicskills/welcome/tutor-board
Difficulties with Completion of Coursework
There are three options available to students who have difficulties with the completion of their coursework for reasons beyond their control: (1) if they cannot complete their coursework before the end of the academic session, they may request incomplete standing; (2) if they cannot write the final examination in the course, and arranging an alternate exam is not a reasonable option, they may request aegrotat standing; (3) if they wish to withdraw from the course altogether, but have missed the deadline for withdrawal without academic penalty, they may petition for late withdrawal. These three options are described in detail below. (Reference: page 501 of the 2021-2022 Undergraduate Academic Calendar)
1. Incomplete Standing
Incomplete standing permits students to prearrange with their instructor to submit any remaining work in a course by a specified date after the end of the academic session. Failure by students to organize their workload is not considered adequate grounds for incomplete standing. A petition for incomplete standing must be made to the instructor and approved by the chair before the department or program deadline (if there is one), but in any case before submission of final grades to the Office of the Registrar.
The instructor specifies the deadline for submission of outstanding work and the grade which will be assigned if the deadline is not met. The latest possible deadlines for the submission of outstanding grades can be found in the Academic Calendar.
2. Aegrotat Standing
Students may, if eligible, be exempt from writing the final examination in a course. A request for aegrotat standing must be made to the instructor as soon as the relevant circumstances are known and normally before the scheduled examination time. Supporting documentation must be provided. An aegrotat standing is granted only if the student has completed the required term work with a passing average. Aegrotat standing marks are determined using a calculated final examination mark for the student in question. The examination mark is calculated by adding to the student’s term mark the class final examination average minus the class term-work average.
This Aegrotat Calculator can be used to help with the calculations.
3. Late Withdrawal
Late withdrawal may be granted to students who have missed the final date for withdrawal from courses but, for reasons judged to be compelling, have been unable to complete their coursework. A petition for late withdrawal is made to the Committee on Undergraduate Petitions through an academic advisor as soon as possible. The petition may be submitted up until the final deadline for late withdrawal 60 days after the start of the following academic term (which includes the summer term). If the petition is granted, the course will remain on the student’s transcript with a grade of WDN (meaning withdrawn).