Open Acadia - Student Handbook

General Information for Continuous Intake Courses

Course timeline and completion dates

Students have six months from their course start date to complete an online, continuous-intake course. Please refer to the course enrolment email you received upon registration to make note of your specific course end date and save this correspondence for future reference. Questions regarding course dates should be directed to the Registrar’s Office .

All online, continuous-intake courses have a recommended schedule included in the course syllabus provided by the course instructor. Students are encouraged to review the course syllabus and use the schedule as a course planning tool. You may progress through the course at your own pace, but rushing through a course is not advised. If you intend to complete a course in less than 3 months, contact your instructor to discuss your expected timeline to ensure their schedule can accommodate. Written approval from your instructor is required.

Students returning to Acadia to continue full-time studies in the fall semester are expected to complete their online, continuous-intake course(s) before the start of classes in September. If this is not possible, contact your department head or director for written permission to carry over your online courses into the fall semester. Courses carried into the fall are subject to the overload regulations found in the Academic Calendar .

Textbooks

Textbooks for Open Acadia courses are available from the Acadia University Campus Store. Textbook orders can be placed online at Acadia University Campus Store .

Assignments

Assignments should be submitted as outlined by your instructor. Please make sure to retain a copy of all assignments as a backup in case the original submission is lost or misplaced. Remember to include your name and student number on each assignment.

Generally, no more than two assignments should be submitted at one time, unless otherwise indicated in the course material. Instructors need time to grade assignments and exams, and though they make every effort to accommodate student schedules, they may not be able to mark assignments on short notice.

All course assignments must be completed to the satisfaction of the course instructor before they will provide approval to write the final examination.

Examinations

You must pass your final exam to pass your course unless otherwise specified by your instructor.

If your online, continuous-intake course requires an exam to be scheduled in advance, either for writing with a proctor, or for writing online in Moodle, please complete the exam request form for the corresponding course in Moodle .

It is essential that you consult with your instructor well in advance of submitting an exam request. At least seven (7) business days' notice is required before your preferred exam date, but exams cannot be scheduled more than one month in advance.

Acadia allows examinations to be proctored at other educational institutions. If you are in a remote area, other proctoring arrangements may be considered.

For more information on scheduling and writing examinations, please visit the Online Learning Exams page .

Grades

The Registrar's Office will not release grades by phone or e-mail. To access your grade, log into your account in the Colleague Student Self-Service area of myAcadia . For specific details on Acadia’s grading system, please refer to the current Academic Calendar .

Library Services

Online students are offered special library services relevant to their courses. These include library loans, as well as access to the library catalogue, print and electronic journals, article indexes and reference databases, inter-library loans, and research assistance. To learn more about accessing the library as an online student, please visit their Distance Education page .

Accessibility Services

Acadia University is committed to ensuring that all students have equal access to education and are fully supported in achieving their academic goals. While we attempt to ensure that all courses are accessible, we recognize that there are barriers that need to be addressed on an individual basis. Students who require accommodations to complete coursework or to otherwise fully participate in class should contact Accessible Learning Services for support. Please visit the Accessible Learning Services website .

Writing Centre

The Writing Centre offers free help to all students wishing to improve their writing skills. To find out more about the services and support available, visit the Writing Centre’s website .

Policies for Online, Continuous-Intake Courses

Some of the policies specific to online, continuous-intake courses are outlined below. For comprehensive information on Acadia University’s policies and procedures, please refer to the current Academic Calendar . It is expected that each student who registers at Acadia University will be familiar with the contents of this Calendar.

Extensions

To apply for an extension to complete your online, continuous-intake course, submit the request through the Extension Request form housed in the Hub Service Portal. Students can request ONE extension.

Extensions are at the discretion of your instructor and may be for any duration up to a maximum of 6 months. When you apply for an extension, provide a detailed explanation outlining why you will not be able to complete the course on time. Also include a plan on how you will complete the course if the extension is approved.

A course extension extends your course from the originally scheduled completion date, not from the date you request the extension. If granted, payment is required to process the extension. The fee for a course extension request is $150.00.

Exceptional circumstances will be considered, but the extension might not be granted by the instructor if:

you have not been submitting coursework regularly
you do not provide sufficient information about why you require an extension
you do not submit the request at least one month prior to your original completion date

Note: A balance owing on your Student Account, may prevent you from obtaining an extension.

Withdrawals

To withdraw from an online, continuous-intake course follow the procedures on the Withdrawal Form page in the Hub Service Portal.

When withdrawing, you acknowledge the following withdrawal deadlines, refund amounts, and grade results:

Grade Implications for Withdrawals from Online Courses

Withdrawing within 30 days - the course will be removed from your transcript.
Withdrawing between 1 to 5 months - there will be a "W" for the course on your transcript.
Withdrawing after 5 months - there will be an "F" for the course on your transcript. If you do not complete the course and do not officially withdraw within 5 months, you will receive an "F".

Refund Policy on Withdrawals from Online Courses

Students withdrawing from an online course must inform Acadia in writing, and any applicable refunds will be based on the following:

If the withdrawal is within 10 days (and no course work has been submitted), there will be a full refund, less $100. If course work has been submitted, there will be a full refund, less a $291 fee.
If the withdrawal is between 11 days and 30 days, there will be a full refund, less $291 (or less $582 for a 6-credit hour course).
There are no refunds after 30 days.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity demands responsible use of the work of other scholars. It is compromised by academic dishonesty such as cheating and plagiarism. A student who is uncertain whether or not a course of action might constitute cheating or plagiarism should seek in advance the advice of the instructor involved.

The following are considered infractions of academic integrity and may lead to sanction:

a) Cheating is copying or the use of unauthorized aids or the intentional falsification or invention of information in any academic exercise.
b) Plagiarism is the act of presenting the ideas or words of another as one’s own. Students are required to acknowledge and document the sources of ideas that they use in their written work.
c) Self-plagiarism is also a form of plagiarism. It is the presentation of the same work in more than one course without the permission of the instructors involved.
d) A student who knowingly helps another to commit an act of academic dishonesty is equally guilty.

Penalties are levied in relation to the degree of the relevant infraction. They range from requiring the student to re-do the piece of work, through failure on that piece of work, to failure in the course, and to dismissal from the university.

Re-read Procedures

Any request to re-read an examination paper (or equivalent) must reach the Registrar via the re-read form within 30 days after the release of the final results.

All requests for a re-read will be directed by the Registrar to the director or head concerned for implementation. Re-reads of examinations will be conducted by the head/director of the unit involved and a second faculty member who has expertise in the subject area, after consultation with the original instructor. If the head/director is the instructor, the dean will designate a replacement to conduct the re-read.

Re-reads may be requested in any or all courses in which a student is registered without reference to class standing or the final grade assigned. A reread of a mid-year examination will be granted only after consultation with the head of the department or director of the school concerned. A student who requests a re-read in a course forfeits the grade originally assigned.

For additional information on Acadia's exam/midterm re-read procedure, please refer to the Examination and Grades section of the Registrar’s webpage.

Procedures for Complaints in Academic Matters

A complainant should first attempt to resolve the matter with the instructor. If it cannot be so resolved, the complaint, preferably in writing, must be presented to the appropriate head of department or director of the school who will investigate and attempt a resolution. If the matter cannot be settled by the head/director, it shall be referred to the appropriate dean of faculty. Any complainant may at any time have the assistance of the Vice-President Academic of the Acadia Students' Union.