Faculty regulations
Faculty of Education Regulation on Professional Ethics
As future teachers, graduates of the Faculty of Education’s Bachelor of Education and Certificate of Education programs will be responsible for the physical safety, the psychological health and educational well being of students (children, adolescent or adult) in schools. In Ontario, teacher candidates are associate members of the Ontario Teachers Federation and subject to its standards of professional ethics during their practicum. Under the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession of the Ontario College of Teachers, teachers must also demonstrate care, integrity, respect and trust in all of their interactions with students, parents, other teachers, school personnel and with members of the public.
While the Faculty of Education recognizes that its teacher candidates are learning their professional responsibilities as teachers, it expects all of its teacher candidates to demonstrate that they have the knowledge, attitudes and capacities needed to be responsible for the physical safety, the psychological health and educational well being of students (children, adolescent or adult) before they are placed in a school or other practice teaching situation. It further expects that they will at all times demonstrate care, integrity, respect and trust in their interactions with each other, with the representatives of the Faculty of Education and during their practicum with students (children, adolescent or adult), parents, other teachers, principals, other school personnel and with members of the public.
The following procedures apply to this regulation:
1. Prior to the Practicum
a) Only those teacher candidates who demonstrate that they can act with care, respect, integrity and trust and that they have the knowledge, attitudes and capacities needed to be responsible for the physical safety, the psychological health and educational well being of students (children, adolescent or adult) will be placed in the practicum.
b) If a teacher candidate has not demonstrated the required qualities (care, integrity, respect or trust), or if the Faculty has well founded reason the believe that the teacher candidate may endanger the physical safety, psychological health or educational well being of students (children, adolescent or adult), the director of the Teacher Education or Formation à l’enseignement program may deny a practicum placement to the teacher candidate. In the absence of the program director, the decision to refuse a practicum must be made by the Vice-Dean Academic Programs or the Dean.
The teacher candidate must be informed in writing of this determination and the reasons for it within five working days.
2. During the Practicum
a) A teacher candidate will be immediately withdrawn from the practicum if he or she puts at risk the physical safety, the psychological health or educational well being of students (children, adolescent or adult), or otherwise demonstrates an absence of care, respect, integrity or trust.
b) Such determination may be made by the school principal, by another school board official such as a director of education, or by the Director of Teacher Education or of Formation à l’enseignement, the Vice Dean (Academic Programs) or the Dean of Education. The teacher candidate must be informed in writing of this determination and the reasons for it, normally within five working days of the withdrawal from the practicum.
c) In the event of such a determination, the teacher candidate will only be placed in another practicum by the Director of Teacher Education or of Formation à l’enseignement, [ or in his or her absence the Vice-Dean (Academic Programs) or the Dean of Education ] , when the teacher candidate demonstrates that he or she
i) no longer poses a risk to students (children, adolescent or adult);
ii) is capable of acting with care, respect, integrity and trust, and;
iii) has the knowledge, attitudes and capacities needed to be responsible for their physical safety, psychological health and educational well being.
3. Denial or Withdrawal from Practicum
In the event that a teacher candidate is denied or withdrawn from the practicum under this regulation, a committee consisting of three regular professors will examine the case.
a) The committee must normally meet within ten working days of the written notification to the teacher candidate of the decision to deny a practicum.
b) The committee may make one of three decisions:
i) it may uphold the denial of a practicum placement;
ii) it may identify conditions that the teacher candidate must satisfy before being placed in a practicum; or,
iii) it may authorize the placement of the teacher candidate in another practicum.
c) The teacher candidate may make a written submission to the committee and may request to appear before it.
d) The committee must provide written reasons for its decision.
e) In the event that the committee upholds the decision to bar the teacher candidate from the practicum, a grade of F will be noted on the teacher candidate’s transcript for the practicum and the teacher candidate will be withdrawn from the program.
f) In the event that the committee identifies conditions that the teacher candidate must satisfy before being placed in a practicum, a grade of E will be noted on the teacher candidate’s transcript for the practicum.
4. Right of Appeal
The teacher candidate may appeal the decision of the committee through the normal procedures associated with a grade appeal as defined by the Senate of the University of Ottawa.
Attendance
Regular attendance in classes, seminars, and workshops is compulsory. At the beginning of the session, the professor must communicate to the students the exact requirements to this effect.
Occasional Teaching
In compliance with the Ontario College of Teachers’ regulations, it is strictly forbidden to accept supply teaching contracts in publicly funded schools while enrolled in the Teacher Education Program.
Absence from examinations and practicums
1. Students must justify their absence due to illness by a certificate authenticated by Health Services and given to the academic secretariat during the week following the examination. Students who write an examination or are doing a practicum during the period specified on this certificate may not plead illness to appeal their examination or practicum results.
2. Absence for any other reason must be justified in writing no later than five working days after the examination. The Faculty reserves the right to accept or reject the reason offered; travel, summer employment and misreading the examination schedule are not usually accepted.
3. Students who have been authorized to miss a final or supplemental examination for an acceptable reason will be allowed to write a deferred examination on a date chosen by the Faculty.
4. Students who have been authorized to defer a practicum, must complete the requirement within one year. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Faculty regarding practicum placement.
Supplemental examinations
Supplemental examinations consist of a written examination or additional assignments. Students who fail a course have the right to one supplemental examination in which they must obtain 60 per cent standing to be successful.
Revision of marks
Preamble
The University recognizes the right of all students to see any of their written tests, assignments or examinations for courses in which they are registered, after the work in question has been marked, and to appeal these marks. A mark may be changed only on the basis of reassessment of tests, assignments, or examinations already submitted for a course. Students can view their grades by using their password to access InfoWeb. The date on which final grades are officially posted on the Web site is indicated in the sessional date. The appeal procedure for the Faculty starts on that date. Students who are not satisfied with a mark they have obtained for written work should first approach the professor. If this does not prove satisfactory, students should contact the program director. If the question cannot be resolved at that level, the student may address a request to the secretary of the faculty.
Appeal at the faculty level
1. Time limit. The request for revision of a mark must be filed within four weeks of the communication of the mark in question.
2. Dossier submitted by the student. The student must submit to the secretary of the Faculty a dossier including: 1) a letter explaining the reasons for requesting a revision; 2) the following documentation supporting the request: a) the course outline; b) a copy of the assignment as marked by the professor; c) an unmarked copy of the same assignment; d) any other document considered pertinent. The responsibility to provide these documents rests entirely with the student. A copy of the student’s dossier will be forwarded to the professor.
3. Dossier submitted by the professor. The professor will have two weeks to submit a dossier including: 1) comments on the student’s letter; 2) the course outline; 3) the evaluation criteria as communicated to the students; 4) any other document considered pertinent. The responsibility to provide these documents rests entirely with the professor.
4. The secretary of the Faculty will appoint one or two evaluators. The names of the evaluators will be kept confidential.
5. Dossier submitted to the evaluators. The evaluators will be provided with: 1) a copy of the student’s request; 2) the course outline; 3) the unmarked copy of the assignment; 4) the documents considered pertinent by the student; 5) the dossier submitted by the professor.
6. The evaluators will work independently. The time limit for submitting the evaluation is two weeks.
7. In light of the evaluations, the appeal committee will determine the revised mark. It may be identical to, lower or higher than the original mark.
8. The secretary of the Faculty will inform the student by letter of the result of the appeal. A copy of the letter will be sent to the professor, to the program director and to the members of the appeal committee.
9. A student cannot withdraw an appeal once the revised mark has been assigned.
10. The student or the professor who is not satisfied with the outcome of such action may appeal to the Senate committee for the study of individual cases.
Undergraduate level: Address requests to:
Assistant secretary general,
Senate committee for the study of individual cases
University of Ottawa
Tabaret Hall
550 Cumberland Street
Ottawa , ON K1N 6N5
The following is the grading scale for all undergraduate and Professional Development courses in the Faculty of Education:
| Letter grade | Numerical value | Percentage scale value |
| A+ | 10 | 90-100 |
| A | 9 | 85-89 |
| A- | 8 | 80-84 |
| B+ | 7 | 75-79 |
| B | 6 | 70-74 |
| C+ | 5 | 65-69 |
| C | 4 | 60-64 |
| E1 | 1 | 40-59 |
| F | 0 | 0-39 |
| ABS | 0 | Absent |
| INC | 0 | Failure/Incomplete |
| Other non-numerical grades - do not affect the student’s average | ||
| P* | - | Pass |
| S* | - | Satisfactory |
| NS* | ||
| * | Excluded from the average | |
1 Redeemable failure in the Faculty of Education.
Note: All grades below “C” are failing grades for undergraduate
students in the Faculty of Education.
A+: 90-100; A: 85-89; A-: 80-84; B+: 75-79; B: 70-74; C+: 65-69;
C: 60-64; E: 40-59; F: 0-39.
Practica marks
In circumstances where a redeemable failing grade “E” has been obtained in a pass/fail course, once the course has been passed, the “E” will not be counted in the cumulative average. However, the final grade of “S” may not be used for application towards a prix d’excellence.
Final standing
To obtain a B. Ed., a student must meet the following conditions:
A. Practice of teaching
1. Obtain the grade of “S” (satisfactory) in the two teaching practica (including the make up practicum, if applicable). While on practicum, students must at all times comply with the ethical standards of the teaching profession established by the Faculty of Education, the Ontario Teachers Federation and its affiliated bodies and with the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession of the Ontario College of Teachers. Any violation of these standards will result in the immediate withdrawal of the student from the practicum.
2. A student may receive no more than one grade of “E” (failure with the right to a make-up practicum) in his or her practica. Any student who obtains an “E” in the practicum must complete a make-up practicum, of a duration equal to that of the failed practicum.
A make-up practicum must be held at a date determined by the Faculty within twelve months after the end of the session in which the practicum was originally scheduled. Students must pay the cost of a make-up practicum. For the practicum (including a make-up practicum), if a grade of “E” (failure with the right to a make-up) is obtained twice, the grade of “F” (failure with no make-up) will be entered on the transcript. This grade results in the compulsory withdrawal of the student from the program and the Faculty.
The Faculty of Education will make reasonable efforts to place a student in the practicum so that the placement meets the academic requirements of the program, and, where necessary, to accommodate the student’s documented special needs. If the Faculty is unable to find a suitable placement for a student within twelve months after the end of the session in which the practicum was originally scheduled to take place, the student will be asked to withdraw from the program. If a student unreasonably refuses a practicum placement, the Faculty of Education may ask the student to withdraw from the program.
B. Other conditions
1. Pass every course in the program with a mark of at least 60% (C), excluding PED1599, which is an extra-curricular course and must be passed with a grade of “S” (satisfactory). A grade of “E” (failure with the right to a make-up) means that the student must pass a make-up assignment(s) or examination as determined by the professor in consultation with the Director of Teacher Education. If the student passes the make-up assignment(s) or examination, the new mark will be entered on the transcript. If the student fails, an “F” (failure with no make-up) will be entered on the transcript. A grade of “F” (failure with no make-up) for a course results in the compulsory withdrawal of the student from the program and the Faculty.
2. Submit required assignments by the date specified in the course outline. Failure to submit assignments results in a grade of “EIN” (Failure/Incomplete). Such symbol is equivalent to a grade of “F” (failure with no make-up).
3. Provide proof of an acceptable level of competence in the language of instruction, i.e. English, as well as French in the case of the French Teaching Option. If applicable, obtain an “S”(satisfactory) in the extra-curricular course PED 1599 (FSL students).
4. Guidelines in the case of failure in PED1599:
Students who fail the PED1599 make-up exam and who wish to continue working for their degree must register again in the upgrading course offered by the Faculty of Education in the following September.
Before re-registering in PED1599, it is strongly recommended that students take two university-level French First Language courses. These courses should mainly involve grammar and writing because these are the areas where the greatest weaknesses have been noted. These courses can be taken in the summer or during the academic year.
Students must re-register for the PED1599 upgrading course and pass according to the requirements of this course, which means obtaining an “S” (satisfactory) on the exam.
Students must pay the cost for making up this course. Students who take EDU 1599 a second time but fail both the final exam and the make-up exam, will not be granted a degree.
Citations
| Cum laude | 8.0 - 8.9 |
| Magna cum laude | 9.0 - 9.4 |
| Summa cum laude | 9.5 - 10.0 |