Academic Advocacy
The Appeal deadlines for Winter 2025 courses and academic standings is Tuesday, May 20th at 4:00pm est. Need to appeal? Speak to your instructor or program director or review one of our past work shops here.
Need academic advice? TMAPS Academic Advocacy is here to help!
TMAPS’ Student Rights Coordinator can assist with grade appeals or standing appeals, issues related to academic integrity or findings of academic misconduct or other concerns to do with the internal processes of Toronto Metropolitan University. The Student Rights Coordinator is an Advocate for students and is recognized by TMU in this capacity. Seek guidance from the Student Rights Coordinator to help you navigate the university’s policies and to protect your student rights.
Have a concern you would like some help with?
Book an appointment with the Student Rights Coordinator during the weekly drop in hours:
If there are no available time slots during the drop in hours and you have an urgent issue, email or call to request the earliest opportunity for an appointment.
Contact TMAPS’s Student Rights Coordinator at studentrights@tmaps.ca, or call 416-979-5000 x1-557056
Contact studentrights@tmaps.ca with your questions or to book an appointment.
Upcoming Academic Advocacy Workshops
Worried about your grades or academic standing? The appeal deadline for Winter 2025 is Tuesday, May 20th at 4:00PM EST. Consult with your professor or program as soon as issues arise, then register to attend any of the following webinars hosted by TMAPS, TMGSU, TMSU, and the Ombudsperson’s office. The webinars will be approximately two hours long.
Academic Standing Issues: What Are My Options?
May 8th – 12:00PM EST
May 12th – 5:00PM EST
How to Write a Strong Appeal
May 13th -5:00PM EST
May 14th – 12:00PM EST
Know your Rights
If you feel you are being discriminated against or harassed, you should consult with the Human Rights Services office of Toronto Metropolitan University. Everyone at the university should feel safe and be treated with dignity. If you feel you are being treated unfairly based on any of the protected human rights grounds – your race, ethnic background, age, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual identity or expression, marital status, family status, disability, etc., you should check in with Human Rights Services for assistance.
Human Rights Services | Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion (OVPECI)
350 Victoria Street,
Podium 254-A
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5B 2K3
Academic Considerations: Asking for Deferrals or Extensions for Missed Assignments, Tests and Exams
NOTIFICATION – IT’S VERY IMPORTANT
You are required to notify your instructor in advance, where possible, if you are unable to submit an assignment, or write a test or exam and would like to request academic consideration such as an extension or a deferral. If you are unable to notify your instructor in advance, you must do so within three working days. If you are beyond the three working day timeline, you will need to explain why and be aware that your request for consideration may not be granted due to exceeding the deadline. Send an email to your instructor or to distance@torontomu.ca (for Chang School courses) briefly explaining which academic component you will miss or have missed from the course(s) in question.
Students are expected to use the online Academic Consideration Request (ACR) system. The link to the ACR online system can be found on the Senate Resources page, scroll down to “Online Academic Consideration Requests.”
AREAS OF CONSIDERATION
Under Toronto Metropolitan University policy, consideration for missed assignments, tests and exams are only granted for religious observance reasons, or Extenuating Circumstances (Health or Compassionate)grounds under Toronto Metropolitan University Senate Policy #167, Academic Consideration.
For religious observance grounds, you must have notified your instructor of your accommodation needs at the start of the term. You are required to complete a Student Declaration of Religious Observance Form.
LATE ARRIVAL FOR AN EXAM
If you have been refused entry into an exam room because you were more than 30 minutes late, you should follow up with your professor about what happened right away. If you are unwell, visit your health professional as soon as possible and have them complete the Toronto Metropolitan University Health Certificate. Be prepared to follow the process outlined above regarding Academic Consideration and formally request a make-up exam.
Have questions or need some support? Email studentrights@tmaps.ca
Feeling unwell and have to miss an exam? Not sure what Academic Consideration is? Need academic accommodations based on your disability? Not sure you want to use turnitin.com? Accused of academic misconduct and need an advocate? TMAPS can help!
- Read Toronto Metropolitan University University’s Statement on Student Rights and Responsibilities
- Watch these short videos and know your rights as a student. If you have questions or need support, email studentrights@tmaps.ca
Opt-out of turnitin.com
Academic Accommodation
Academic Misconduct
Academic Success
Understanding online/hybrid learning with Zoom, D2L and Google Suite
Are you enrolled in an online or hybrid course and concerned with learning digitally? This session will provide an introduction to studying online at Toronto Metropolitan University and how to access your coursework ahead of class. Through this session we will discuss how to access your course shells on D2L and the different Google Programs you have access to through your university email. Additionally, we will discuss online etiquette related to participating in Zoom classrooms, communicating with your instructors and how to meaningfully engage in a digital learning environment.
Navigating Academic Integrity and Student Rights
Accessing Online Learning Support & Accommodations Support
As a student you may encounter barriers to accessing education or face a few challenges with particular requirements in your curriculum. This workshop will cover the various resources available through Student Learning Support and explain some basics about Academic Accommodation Support (AAS), which is available for students with disabilities. Remember, academic accommodations are more than just physical barriers and this is a stigma-free space.
Prioritizing and Maintaining Mental Health & Wellbeing in Academic Consideration
As a student you may encounter barriers to accessing education or face a few challenges with particular requirements in your curriculum. This workshop will cover the various resources available through Student Learning Support and explain some basics about Academic Accommodation Support (AAS), which is available for students with disabilities. Remember, academic accommodations are more than just physical barriers and this is a stigma-free space.
Appeals
A grade appeal is your opportunity to appeal a final grade in a particular course.
A standing appeal can be filed when you have a change in academic standing (ie. Required To Withdraw or Permanent Program Withdrawn).
An academic misconduct appeal is your opportunity to challenge a finding of academic misconduct or the penalty assigned for committing academic misconduct.
Fee appeals can be submitted on the basis of medical, compassionate, or procedural grounds usually within 6 months since the fees in question were posted to your account.
Retroactive or late course drop requests can be submitted to the Registrar’s Office if you have been affected by difficult or unforeseen personal circumstances (i.e. medical or compassionate ground).
Grade & Standing Appeal Information Package
Frequently Asked Questions
No, as long as you have legitimate grounds for appeal there should be no penalty or reprisal. You have the right to file an appeal.
The success of your appeal will depend entirely on you. Students who work very hard to compile a complete appeal package are more likely to be successful if they do have valid grounds for an appeal. Your chances of success depend on your circumstances, the extent to which you followed all relevant policies, your ability to clearly communicate your concerns, and your ability to provide evidence for the claims you make in your letter. The outcome also depends upon your decision maker’s perspective.May 12th – 5:00PM EST
It depends. You may continue to progress through required courses only if you are appealing your academic standing. Once you submit your standing appeal to your home program department the administrator should provide you with a temporary probationary contract that will allow you to enroll in courses while your standing appeal is under consideration. If your appeal is successful then you can remain in your courses. If your appeal is unsuccessful and it’s reached a final point in the appeal process, you will either be removed from your courses and your fees will be reimbursed, or depending on the position of the decision maker(s), you could be allowed to complete the courses you are enrolled in (especially if you are at the end of the semester and have basically completed the requirements). In the case of a grade appeal for a required course, you will have to either wait for the final decision on your grade appeal to determine if you need to take the course again, or you could just enroll in the required course again as your appeal is under consideration – it’s up to you.
You can submit multiple appeals, and sometimes we encourage you to appeal both a grade and your academic standing. However, there is a hierarchy for addressing appeals. Grade appeals will be considered before standing appeals, and academic misconduct appeals will be considered before grade/standing appeals. If the outcome of one appeal will affect the grounds of another appeal, then appeals may be postponed until that decision is made. Remember to inform the relevant staff in your department when multiple appeals have been filed.
The TMAPS Student Rights Coordinator is here to help students understand policies and procedures and ensure students are adequately resourced. The Office of the Ombudsperson is an autonomous body from the University which is charged with ensuring policies and procedures are followed fairly and accurately, and recommend policies and procedures to ensure fairness. The Ombudsperson is not on the side of students, staff or faculty, but rather a watchperson for fairness. Contact: 416-979-5000 x7450 or ombuds@ryerson.ca
You must contact your instructor right away. If you cannot reach your instructor you should call- or preferably email (for record keeping purposes) the Program Chair/Director or Department, explaining your situation in detail. Consideration for missed tests or exams under Toronto Metropolitan University policy is only granted for medical or compassionate grounds. Supporting documentation must be submitted to your instructor or if necessary, to the program department, within 3 business days from the missed test or exam.
January 16th, 2025 5PM-7PM ESTStudents who wish to opt-out need to notify their instructor within the first 2-weeks and make alternate arrangement to submit their assignment. This could include submitting rough notes and references to show their work. Without making alternate arrangements, students have to use turnitin.com if required by instructor.
The process can take anywhere from a month to 3 months (sometimes more) – it depends on how many levels of appeal you go through. Once you submit your grade or standing appeal, it should take about ten (10) working days to get a response. If you do not receive a response within this time frame, you are welcome to enquire about the status of your appeal with the office where you submitted your documents. Upon receiving a response, if you wish to appeal further, you will have another ten (10) working days to submit an appeal to the next level, and so forth. If you are appealing a finding of academic misconduct you will hear from the Academic Integrity Office within a week or two about the scheduling of your hearing.
GET HELP
TMAPS members can receive free assistance and support from the full-time Student Rights Coordinator, who can be reached at studentrights@tmaps.ca or 416-979-5000 x1-557056.