Students

You can download and use this letter, signed by the Registrar.

Advise your classmate to stay home and call the Public Health COVID-19 Line for assistance. Students can reach the Public Health COVID-19 Line at 514-644-4545 or toll free at 1-877-644-4545. Students with hearing impairments can call toll free at 1-800-361-9596.

The Public Health COVID-19 Line is available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Outside these hours, students can call Info-Santé at 8-1-1.

If your classmate developed COVID-19 symptoms within 48 hours of being on campus, please advise them to contact Environmental Health and Safety by phone at 514-848-2424, ext. 4877, or by email at ehs@concordia.ca.

For more information, please refer to Concordia’s COVID-19 symptoms and precautions page.

Advise your classmate to stay home and complete the COVID-19 self-isolation form on their MyConcordia portal. Students who test positive for COVID-19 cannot come to campus and must follow instructions from public health authorities.

In addition, please instruct your classmate to contact Environmental Health and Safety by phone at 514-848-2424, ext. 4877, or by email at ehs@concordia.ca.

For more information, please refer to Concordia’s COVID-19 symptoms and precautions page.

Given that the public health crisis is still evolving, Concordia has decided to continue to operate remotely for the winter 2021 term.

Some in-person activities, such as labs and studio work, will continue to be offered in person, as long as health and safety guidelines allow it. 

In the coming weeks, the specific winter-term course activities that require in-person components will be identified. This information will be shared as soon as it is finalized.

• The first day of the winter term is January 13
• The last day of the winter term is April 20
• Final exams are scheduled from April 24 to May 9
• DNE date for winter 2021: moved from January 19 to January 26 
• DISC for winter 2021:  moved from March 22 to March 29 

The university will be closed during the holiday period and campus buildings will not be accessible. The university will re-open on January 11 and all services will resume.

No, the library will re-open on January 11. Students can book study space and access other services as of January 11.

Yes. The ventilation systems function properly and meet the required standards. 

In the Faculty of Fine Arts, all in-person activities are optional during the fall 2020 and winter 2021 terms.

In the Gina Cody School and the Faculty of Arts and Science, some in-person activities are required for certain courses. Details about in-person components will be explained either on Moodle (Concordia’s learning management tool), in an email from your professor, or via an information session.

If an in-person activity is required for your program and you cannot attend, you may need to drop your course and complete it during a later term when you are able to attend. It’s possible that this will prolong the completion of some students’ programs. We suggest that you contact your program advisor (their contact information is listed in your SIS) to see if there are other options, such as completing electives that don’t require in-person attendance before other courses with in-person requirements.

No, you will not be penalized for not participating in optional activities.

If a student is unable to attend these activities, they should contact their instructor to discuss options such as online alternatives or flexible deadlines. In some cases, they may need to postpone registering for their course until another session.

Please note that most in-person activities are optional. For the Faculty of Fine Arts, all in-person activities are optional, and the Faculty is offering studio access to students if they wish to use them, but this will not affect completion of the course.

Professors will be flexible but will follow protocols to determine whether your circumstance merits an alternative arrangement.

Most students will be able to: Only 36 out of more than 5700 courses offered in the fall will require in-person activities. Where in-person activities weren't possible, we strived to find alternatives, such as home chemistry kits for introductory-level chemistry classes, but for more advanced courses, the lab is the only appropriate setting to safely handle and learn about some substances.

We apologize to those who cannot make it to campus and were planning to take a course that requires an in-person activity.

No, a medical certificate is not required. If you have been instructed to self-isolate by public health authorities, we also ask that you complete the self-isolation form (on MyConcordia). If you are a student requiring academic accommodation, please contact your professor(s).  

During the campus closure, some academic activities will take place on university premises. Students enrolled in classes with some on-campus access will be contacted directly by their faculties and professors with details on how and when they will be given access to labs and studios.

Internships and co-op placements

Concordia has been working to develop creative placements for students during the period of campus closure. Many students, whether in internship programs or co-op​, have been making a difference during the pandemic working for community organizations, and faculty and staff across the university have been offering various experiential learning opportunities. A recent partnership with Mitacs offers research internships to students.

• Some on-site internships will be held in person. However, students will not be penalized academically if they choose not to perform an on-site internship.
• Students who cannot undertake a previously scheduled internship may have to extend the length of their program to fulfill their degree requirements. For example, a student may decide to wait another year to perform the internship, thereby extending the time needed to complete their degree requirements.
• The internship hosts/co-op partners/employers that offer in-person internships are all legally obliged to follow safety measures put in place by the government in order to protect employees. However, Concordia does not monitor how employers or other institutions are implementing or following the health guidelines, and students are responsible for making their own decision in these circumstances. (For more information, please consult the CNESST COVID-19 toolkit.)

The continued health and safety of the Concordia community remain our top priorities. Concordia has implemented all required health safety measures to protect the community. Even with these guidelines in place, students who decide to pursue courses and/or activities that are held on campus must acknowledge and accept the potential infection risks associated with coming to or from or being on a university campus located in Montreal.

Students acknowledge and accept that Concordia cannot guarantee a risk-free environment, and it is the personal choice of students to register for and attend activities that are held on campus. Online learning options and alternative evaluations may not be possible in all courses and/or programs; students who choose not to attend campus activities accept that the completion of their studies may be delayed.

Please email your department or professor for inquiries.

A copy of your diploma can be mailed to you. You will be contacted about how and when to request your diploma.

The PASS/DISC option was an exceptional measure implemented for the winter 2020 term due to the sudden change from in-person to remote teaching mid-term.

Concordia will not be offering a PASS/DISC option for the fall 2020 term.

Here are some reasons to consider:

• Pass notations make it impossible to accurately determine the academic standing of all students.
• Pass notations make it difficult for the university to identify and support students at risk of falling into conditional or failed standing.
• Depending on a student’s goals, certain professional programs and graduate degrees do not consider courses with Pass notations for admissions purposes. In addition, for students planning on transferring to another undergraduate program or another institution, courses with Pass notations are normally not considered for transfer credit.

Although the Webster and Vanier libraries, as well as the Grey Nuns Reading Room, will remain physically closed, access to digital collections, “Ask a Librarian,” consultations with subject librarians, interlibrary loans and other online services are functional, and will continue to expand to include instruction and additional digital resources. Contactless book and materials pick up is also available. Consult the Library FAQ.

The Webster and Vanier libraries are open at a limited capacity to allow access to reserved single-seat study spaces for students. These study spaces are uniquely intended for those students who are not able to study at home. More information on how students can book spaces is available on the Library’s website.

Professors are making your course content available in Moodle. Some faculty may opt for synchronous learning — this means live videoconferencing sessions with their students using ZOOM, a conferencing software.

Some faculty may also opt to add other kinds of resources to Moodle that you can explore on your own. This may include videos they or others have made, discussion boards, readings, links, etc. This is called asynchronous learning.

No matter the delivery type, in most cases you will find your course content on Moodle.

In order to audit a course, please email the professor for the course in which you are interested. If the professor approves, they will make the necessary arrangements for you to get set up and access the course.

Follett, the new bookstore service provider on campus, will help with all your course material needs. Students will be able to purchase digital course materials through the provider’s website. Follett will also ship textbooks and coursepacks to students’ homes, whether they’re living in Montreal or elsewhere.

You will benefit from a diverse selection of digital learning technologies that provide access to the course materials you need, when you need them. Follett will also offer affordable open educational resources content and courseware through Lumen Learning.

Follett’s cost-saving print options include used books offerings and a text rental program that saves students up to 80 per cent compared to the price of a new title. Follett also has a popular price matching program, which helps ensure students get materials at the lowest cost possible, and a year-round buyback program.

Moodle, Office 365 and ZOOM can be accessed from your mobile device.

Check with your service provider as some service providers have lifted data caps on plans.

Follow these instructions on how to install Office 365 on your device.

Follow these instructions on how to access Moodle from your device.

ZOOM can also be downloaded to your mobile device by clicking on a meeting link (this will allow you to download the app, or it can be preinstalled via android or Apple app stores).

The university has created a form for students and a form for faculty and staff to request IT equipment during the COVID-19 crisis. Please note that this request does not guarantee availability of equipment as stock is limited.

There are a number of resources available to learn, teach and work from home. Please check it regularly since the content will be updated regularly.

The Centre for Teaching and Learning has instructions to a step-by-step workflow on how to access your courses in Moodle — this can be done from a phone or a computer. More information will be added to the CTL website as it is available. 

All exams in the fall 2020 term will be held online using either your course Moodle or Concordia’s Online Exam platform (COLE).  For more information on this platform, please visit the COLE information site. Consider taking a practice exam on the COLE exam site to familiarize yourself with the online exam environment.

There are three possibilities for online exams:

• Some exams will not be proctored.
• Some exams will be proctored using a recording software.
• Some exams will be proctored using Zoom.

Your course syllabus will explain whether and how your exam(s) will be proctored. If your exam is proctored, your syllabus will provide the details regarding the technical requirements and the possibility of the exam being recorded.

If your course is using recording software, you may not opt out of being recorded during the exam. Your course syllabus provides the necessary details to allow you to make an informed choice whether to drop the class before the DNE deadline.

No, students may not choose the type of proctoring for each class. You will learn of the exam conditions from your syllabus, and you can consult an academic advisor to adjust your course registrations if you are not comfortable with the assessment method used.

Zoom-bombing describes when someone other than the host takes over an online meeting or class and disrupts it with irrelevant or offensive material.

Concordia has adjusted default settings on our Zoom licence to help lower the risk of such occurrences. The changes were also instituted to offer students additional privacy.

The setting changes mean that you may not be able to interact with your instructor or fellow students as freely as before. If this is an issue for you, we recommend you discuss it with your instructor.

PLEASE NOTE: You should never share a Zoom class ID. You should also know that Zoom-bombing a class could lead to a complaint under Concordia’s Code of Rights and Responsibilities.

• If one of your classes has been disrupted by Zoom-bombing, please email help@concordia.ca.
• If you want to file a complaint about a Concordia community member’s offensive or disruptive behaviour, please contact the Office of Rights and Responsibilities.

Staff are working remotely to provide services via email.

The Financial Aid and Awards Office can be reached at fundingyoureducation@concordia.ca. Office staff are available to assist with questions or concerns related to bursaries, loans and scholarships.

There are a number of additional resources available to help answer questions and offer support during the pandemic, including the Concordia University Student Parent Centre, the Aboriginal Student Resource Centre and mental health resources for students. Refer to the list of Concordia’s COVID-19 resources for contact information.

Academic advisors and department staff are working remotely to help new and returning students. Learn more.

During the holiday closure, the staff at the Birks Student Service Centre will continue to answer emails and fulfill letter and unofficial transcript requests at a reduced capacity. Certain delays can be expected. Regular operations, including limited in-person services, will resume the week of January 11.

The Access Centre for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) on both campuses are closed. Accommodated exams will not take place in person. However, exam accommodations will be considered for online exams.  Booked appointments and booked intakes will take place as scheduled. The advisor will contact the student.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant financial impact on many students. As such, the university has extended tuition deadlines for all Concordia students.

For inquiries regarding your student account, please email us at studentaccounts@concordia.ca or call us at 514-848-2424, ext. 4900.

The full team is working remotely and available to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Due to the significant impact the COVID-19 crisis is having on the financial situation of many students, kindly take note of the tuition fee deadline extension announcement on the COVID-19 tuition fee payment web page.

Please reach out to the SAO by emailing studentaccounts@concordia.ca or call us at 514-848-2424, ext. 4900. A member of the team will address this on a case-by-case basis.

• Concordia is designing its online courses to the highest possible pedagogical standards. The university has invested in technology infrastructure and specialized software applications, IT support and course-design expertise. Faculty members are transforming their courses with the help of additional instructors and teaching assistants, in addition to their regular load of teaching, marking, advising and planning.
• Students will benefit from collaborative software such as Microsoft Office 365, Teams and Zoom, and many new open-source resources, all of which are available without charge.
• Academic advising and one-on-one mentoring will be available at all times.

• Every area of the university is adapting its operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The vast majority of the services for which you are being charged will be available remotely this fall, including:
  • Counselling services
  • Learning support workshops
  • Access to financial advisors
  • Tutoring Services
  • Virtual Zen dens and health-related workshops
• Additional limited in-person services will also be available, provided you have authorization to come on campus.

• Students will receive a credit of 50% of the Recreation & Athletics fee for the fall term equalling $1.26 per credit. Students will still have access to a number of Recreation & Athletics based services such as virtual fitness videos, quiz nights and other online activities.
• Certain fees are charged by student-run organizations and not by the university. These organizations are also all working hard to continue their services to all students, wherever they are based. These organizations are responsible for setting their own fees.