Students

In the Faculty of Fine Arts, all in-person activities are optional during the fall 2020 term.

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’ 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.

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

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

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

The plan for winter term will depend on the evolving public health conditions in Montreal. Concordia expects to be able to announce its plans for winter 2021 by the end of September.

Most students will be able to complete their fall term online from wherever they are. Limited in-person activities will be offered for a small number of courses and many of these activities are optional. However, while preparing courses for the fall, Concordia faculty has identified a small number of courses for which certain activities need to be in-person in order to meet the requirements of the course. This would be true for an Aerospace course where students learn how to power up an aircraft, for example. In addition, in order to meet learning objectives, some elements of a course may be scheduled for a specific time of day (synchronous).

If you are unable to attend these activities, please contact your instructor to discuss options such as online alternatives or flexible deadlines. In a very few cases, students may need to postpone registering for their course until another session.

Questions related to co-op, internships and experiential learning activities can be found here.

Please email your department or professor for inquiries.

The idea of bringing a group of students, masked, into a classroom at 1.5 metres apart with the proviso that they cannot speak does not align with Concordia’s pedagogical goals of nourishing exchange and interactions between students and faculty.

Many of Concordia’s teaching pavilions are multi-storey and accessible by elevator and escalator. Based on social-distancing requirements, the administration is running scenarios to determine how long it would take to bring students into the main teaching pavilions, the Hall Building and John Molson Building, which are 14 and 15 stories, respectively. Given the configuration of elevators, escalators and staircases, it is estimated that it would take several hours to bring one cohort of students into those buildings, not counting the time to move them out when a class finishes, carry out sanitization and welcome the next cohort. Although not all of the facilities present this challenge, Concordia is committed to providing equal access to all students regardless of program or faculty.

Some access to campus will be permitted to students in small numbers. A gradual re-opening of lab activities has begun, which will allow a significant number of graduate students to return to both campuses. The university is well advanced in planning for a fall session that will be mostly online but with flexible in-person learning opportunities for students in some courses, principally those with labs and studios.

All efforts are being made to provide appropriate services to students, even at distance. The university is reviewing potential opportunities, such as how to incorporate some street-level and green spaces on both campuses to support academic-related activities for students in the fall.

During the fall 2020 period of 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 during the fall 2020 term.
• 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.

For graduate students, limited access to research labs will gradually resume starting May 25. Your supervisor will be informed of the schedule the university is creating to ensure everyone adheres to physical distancing guidelines.

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.

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.

Follett, the new bookstore service provider on campus, will help with all your course material needs for the fall 2020 term. 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.

Staff are working remotely to provide services via email throughout the campus closure.

The Financial Aid and Awards Office can be reached at fundingyoureducation@concordia.ca during the closure. 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 Concordia’s closure, 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.

Concordia is increasing and adapting its student services to support you through this exceptional time, including:

• more online student advising
• more online mental health counselling
• more peer-to-peer and mentoring exchanges
• virtual campus-life opportunities to help combat isolation

The university is also exploring ideas to build partnerships to help students enjoy the Montreal experience virtually.

Read more about advising during the university’s physical closure.

The Birks team is working remotely and is happy to help however they can. You can reach them either by phone at 514-848-2424, ext. 2668, from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, or by email at students@concordia.ca.

Requests that were previously made in person at the Birks Student Service Centre can now be made online at concordia.ca/birks.

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.

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).

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 university has created a form for students, 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.

Please use it to submit your request to borrow a computer, webcam or microphone if you are:

• A student enrolled in a summer term class without access to a computer
• A professor teaching a course without access to a computer, microphone or webcam
• A staff member whose supervisor has approved a request to borrow a computer to work from home

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. 

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.

No final exams will be done in person. Your professor(s) will advise you on the format of your evaluation as many faculty members have created alternative forms of final assessments. 

Some students will be asked to write online exams that will be open-book and do not require any online invigilation. These exams will be administered via Moodle.

Your professor can decide to apply the redistribution as they feel is appropriate. Some professors may be able to accommodate students with grade redistribution and others may not. The decision rests entirely with the professor, not the university.

More information on online exams is available at concordia.ca/cole.

The university is working to prioritize being able to complete the term in these challenging circumstances. Professors have been adjusting their courses in order to allow students to be able to finish their course. In some courses, this will involve shifting the weighting of some of the assignments and exams. If you have specific concerns about how this weighting will impact you, we encourage you to speak with your professor and raise your concerns.​​ The next step would be to discuss this with your department chair.

You should contact your faculty; they will review your record and advise you as to how to proceed. They will decide if you will be able to go from part-time to full-time, etc.

The annual assessment of academic standing is performed by the Office of the Registrar and is not related to the Dean’s List or any other honours designation. Each Faculty that has a Dean’s List determines which students are included on the List based on their own criteria. The Faculties that have a Dean’s List (Arts and Science, JMSB and Gina Cody School) are all planning to run their Lists, although it may be later than usual.

No, courses and grades from the 2019-2020 academic year will not be included in any future assessment of academic standing. 

No, the assessment that will be done for the 2020-2021 academic year will not go back to include any previously attempted courses. Everyone will start with a clean slate, so only the courses attempted in the 2020-2021 academic year will be included in the next assessment.

Because of the exceptional situation that students faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was decided that previous assessments will not affect students’ future assessments. Students will be starting with a clean slate.

Example A:

• 2018-2019 assessment = conditional standing
• 2019-2020 no assessment
• 2020-2021 assessment = conditional standing. This second conditional standing would normally result in the student being placed in first-time failed standing, however this will not be the case for 2020-2021 as students will be starting with a clean slate.

Example B:

• 2018-2019 assessment = not assessed due to insufficient credits
• 2019-2020 no assessment
• 2020-2021 assessment = assessment will be based only on courses attempted in 2020-2021 (no credits from 2018-2019 will be used)

Example C:

• 2018-2019 assessment = first-time failed standing
• 2019-2020 = no assessment,
• 2020-2021 assessment = failed standing again in the same degree program. This would normally result in second-time failed standing and withdrawal from the university for two years. However, as students are starting with a clean slate with the 2020-2021 assessment, the student would only be place in first-time failed standing.

A special note has been added to every student’s transcripts if they were enrolled in the fall/winter 2019-2020 term and/or the winter 2020 term. It explains to the reader the challenges our students faced due to the Covid‑19 pandemic. It also indicates that the annual assessment of academic standing was not performed for the 2019-2020 academic year due to the exceptional circumstances.

Students who unexpectedly find themselves with urgent financial need for immediate and necessary expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and who are currently attending for-credit classes in the Winter 2020 term and residing in Canada, are eligible to apply.

This includes graduate students who are currently continuing in program (CIP).

This fund is intended to help students who have unexpectedly and without other options suddenly lost revenue due to the pandemic, and it can complement government initiatives.

On the online application form, when asked about government student aid, all applicants must choose “No I did not apply.” This is the case even if you did apply and/or are receiving government student aid.

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

The best way to reach us is by sending us an email to studentaccounts@concordia.ca.

The full team is working remotely and will get back to you by email. 

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. 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. Almost all services for which fees are charged continue to be offered through online and phone channels, and in person when circumstances permit, in line with health and safety directives.
• In addition, new services are being created specifically to support students as they adjust to an online learning environment and to connect to each other, wherever they are.
• 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.