Important deadlines

DNE (Did Not Enter)

DNE stands for Did Not Enter. It's a shorthand way of saying students dropped the course after classes started, but early enough to avoid any consequences. When students drop a course by the DNE deadline, they will see:

• the course removed from their academic record
• a credit to their account for any tuition fees they already paid

DNE deadline 

The DNE deadline is usually within the first two weeks of the fall and winter terms and within the first week of the summer session. For the exact dates, refer to the Concordia academic calendar. 

What this means for planning assessments

It is not recommended to have any assignments due or hold any in-class assessments during the first two weeks of the term to allow for students registering on or before the DNE time to catch up.

DISC (Discontinued)

DISC is short for discontinued. It means students dropped the course early enough to avoid academic consequences, but they are financially responsible for the payment of all tuition and other fees pertaining to the course. When students drop a course by the DISC deadline, they will see a DISC notation on their student record and official transcript. ADISC notation does not factor into students’ grade point average (GPA).

DISC deadline

The DISC deadline is usually after the ninth week of classes of the term for fall and winter terms and within the first five weeks for the summer session. For the exact dates, refer to  the Concordia academic calendar.

What this means for planning assessments

To ensure informed decision-making, all students must be given the opportunity to receive feedback regarding their progress in a course prior to the DISC date. All students who have completed the coursework required to receive feedback from their instructor must receive feedback that is equivalent to 20 percent of their final grade at least five calendar days prior to the DISC deadline. Cases where students are absent from class or fail to complete the required coursework shall be treated as an exception to this requirement. For courses that are delivered on a compressed schedule, the deadline shall be two calendar days.

For courses where it is difficult to achieve a numeric grade

This may be the case because coursework consists of a single piece of work and/or is based predominantly (or solely) on student presentations (e.g. supervised or independent study, honours thesis, capstone, inquiry, and experiential courses), or where the course is graded as either Pass or Fail. Note that in these cases, clear and formative feedback must be provided five calendar days prior to the DISC date.  For courses that are delivered on a compressed schedule the deadline for feedback shall be two calendar days.

Providing students with feedback on their assignments before the DISC deadline is valuable for several reasons:

• Can improve performance
• Helps students make informed decisions 
• Enhances learning for future assignments 
• Boosts motivation and engagement
• Reduces stress