Engr + CSc COVID-19 response archive

All students need to create a conflict-free timetable using the appropriate program planning worksheet. Requests to register in courses with time conflicts will not normally be supported by UVic Engineering and Computer Science for summer 2021.

Course instructors have already indicated which summer 2021 online courses will not require in-person attendance at specific times by removing those times from the scheduling and registration system. All courses showing times normally require that students attend online at the scheduled times.

Note to instructors who may receive requests from students to register in courses where there is a time conflict: If you do not need students to attend at the scheduled time, please contact your unit’s scheduling office to remove those times from the schedule.

Note to students nearing graduation who truly have no choice but to register in conflict: Work with your program advisor as soon as possible for advice on options and observe the course add/drop deadlines.

All students need to create a conflict-free timetable using the appropriate program planning worksheet. Requests to register in courses with time conflicts will not be supported by UVic Engineering and Computer Science for spring 2021.

Course instructors have already indicated which spring 2021 online courses will not require in-person attendance at specific times by removing those times from the scheduling and registration system. All courses showing times require that students attend online at the scheduled times.

Note to instructors who may receive requests from students to register in courses where there is a time conflict: If you do not need students to attend at the scheduled time, please contact your unit’s scheduling office to remove those times from the schedule.

UVic’s Learning Assistance Program (LAP) has resources available to all students. For information visit the LAP website. Students can also email learning@uvic.ca to request a tutor. LAP runs both a fee-based specialized tutoring and learning assistance program, as well as a free program called Study Solutions.

UVic’s Technology Integrated Learning site has an Orientation to Online Learning course. It is a self-paced orientation that will help you prepare for online courses.

Students in the Computer Science Optional Co-op program, the Bachelor of Engineering program or the Bachelor of Software Engineering program could opt to try to find a summer work-term placement. Or, Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Software Engineering students could choose to apply for a Leave of Absence. Computer Science students could elect not to register for the Summer 2020 term.

Please see UVic’s COVID-19 website FAQs for additional resources, including accommodations for students with a disability.

All students need to create a conflict-free timetable using the appropriate program planning worksheet. Requests to register in courses with time conflicts will not be supported by UVic Engineering and Computer Science for fall 2020.

Course instructors have already indicated which fall 2020 online courses will not require in-person attendance at specific times by removing those times from the scheduling and registration system. All courses showing times require that students attend online at the scheduled times.

Note to instructors who may receive requests from students to register in courses where there is a time conflict: If you do not need students to attend at the scheduled time, please contact your unit’s scheduling office to remove those times from the schedule.

Supplemental exams may be possible in some engineering courses taken during the Spring (January to April 2020) term, depending upon the following:

• the original course outline indicated that a supplemental exam was a possibility;
• any conditions described in the original course outline about supplemental exams have been met; and
• the instructor has given permission (he or she will then send the request to the Department Chair and Associate Dean Undergraduate for final approval).

Students who elect a COVID Pass/Fail, Drop or WE grade are not eligible to take a supplemental exam.

Students who have been told by their instructor that a supplemental exam is possible should contact the appropriate department – Mechanical Engineering or Electrical and Computer Engineering – to discuss next steps. Supplemental exams from classes taken during the Spring 2020 term will be organized by the appropriate department and delivered online.

PLEASE NOTE: supplemental exams are not available in any courses offered by the departments of Civil Engineering or Computer Science.

Yes. If the prerequisite courses were taken during the Spring session – that is, from January to April 2020 – then a “Pass” will be accepted in order to get into ECE 320 and ECE 330. Please contact the ECE Academic Advisor before registration to ensure you will be able to register without any issues.

The Faculty of Engineering has determined how it will be utilizing UVic’s Pass/Fail grading options for Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) and Bachelor of Software Engineering (BSEng) admissions and program declarations, as well as for Computer Science (CSc) admissions and minimum course grade requirements. The following guidelines are designed to help Engineering and Computer Science students make informed decisions about grades for the Spring 2020 term.

“Pass” grades:

• will accumulate credit – therefore, a course that receives a pass will contribute to the required unit accumulation for admissions to BEng, BSEng and CSc programs, as well as program declarations for BEng and BSEng students;
• will make the course eligible for admissions to BEng, BSEng and CSc programs, and also program declarations for BEng and BSEng students;
• will be considered as a successful academic attempt in instances where a student had to repeat a previous course that didn’t meet program declaration or admission criteria, this passing grade will be considered successful;
• will not impact GPA calculations (i.e. there is no letter grade value) and therefore will not be included in the competitive GPA calculation; and
• will not negatively or positively affect GPA.

“Fail” grades:

• will not accumulate credit – therefore a course that receives a fail will not contribute to the required unit accumulation for admissions and program declarations;
• will not make the course eligible for admissions and program declarations;
• will not be considered as a successful academic attempt; in instances where a student had to repeat a previous course that didn’t meet program declaration or admission criteria, this fail will not be considered successful; and
• will not negatively or positively affect GPA.

Minimum requirements and competitive GPA calculations:

• Program declaration and admission criteria remain the same – in other words, a minimum C+ average and no individual course grade lower than C (or a “pass,” as indicated in the information above), as well as a competitive GPA where applicable.
• GPAs will be calculated using known letter grades (with the corresponding grade point value associated with each grade) and the unit value per course. Please see the GPA calculation information on UVic’s website.
• Where a grade of “pass” is present in the criteria, the impact of that grade will be neutral. For all intents and purposes, it will be ignored in the GPA calculation process.

UVic Engineering graduates are eligible to apply for a P.Eng (Professional Engineer Licence) because our engineering programs are accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). Importantly, the CEAB released a statement on Mar. 31, 2020, that says that Pass/Fail grades that result from the COVID-19 situation “will not adversely affect the programs’ accreditation status.” Read the CEAB statement.

The key points in the CEAB memo are also in alignment with advice from Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC) about registration in light of the COVID-19 situation. EGBC and the universities are currently working together to develop a policy for if a student is not able to complete laboratory and field work requirements because of COVID-19. This situation remains fluid and we will continue to monitor further development around this topic.

Our Faculty is planning for remote delivery of summer term courses through the entire term. These include courses run by the Faculty of Engineering: BME, CIVE, CSC, ECE, MECH, SENG and ENGR courses. In the event that the COVID-19 situation is resolved before the end of the term, we will continue to conduct remote delivery through the end of the summer term.

At this time, it has not been confirmed whether classes will be “asynchronous” or “synchronous” – in other words whether they can be taken at any time or conducted in real time. For this reason, students still need to register during times they are free in the event that delivery will be synchronous.

Specific information regarding the type of delivery and course expectations will be provided in course outlines, which will be provided for each course.

Please see UVic’s COVID-19 website FAQs under “Summer session.”