Academic policies

Guidelines for Professional Conduct

All students in the School of Health Information Science are required to follow the Faculty of Health’s “Guidelines for Professional Conduct”, and may be required to withdraw from the School of Health Information Science for violating these provisions.

Academic Standing

Students are required to maintain a GPA of 4.0 or higher in each academic session.

Students with a GPA below 4.0 will normally be required to withdraw from the School for at least one calendar year. The School of Health Information Science is under no obligation to readmit students who have been required to withdraw.

A graduating GPA of 4.0 or higher is required for graduation. Students who do not meet this requirement will be placed on probation and must take additional, appropriate, 300- or 400-level courses in order to raise their graduating GPA to 4.0 or higher.

To be readmitted to the School, students may be required to repeat Health Information Science courses previously completed if, in the judgement of the Director, curriculum changes or the length of interruption is sufficient to render the applicant inadequately prepared for the subsequent courses.

Academic integrity

Includes policy on plagiarism, multiple submissions, falsifying materials subject to academic evaluation, cheating on work/tests/exams, and aiding others to cheat

Please visit: http://web.uvic.ca/calendar/grad/academic-regulations/academic-integrity.html 

*New* Unauthorized Use of an Editor

An editor is an individual or service, other than the instructor or supervisory committee, who manipulates, revises, corrects or alters a student’s written or non-written work.

The use of an editor, whether paid or unpaid, is prohibited unless the instructor grants explicit written authorization. The instructor should specify the extent of editing that is being authorized.

Review by fellow students and tutoring that do not include editing are normally permitted. In addition to consulting with their instructors, students are encouraged to seek review of and feedback on their work that prompts them to evaluate the work and make changes themselves.

Attendance Policy

• Students in HINF courses are expected to attend all classes and labs in which they are enrolled. Students who do not attend a minimum of 80% of scheduled classes and 80% of scheduled labs (where applicable), for any reason, will be assigned a final course grade of N.
• Students who are absent, late, or cannot attend a class or lab, are expected to report to their instructors as soon as possible.

Students who cannot attend classes or labs for an extended period must contact their instructors to determine whether accommodations can be made. Students are required to submit a Request for Academic Concession if illness, accident, or family affliction causes them to miss a final exam or to fail to complete any assignment by the end of the term. 

English Language Requirements

Satisfying the Academic Writing Requirement (AWR) does not mean you can bypass ATWP 135. ATWP 135 is a program requirement which must be satisfied. Students declared in BSc in Health Information Science (HINF) must also take any other ENSH 1XX/2XX course (we recommend ENSH 202) 

If you need more support with English, your options which satisfy the ATWP 135 and ENSH 1XX/2XX credits include: 

1. Take ATWP 101 first and then ATWP 135 OR; 

1. Take ATWP 110 – this is a full-year course. 

Students declared in the Combined Major in Computer Science and Health Information Science (COMB) may complete the Academic Writing Requirement (AWR) by taking either ATWP 135, ENSH 101, or ENSH 102. They are also required to complete either ENSH 202 or ENGR 240. 

Late Submission Policy

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, prior arrangements for in-course extensions must be made with the instructor at least 48 hours before a due date.

Students are encouraged to submit assignments before the due date, if possible. In fairness to students who submit their work early or on time, a late penalty of 10% each day will be applied. Assignments submitted 7 days or more after the due date will be assigned a grade of 0%.

Leave of Absence (LOA)

Students must request the permission from the School for a leave of absence (LOA). Unless given written permission by the School of Health Information Science to take a leave of absence, students who are not re-registered after one year (three terms) will be considered to have withdrawn. Students on leaves of absence are considered outside the program and will not be granted work term credit for experience gained during the leave.

Letter of Permission (LOP)

Students wishing to complete courses at an alternate institution are required to complete a Letter of Permission (LOP) prior to enrollment.  You may use the BC Transfer Guide as a reference to see if it matches an equivalent course or rule at UVic. 

Students are subject to the regulations of the University of Victoria governing academic standing and credit. Transfer credit is only awarded for courses completed successfully.  If credit for any of the course(s) listed above, or their equivalent(s), has been previously obtained, no further credit will be granted.  Grades are not transferred and will not affect your UVic GPA. Nonetheless, your grades from this institution will be used to calculate your UVic academic standing and may lead to be placed on probation or being required to withdraw. 

If you completed coursework at another post-secondary institution without prior approval, an additional fee of $54.00 will apply to evaluate your new transcripts. This fee is assessed after your application and transcripts are received, and you'll be contacted by Undergraduate Admissions with instructions for payment. 

Please complete and submit the below online Microsoft form. You will be notified by e-mail when your request has been reviewed. If you do not hear from the department in 3-5 business days, please follow up.  

Prerequisite requirements

Any student wishing to take a HINF course who does not have the prerequisites for the course must obtain written permission from the instructor.  If enrollment limitations are necessary, preference will be given to students registered in the Health Information Science program.  The pre-requisite waiver form is only for HINF students and granted under extenuating circumstances. It is used to assess the students progress in their Health Information Science program.