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General Information

General Information

Access to Information Law - Bill 65 of the Province of Québec: What Being A College Student Will Mean For Your Son or Daughter How CEGEP Might Affect Their Program or Career Choice Your Son or Daughter Will Have To Learn To Face Stiffer Competition and Possible Disappointment Expect an increased workload… Encourage your son or daughter to read The Hub

Other Academic Regulations and Information

College Withdrawals Course Adjustments Course Loads Extended Absence Mid-Term Assessment… Policy on Confidentiality Program Changes

General Information

Access to Information Law - Bill 65 of the Province of Québec:

When your son or daughter turns 18 years of age, the privacy laws of the Government of Quebec come into play. The College is prohibited by law from releasing information about a student to anybody, including parents, unless the student has authorized us to do so. We realize that this can be frustrating to parents who are still providing financial support. We encourage our students to be open and forthcoming with their parents, and to keep them up to date with their progress. If you were interested, our Academic Advisors would be pleased to meet with you, together with your son or daughter, to discuss their progress. Nevertheless, if your son or daughter is attending CEGEP, and is not yet 18 years old, you are entitled to receive information directly from the College about their academic standing.

What Being A College Student Will Mean For Your Son or Daughter

Outside class time, college students will find a host of opportunities through athletics, student activities and clubs to meet new people with different points of view and experience. With this comes growing independence and self-assurance.

Since most students reach the age of majority while attending CEGEP, Champlain St-Lambert treats all students as responsible young adults from the time of their arrival. The student is expected to meet the requirements set by instructors in their course objectives that are distributed at the beginning of each new semester. The responsibility for attaining a diploma, for taking care of one’s affairs, is squarely on the shoulders of the student. This is also the reason that academic report cards are addressed to the students themselves, and not to you, their parents.

How CEGEP Might Affect Their Program or Career Choice

Deciding on a potential career may be the single most serious decision of your son or daughter’s life thus far, and the fear of making a mistake may make it more difficult for them to choose a direction.

Your son or daughter will arrive at Champlain St-Lambert having already made a program choice. Their studies, however, may lead them to reflect upon themselves, their strengths and weaknesses, and what they really want in life. The college experience expands students’ horizons and decisions to change direction are often made at this point. Whereas for some students it is easy to make the decision to change program or career choice, for others the difficulty resides in the fear of disappointing their family. If your son or daughter wants to change program or is experiencing uncertainty, encourage them to consult an Academic Advisor or a Counsellor. In both cases, outside help can be precious.

Your Son or Daughter Will Have To Learn To Face Stiffer Competition and Possible Disappointment

The first academic results your son or daughter receives are certain to have an effect on their motivation. If they obtain the same or better results that they were used to getting in high school, this will generally provide encouragement for them. However, if they initially receive disappointing marks on exams or assignments, it may result in self-doubt about their ability and/or choice of academic program. It is important to know, however, that in certain cases it may only signify that they are experiencing temporary difficulties. Nevertheless, for some students, their academic results may signal that a change in program choice should be considered.

If you see that your son or daughter is experiencing such difficulties, encourage them to seek out the assistance of college professionals, notably one of our Academic Advisors and/or Counsellors.

Expect an increased workload…

Students have told us that the biggest challenge they face in their first college semester is adjusting to the amount of studying they have to do and the increased workload.

The academic demands, the amount of study time required, and the level of difficulty of college studies may surprise and sometimes discourage students who, in high school, did well without much effort or who never really learned how to study. If students want to avoid any surprises in CEGEP, they are expected to study, on an on-going basis outside of class time, an average of 20-25 hours a week. Priorities must therefore be set between schoolwork, part-time jobs and socializing, or students may find themselves over-extended, which could lead to personal stress and academic failure.

Encourage your son or daughter to read The Hub

Every Monday, the Student Services Department puts out a newsletter called the HUB. It lists everything from upcoming activities to what’s on the menu at the cafeteria. It is also an important tool to advertise upcoming deadlines for course withdrawal, change of programs or registration. We would ask that you encourage your son or daughter to pick it up so that they can stay on top of all that’s happening on campus. The Hub can also be found on the web page under Current Students.

Other Academic Regulations and Information

College Withdrawals

Students who find they must withdraw from the college are required to complete the appropriate form at the Academic Advising Office. Students who withdraw from all classes after September 20th in the Fall semester, or February 15th in the Winter semester, will receive failures in all courses for which they have registered and will be subject to regulations regarding re-admission.

Course Adjustments

Students should take great care in selecting their courses during registration, as preference course change is not permitted. That is, courses may not be changed for personal reasons such as part-time jobs, teacher preference or time preference. Certain course adjustments will be authorized up to and including the 5th day of classes in a semester, but only for serious reasons such as correcting a placement level to a higher or lower version of a course. Students must see an Academic Advisor in order to make these changes.

Course Loads

The course load for full-time day students varies according to the program in which they are enrolled. Students are expected to carry and attend a full course load as specified in the “Program” section of this calendar unless a significant reason is given for taking a reduced load.

In order to be considered a full-time student, the minimum number of courses that a student must register for and attend is four (or 12 hours of classes per week). Failure to attend a course regularly may result in a retroactive change from full-time status to part-time status. Part-time students are required to pay fees at the rate of $2.00 per course hour. Permission to register as a part-time student must be obtained from the Registrar.

Application to take an additional course in excess of the regular course load for a program must be made at registration to the Registrar. In general, students would be eligible to take an extra course following a semester in which they have successfully completed a full course load appropriate for their program with a minimum 75% overall average.

Course Withdrawals

Students are permitted to withdraw from one or more courses up to and including September 20th in the Fall semester and February 15th in the Winter semester. Students who cease attending a course before these dates, but who do not do so by informing the college in writing, are considered to be registered in the course, and will receive a failure.

In addition, if a student’s attendance in a course cannot be verified as of September 20th or February 15th, and if the student is not in actual attendance in at least 4 courses (or 12 hours per week), the student’s status may be changed retroactively to part-time. At that moment, the student will be required to pay part-time tuition fees required at the rate of $2.00 per course hour.

Extended Absence

Absences from a single class do not normally need to be reported to the Office of the Registrar. Students should explain their absence directly to their teacher at their next class.

However, in the following cases, students should report their absence by telephone or in person directly to their teacher, and then follow up with a doctor’s note, as described later in this section:

When you have missed a test, examination or lab. When you have missed two or more classes due to illness or accident,

Please note that most teachers use Voice Mail so you can leave a message. If your teacher does not use voice mail, then you must continue your attempts to reach him or her personally.

For the two cases described above, a medical note must be provided to the Office of the Registrar in order to justify the absence. IN THE NOTE, THE DOCTOR MUST STATE CLEARLY THAT THE STUDENT IS NOT TO ATTEND CLASSES FOR A SPECIFIED PERIOD. The length of the recommended absence must be clearly stated. N.B. A vague note that simply confirms an appointment with the doctor is not sufficient. Non-urgent medical appointments should always be scheduled outside class time.

The Office of the Registrar will notify the teacher of the validated absence once the medical note has been received and validated. In the meantime, students are responsible for leaving a message for each of their teachers, as described above.

Mid-Term Assessment…

All students receive a Mid-Term Assessment on their standing midway through the semester. In the Fall semester, the Mid-term Assessment is mailed to them during the last week of October. In the Winter semester, it is mailed during the last week of March. Because of the Policy on Confidentiality as per Bill 65 (see paragraph on Access to Information Law), the Mid-Term Assessments are addressed to the students. It is preferable that parents ask their son or daughter to provide them with these assessments. However, if for any reason your son or daughter do not appear to have received the Mid-Term Assessment, they may feel free to contact the Registrar’s Office for copies.

At the midpoint of the semester, teachers at Champlain St-Lambert prepare a preliminary assessment of each first-year student’s work to date. For each course, there are three possible assessments: Satisfactory, At Risk, and See Your Teacher.

If your son or daughter receives a Satisfactory assessment for a course, it indicates that their semester will be successful if they continue to apply themselves as they have up to this point. Keep in mind, however, that half of the semester remains, and that there is still much work to do.

If your son or daughter receives an At Risk assessment for a course, they should seek help immediately. It means that their performance in the course thus far is not enough for them to pass the course. They should speak to their teacher and ask what they need to do to improve their performance in the course. They should also speak to an Academic Advisor or Counsellor to discuss what sources of help are available.

If your son or daughter receives a See Your Teacher assessment for a course, it means that their teacher does not feel that he/she is able to provide a quantitative assessment of their performance at this time, and that he/she would prefer to speak to them in person. Your son or daughter should make an appointment to see their teacher as soon as possible to discuss how they are doing in class.

Policy on Confidentiality

College policy and Bill 65 of the Province of Québec guarantee the confidentiality of every student's file at Champlain. No information can be released to anyone, including parents, or to any agency without the express written permission of the student. The only exceptions are certain designated members of the college administration, as well as the parents of students under 18 years of age. The College encourages all students, however, to keep their parents informed and involved in their education. The Academic Advisors are always available to both parents and students to consult with regard to the subject of confidentiality.

Program Changes

A student may request a change of program for the following semester. The deadlines for program changes will be posted in the weekly bulletin “The Hub.” These deadlines may be extended if there is sufficient place in a program. Students are not automatically accepted into a new program. Decisions are based on several criteria such as high school grades, prerequisite course grades and satisfactory performance in the student’s current program. A change of program does not automatically protect a student from the consequences of a failed semester, which could include being asked to leave the college.

Some of the information found in this document was adapted from: Guide To Success At CEGEP produced by the CECM Guidance Services (1993).

The Hub
Handbook
Class Cancellations
Admissions