A university in Algoma is witnessing days-long protests as overseas students, primarily from India, contest what they perceive as an attempt by the institution to pressure them into paying additional fees due to poor grades. The controversy revolves around a reevaluation of an online course at the Brampton campus, where many students, enrolled in the one-year postgraduate certificate program in information technology, had failed a systems analysis course.
Following the uproar, the university acknowledged the “excessively low” scores, reinstated passing grades for hundreds of students, and offered a free makeup exam to those who initially failed. While emphasizing the importance of academic integrity, the institution did not directly address allegations of financial exploitation.
The students, who faced a $3,500 fee to retake the course, argued that this would hinder their graduation and subsequent application for a postgraduate work permit, a crucial step toward obtaining permanent residence in Canada. Protesters, including 25-year-old Sandeep Kaur, decried the perceived push for more money from international students who already pay significantly higher tuition fees than local students.
In response to the protests, Michael Twiss, the dean of the university’s college of science, acknowledged concerns about abnormal grading. After an investigation, he determined that the final grades for the computer science class were “abnormally low.” The course instructor applied a normalized grading system, resulting in passing marks for many students.
The university officials conducted an urgent evaluation of the course and found that grades were below statistical averages. Following university norms, the instructor employed a standard bell curve, leading to 61 more students achieving passing grades. While 32 students in the class are still failing, the university administrators have met with the protesting students, offering a makeup exam, study materials, and free coaching sessions to support their preparation. The makeup exam will be conducted by a different faculty member, and there will be no additional charge for taking it.
