Studying at ÉTS
Glossary of university studies at ÉTS
In this section, you will find definitions and specifications for numerous concepts specific to ÉTS. This will help you to understand the vocabulary that will be used throughout your studies at ÉTS!
Grading, transcript, sanctions
Definition
The transcript is an official document issued by the Registrar's Office which reflects your academic progress at ÉTS. Your transcript indicates the courses you have taken, the grades you have received, your accumulated credits and your grade point average within your program.
Specifications
You can access an unofficial copy of your transcript at any time via your MonÉTS portal. Grades are usually accessible within one month after the end of the session.
Grading system
Courses at ÉTS are graded using a letter system (A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D) with each letter being assigned a numerical value between 0.00 and 4.30:
- A+ (4,3), A (4,0), A- (3,7)
- B+ (3,3), B (3,0), B- (2,7)
- C+ (2,3), C (2,0), C- (1,7)
- D+ (1,3), D (1,0)
Synthesis and research work is evaluated using the following notations: Excellent, Very good, Good, Satisfactory, Fail.
Specifications
Another code may be used in certain cases. The complete list of codes can be found on the back of your transcript:
- E: Fail
- S: Requirements met
- V: Course completed successfully outside of Québec
- H: Course taken at other institutions
- K: Exemption for recognition of acquired knowledge
- X: Authorized abandonment
Definition
The grade point average (GPA) is calculated at the end of each session based on all of the grades obtained in connection with academic activities.
Consult the applicable Règlement des études for the terms and conditions (ex. : the minimum GPA required for your program).
- Règlement des études de premier cycle (Academic regulations for undergraduate studies)
- Règlement des études de cycles supérieurs de l'ÉTS (Academic regulations for graduate studies)
Specifications
Only those results that have a numerical value are used to calculate the grade point average. In other words, courses taken at other institutions (K), refresher courses (P), courses taken outside of Québec (V) and recognition of acquired knowledge (K) are not considered.
Definition
A variety of measures may be applied to a student’s file if the student does not meet the program conditions, as stipulated in the applicable Règlement des études. Some examples include not complying with the minimum grade point average, the maximum program length, requirements related to conditional admission, unauthorized absence, multiple failures in the same academic activity, etc.
Specifications
Measures may vary depending on the study program, the progression of the program, the number of credits completed, etc.
- Tutorship: Restriction applied to the number of credits for which a student can register during the tutorship period, or obligation to register for one or more specific courses;
- Suspension: 12-month prohibition from registering for courses within the program to which the student was admitted;
- Expulsion: Restriction which permanently excludes a student from the study program to which the student was admitted.
Definition
The letter of expulsion issued by the Registrar’s Office indicates the reason for the expulsion and the available recourses, as applicable. If an appeal process is possible, you have five business days to respond to the notice of expulsion by writing a letter of explanation. The grounds for eligibility for a request for review include the death of a parent, illness certified by a doctor’s note, childbirth, unforeseen and exceptional circumstances, etc.
Specifications
The Registrar receives and analyzes all requests for review.
- If the request is deemed ineligible, the decision becomes enforceable, final and without appeal. Your file will be closed, and all of your courses will be cancelled and refunded.
- If the request is deemed eligible, the Registrar may convene the review committee, for which you will also receive a notice of meeting. You will then have an opportunity to explain in person the circumstances that led to your expulsion.
Course outline, evaluation, plagiarism
Definition
The course outline is a document that specifies all of the elements that make up the description of a course. It lays out the course objectives, deadlines, the type of evaluation and the associated terms and conditions (evaluation criteria, weight of each element, etc.).
Course outlines are available online and via your MonÉTS portal.
Specifications
Even within the same university, teaching methods and guidance and evaluation procedures can vary significantly depending on the instructor and the type of course. In light of this, it is important to properly understand the course outline and to clarify any questions you may have at the beginning of the course.
Definition
The course outline specifies the type and weighting of your various evaluations.
You must comply with the Writing Guidelines and Templates in all of your work, cite your sources properly, and in the case of group work, determine the work and communication methods and deadlines that each member must respect.
Mid-term or end-of-session exams can take a variety of formats, as follows:
- Development exams: Intended to demonstrate your analysis and understanding of the subject matter;
- Objective exams: Specific questions, often presented in multiple-choice format. You are not called upon to justify or develop your reasoning.
Specifications
No single evaluation element, whether it involves individual or group work, can account for more than 50% of the weight of all evaluation elements combined for a single course.
A student can submit a request for review of grades in accordance with the stipulations of the applicable Règlement des études and within the established deadlines.
If you have any other questions, please contact the Registrar's Office.
Definition
Plagiarism can take many forms. Using the ideas of others without citing the source, copying during an exam and presenting the same work more than once are some of the situations that could lead to an accusation of plagiarism.
For a list of all of the forms that plagiarism can take, along with the consequences, please consult the page entitled Cite, don’t plagiarize and the Règlement sur les infractions de nature académique (Regulation regarding academic infractions).
Specifications
Most students who appear before the Discipline Committee for plagiarism or fraud declare that they were not aware of the rules, which is not a valid defence.
In the case of group work, the responsibility for plagiarism is shared by all members of the group.
Type of programs
To learn more about the list of programs offered at ÉTS
Academic system
Understanding Quebec university cycles and ÉTS programs
Course and Teacher Evaluations
Course and teacher evaluations are a chance for students to express their level of satisfaction with the courses and instruction received. Their constructive participation is an integral part of ÉTS’s commitment to continuous improvement. To keep the results confidential, students’ written comments are available only to the teacher. Evaluations can be completed quickly and easily online.
The 10-day evaluation period begins around the 11th week of the course and consists of a questionnaire accessible via SignÉTS.
The faculty (professors, teachers, lecturers) use evaluation results to improve as instructors. The ÉTS administration also uses evaluations for a variety of purposes:
- Improve existing courses
- Create or remove courses
- Redesign programs
- Provide pedagogical support to help faculty members be better teachers
- Monitor faculty performance
- Evaluate potential candidates for teaching excellence awards
- Help guide tenure decisions for teachers and professors early in their career
- Help evaluate the teaching record of professors and teachers for promotion purposes
The evaluation questionnaire consists of 24 questions. Ten of the questions relate to the specific course, practical work, or laboratory itself, while the remaining 14 relate to the teacher’s performance. The evaluation must be done online via SignÉTS.
- The students’ written comments are available only to the teacher.
- Teachers, department heads, the General Education Department director, and graduate program directors have online access to the quantitative results of evaluations that concern them.
- The Director of Academic Affairs, the Dean of Studies, and the Director of Academic Logistics have access to evaluation summaries.
The Dean of Studies grants certain AÉÉTS representatives restricted access to evaluation summaries from the previous semester. This allows them to prepare for the periodic teacher evaluation review meeting held at the beginning of each semester.
ÉTS systems are designed so that ÉTS staff members who normally have access to the data cannot know who has completed a questionnaire or link a student’s answers to a questionnaire. In addition, evaluation summaries and comments are made available only after teachers have submitted their final grades, eliminating any risk of interference between the teacher evaluation and student grading processes.
For students, course and teacher evaluations are a concrete way to contribute to the continuous improvement of the quality of instruction at ÉTS. It is an opportunity to play an active and constructive role in the process. The higher the participation rate and the more constructive the responses and comments, the more valuable the evaluations are to the ÉTS administration as a tool for improving courses and instruction. Your input is therefore very important.