Guide to Undergraduate Distance Education

Table of Contents

  1. Welcome
  2. RMC My Services
  3. Student Contact Information
  4. Admission
  5. Student Financial Aid
  6. Transcript and Document Requests
  7. Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)
  8. Course Registrations
  9. Withdrawal from a Course and Course Extension
  10. Course Material
  11. Student Cards and Library Services
  12. How to Succeed in an Online Course
  13. Assignments
  14. Final Exam Registration
  15. Change of Academic Programme and Re-admission
  16. Graduation
  17. Academic Regulations
 

1 Welcome

A warm welcome to all undergraduate students taking RMC Online courses. We hope your academic and professional pursuits will be both successful and challenging.

The Guide to Undergraduate Distance Education is designed to give students an overview of the policies, procedures, how to succeed in an online course and to highlight the support services provided.

Distance Learning courses are offered online (Internet) through the RMC Moodle Learning Management System.

2 RMC My Services

My Services

For students and instructors, My Services is an Internet-based means of accessing academic and administrative services, as well as a communication tool. It allows students to:

  • register online,
  • pay their course registration fees,
  • verify their course registration status,
  • print tuition fees, student summary and T2202A,
  • view and update their personal information (email and mailing address),
  • view instructor contact information, and
  • view final marks for all courses completed at RMC.

Students can also use My Services to:

  • withdraw from a course,
  • communicate with their instructors,
  • register for their final examination, and
  • access library information, services and learning resources online.

For more information on the available services, refer to the information appearing on My Services home page. Information concerning My Services account is sent via email to DL students upon enrolment. If you have not received or have forgotten your My Services account information, please contact support@rmc-cmr.ca.

3 Student Contact Information

It is very important that RMC have accurate information on a student’s mailing address, telephone number, email, etc. Throughout the duration of a course, RMC may need to contact students regarding course related issues. It is the responsibility of the student to update and maintain their personal information for contact purposes.

Please update your personal information via My Services under Personnel Admin.

4 Admission

For all students interested in pursuing undergraduate studies at RMC please visit Admissions for further information.

5 Student Financial Aid

A number of financial aid programs are available to students pursuing university studies at RMC. Please consult Student Financial Aid.

6 Transcript and Document Requests

For transcript or other document requests please visit Transcript and Document Requests or Email: transcripts@rmc-cmr.ca

7 Prior Learning Assessment & Transfer Credits (Undergraduate)

For more information on assessment of prior learning, recognition and awarding of credits please visit: Prior Learning Assessment & Transfer Credits.

8 Course Registrations

Students admitted to a programme of study at RMC may register for courses via My Services. The list of undergraduate courses offered online are available at UG Course Offerings for Distance Education. For more info please contact an Undergraduate Studies Programme Representative.

8.1 Registration Periods

Please visit Dates specific to RMC Online students for registration periods for online courses.

For the list of RMC Academic Fees, please visit:
RMC Academic Fees

8.2 Registration in Courses at Another University

RMC students who wish to take courses at other institutions for credits towards their degree programme must obtain prior written permission in the form of a Letter of Permission. See Academic Regulation 8.9 Letter of Permission.

To obtain a Letter of Permission, students must complete the Request for Letter of Permission form, available on My Services under the Documents and Forms tab.

Along with several other francophone universities in Canada, RMC signed an agreement that facilitates RMC students’ registration for courses offered at these institutions. The Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC) Web site provides a list of member universities. Click on the links to access the course catalogues of these institutions. Note that the agreement between RMC and the ACUFC and several of its members does not include the clause concerning accepting the minimum pass grade or waiving the Letter of Permission fee.

Interest Only students may not request a Letter of Permission.

9 Withdrawal from a Course and Course Extension

9.1 Withdrawal from a Course

Students intending to withdraw from a course must officially do so through the My Services. For more info please contact an Undergraduate Studies Programme Representative.

Also please, refer to Academic Regulations - Undergraduate (# 6, 7, and 18).

9.2 Course Extension

A distance student enrolled in an Undergraduate Programme of Study who, after the 49th day after the beginning of the course is confronted with an unforeseen situation that would make it difficult or impossible to hand in the assignments in the course on time to meet the prescribed due dates and thus to complete the course within the prescribed time limit, should consider applying for a course extension using the form Request for a Course Extension (Undergraduate). The form is available on the My Services under the Documents and Forms tab.

If, prior to the end of the course, the student requests an extension, he or she may do so by filing an official Request for a Course Extension of up to one session, citing one of three possible reasons:

  1. Deployment/Operational
  2. Medical
  3. Exceptional circumstances

In citing one of the above reasons, the student filing this request must:

  • Provide written proof of the deployment/operational engagement preventing him or her from completing the course (a copy of the order to deploy or a note from the Commanding Officer (CO)). If such proof is provided, no Course Extension Fee or Final Exam Re‑scheduling Fee is applicable. It is expected that the student filing the request will be able to complete the course, including taking the final exam, within four months of the end of the session;
  • Provide a note from his or her physician testifying to a temporary medical incapacity that prevents the student from completing his or her assignments by the end of the course, but that should not prevent him or her from completing the course, including taking the final exam, if a four months extension is granted. If such proof is provided, no Course Extension Fee or Final Exam Re‑scheduling Fee is applicable; or
  • If the request is motivated by an exceptional circumstance, provide substantiation and payment information. The fee for a Course Extension is indicated on the form. If there is a final exam in the course for which the extension is requested, the Final Exam Rescheduling Fee may also be applicable. In the case of a student who cannot take the final exam on a Base, an Invigilation Fee may also apply.

If the extension request was granted and justified by a deployment/operational or medical reason, and by the end of the extension period, the student has not completed the course, he or she will be withdrawn from the course and his or her transcript will show WD against this course.

If the request for a Course Extension is motivated by an exceptional circumstance, and the student has failed to complete the course within the extended period, including taking the final exam, a final mark will be entered, resulting in most cases in a failed course.

The Request for a Course Extension should be submitted as soon as the need for extension is identified and always before the last day of classes. If penalties are applied in your course for work submitted after the deadline, they will continue to be applicable until a course extension is received. All the assignments and course work must be submitted in order to be allowed to write the exam. Your instructor cannot grant a course extension beyond the end of session. A course extension is granted by the Head of the appropriate department. RMC will not accept a Request for a Course Extension filed after the last day of classes.

For more info please contact an Undergraduate Studies Programme Representative.

Note: Students are strongly encouraged to contact their instructor before filing this request. However, failure to contact the instructor in a timely manner cannot serve as an excuse for late filing of the request. It is strongly advised that the student contact the instructor to discuss whether it would be best for the student to submit the Undergraduate Course Withdrawal, or the Request for a Course Extension, when the reason for requesting a Course Extension is a deployment / operational, medical or exceptional circumstance. Please also note that if a course extension is granted, another instructor may be assigned to grade the assignments and the final exam.

10 Course Material

10.1 Textbooks

Some RMC online courses require textbooks, which are essential for the successful completion of the course. Undergraduate DL students should wait until they see confirmation via My Services of their registration in a course before buying any textbooks.

It is highly recommended that students purchase all required textbooks from The Campus Bookstore at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, as care has been taken to match the correct edition with the course. Orders can be placed online at Campus Bookstore or by calling 613-533-2955 or 1-800-267-9478.

Students are advised to make certain that the textbook edition is correct, and that the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) matches the one in the Course Materials List and/or on the Queen’s University website. A book with a different ISBN may not be identical to the required textbook for the course.

Q: What does it mean when the Campus Bookstore at Queen's University website mentions that for a given textbook, the quantity available is "0"?

A: For RMC undergraduate online courses, two to three months before the start of a session RMC Online staff requests the Campus Bookstore at Queen's University to "adopt" a specific number of textbooks, meaning that the Bookstore orders a specific number of copies of the textbook from the publisher. The number of textbooks adopted is normally based on historical data, i.e., on the number of students who have taken the course in the past. When a larger number of students register for the course, the Bookstore may be short on books, in which case the availability shows "0". However, the student should not assume that the Bookstore is unable to provide the textbook; instead, the student should fill out the order form and send it to the Bookstore. The Bookstore will then find a textbook for the student. The student will be advised if the Bookstore expects problems in obtaining the textbook. Once the Bookstore has a copy of the textbook, it typically takes 2 to 3 business days to send the book to a location in Ontario, and 5 business days for a location outside Ontario. For overseas locations, timings vary greatly depending on the country. If you have any concerns regarding your order, you can email the Bookstore at Frontdesk@campusbookstore.com to obtain more information.;

10.2 Online Course Material

Students should have access to their Moodle course on the Friday before the start of class. (Note that the instructors should contact their students 1 week prior to start of class, and in their introductory message, should also advise the students when they will get access to their Moodle course.)

Instructors may post articles and other reading materials on the course’s Moodle page. (Typically, they are posted as .pdf files or links to internet articles.) Such readings may replace or supplement a textbook.

11 Student Cards and Library Services

Students enrolled with RMC may receive a student card upon request. In order to request it, students must contact an Undergraduate Studies Programme Representative.

All RMC students, including those registered as Visiting or Interest-only students, have access to all learning resources and documents available online through the RMC My Services. Please contact support@rmc-cmr.ca or (613) 541-6000 ext 6343 to request access to My Services.

RMC students also have borrowing privileges at certain other universities with whom RMC has an agreement in place. To use these borrowing privileges, please fill out the Inter-University Library Borrowing Card Application form available on My Services under the Documents and Forms tab.

DL students located in the vicinity of Kingston can contact the RMC Massey Library to discuss borrowing privileges.

12 How to Succeed in an Online Course

Taking an online course can be a very rewarding experience. Here are some tools and strategies that can help you achieve your learning goals:

  1. Complete the Moodle tutorials titled:
    • How to Succeed in an Online Course and
    • Academic Integrity for Distance Learning Students
      • from the Moodle homepage, click on Tutorials and self-enroll in the course you want to take.
  2. Ensure that you have all the materials necessary to get started on your course, including academic material, textbooks, readers, and learning aids the instructor has determined necessary. Your course should come with a Course Materials List, which lists all required and optional items.
  3. Allot a specific amount of time each day, or each week, to study in a quiet place away from distractions.
  4. Pay close attention to the assignment due dates. Working back from the assignment due date, plan a schedule to complete the work and to submit the assignment on time.

12.1 Writing and Math Support for Students in Online Courses

The RMC Writing Centre and the Math Centre are available to provide assistance and support to RMC online students also.

  • To coordinate assistance, or any other special requirements, with the Math Centre or contact mathcentre@rmc-cmr.ca.
  • For assistance with any written assignment or presentation and to book an appointment please visit the Writing Centre.

There are a number of very helpful reference books available at most university bookstores to aid students in writing. The following resources are just a few suggestions:

  • A Military Writer's Handbook (freely available in every courses on Moodle)
  • Buckley, Joan. Fit to Print: The Canadian Student’s Guide to Essay Writing
  • Casson, Leslie E. A Writer’s Handbook: Developing Writing Skills for Canadian University Students

13 Assignments

13.1 General Instructions on Submitting Assignments

Assignments for undergraduate online courses are to be submitted electronically via the Moodle course.

If you do not have an RMC Moodle account please contact: support@rmc-cmr.ca or (613) 541-6000 ext 63437 during working hours (8:00-16:00 EST).

To submit your assignment from your RMC Moodle course, follow the steps below:

  1. Log on to your Moodle course
  2. Click on the assignment activity (icon assignment activity icon , with associated text like Assignment 1)
  3. Follow directions to upload the assignment and accept the submission statement
  4. Some courses use Turnitin assignments for checking academic integrity. These types of assignments have a Turnitin icon Turnitin icon

Note: Some undergraduate online courses will require students to include graphics, equations and other symbols (e.g. mathematical) in their assignments. Students may experience special challenges in creating these items in a format compatible with their word processing editor. Two approaches are recommended:

  1. Use a commercial or freeware specialty software program to make the necessary graphics, equations (e.g. Microsoft Equation Editor) or other symbols and then insert them into the word processing document containing your assignment. Many freely available tutorials and specialty software programmes exist on the internet that can assist students with this process. Consult with your instructor as he/she may be able to provide additional guidance or advice on appropriate specialty software; or
  2. Hand-draw graphs, equations or special symbols in your assignment and then scan or capture your hardcopy document into an electronic format with a document scanner or digital camera such that the resolution is sufficient to allow the instructor to read and grade the assignment. As a guide, scan documents at a scale of 100% and a resolution of 150 to 200 dpi. Save image file(s) as a .pdf, .tiff, or .jpg (avoid using a file type of .bmp as these files are too large).

The submitted assignment will be recorded in the database, which will allow your instructor to retrieve it for marking.

Note: Keep a copy of all your assignments until you receive your final grade. Problems can occur when transmitting and assignments may need to be re-submitted.

For further assistance in submitting your assignment:

  1. Contact: tlsg-gsea@rmc-cmr.ca, or
  2. Contact RMC Support at support@rmc-cmr.ca or by phone at (613) 541-6000 ext 6343 during working hours (8:00-16:00 EST)

RMC and its faculty members, reserve the right to employ originality checking and plagiarism detection instruments or services to protect, preserve, and promote the academic integrity of the credits and degrees it grants. Students enrolled in an RMC online course may, as part of the requirements to receive credit for that course, be required to submit their work to such originality checking and plagiarism detection instruments or services.

Note that the Assignment File and Course Manual for each course contain the following notice:

“It is the student’s responsibility to read and understand Section 23 of the RMC Academic Regulations. There are serious repercussions for students who are found guilty of an academic integrity violation.”

You are strongly encouraged to familiarize yourself with the content of the Moodle course (tutorial) titled Academic Integrity for Distance Learning Students. (From the Moodle homepage, click on Tutorials and self-enroll in the course.)

13.2 Submitting a Late Assignment

You must notify the instructor if an assignment is going to be late; failure to do so may result in a penalty. If the instructor is unreachable, contact tlsg-gsea@rmc-cmr.ca.

13.3 Returning Graded Assignments

Instructors are advised that assignments are to be returned within two weeks of their due date or before submission of the next assignment. If you experience difficulties in receiving your marks, contact: tlsg-gsea@rmc-cmr.ca.

In accordance with RMC Undergraduate Academic Regulations #10, the instructor may refuse a student permission to write a final examination if the requirements with regard to course work have not been met. In addition, normally, all assignments must be completed to the satisfaction of the Department concerned prior to the last day of the session in which the course is offered in order for the student to complete the course.

14 Final Exam Registration

Students who are registered in an undergraduate online course that has a final exam must request to write the exam.

Please read this section on final examination procedures carefully. You should have a clear understanding of the exam procedures to avoid any unnecessary stress surrounding exams, and to ensure smooth operations of final examinations.

14.1 Guidelines

  1. Consult the Important Academic Dates to find out in which week the final exam session falls and the deadline for your final exam registration.
  2. Unless you have other deadlines agreed to by the instructor, all session work and all assignments must be completed to the satisfaction of the department concerned prior to writing the final examination. An instructor has the authority to deny a student the permission to take a final exam or, if the student has nonetheless taken the exam, has the authority to refuse to grade it.
  3. Register for the exam through My Services.
  4. Exams are closed book unless otherwise specified by the instructor.
  5. Do not bring a laptop to the exam session unless special permission has been requested through your instructor. In most cases the use of laptops will not be permitted.
  6. Exams are three hours in length unless otherwise specified by the instructor.
  7. You can write final exams in either official language, except for language courses. Please refer to Academic Regulation #21 - Language Used in Examinations and Course Work at: Academic Regulations.
  8. For those courses in which it is mandatory to pass the final examination, if the student chooses not to write the exam or fails the exam, the final mark awarded for the course will be based upon the work completed, but in no case will it exceed 48%.

A student enrolled in an Undergraduate Programme of Study, who completes all session work and all assignments to the satisfaction of the department concerned and is suddenly confronted with an unforeseen situation (sudden increase of workload, pressing family obligations, short illness etc.) such that it would make it difficult or impossible to take the final exam during the prescribed exam session, may request to re-schedule the final exam by completing the Request to Reschedule Final Exam. The form is available on My Services under the Documents and Forms tab.

Note: Exams that are rescheduled must be written within one month from the original exam session. If not, you must apply for a course extension. Please refer to Section 9.2 above for information on Course Extension. Certain fees may apply.

Please contact the Exam Coordinator if the procedures are unclear or if you have any questions regarding exams by telephone at 613-541-6000 ext. 6681, or via CSN at 271‑6681, or via email at exams@rmc-cmr.ca.

14.2 Other Special Circumstances

If you are on operational tour or outside the area of a base with an Education Officer, you will need to become involved in the identification of a suitable invigilator for your upcoming exam. Contact the Exam Coordinator at: exams@rmc-cmr.ca.

You will be required to suggest a possible exam proctor, for example, candidates may include:

  • Troop or Company Commander, embassy military attaché, or in-theatre Education Officer (if on operational tour);
  • Militia officer such as the Education Officer or the Adjutant of a militia unit (if reserve personnel or spouse living outside the immediate base area) or a faculty member of a post-secondary institution; or
  • An officer with whom you have no familial link, and who has either completed the subject course or is not registered in an academic programme that could eventually make him/her a student in the subject course.

For civilian students living away from a Canadian Forces Base, a suitable proctor may be found among the faculty of the closest post-secondary institution.

Note: RMC must approve all exam invigilators. To facilitate this, please provide the Exam Coordinator with the candidate’s full name, rank, unit, mailing address, and civilian phone number (for courier purposes).

Candidates will be disqualified from invigilating an exam if:

  1. The student he is invigilating is his friend, neighbour, family member, relative or lives at the same address of the candidate; or
  2. The candidate is a student at RMC unless he has special approval from RMC approving authorities.

Please note that no exams will be sent without an assigned invigilator.

The personnel of RMC are committed to a “maximum flexibility” policy in order to help you achieve your educational goals. However, RMC can only do so with your cooperation. If you anticipate any problems, please contact exams@rmc-cmr.ca as soon as possible. You will find that RMC can accommodate most needs if given the opportunity to address them.

15 Change of Academic Programme and Re-admission

15.1 Change of Programme of Study

The Interest Only Student wanting to apply to a programme of study offered by RMC or the student enrolled in an undergraduate programme wanting to switch to another programme of study must fill out the Request to Change Programme and submit it, by regular mail, or by fax with all required documents, as mentioned on the form, to the Admissions Office. The form is available on the My Services under the Documents and Forms tab.

The general criteria for admission into RMC undergraduate programmes can be found on the RMC websit under Admission.

Students applying for admission into a programme of study who have completed programmes or courses at other universities or community colleges or professional training courses taken either within the CAF or through some other organization, whether in Canada or abroad, may seek to have their prior learning at a university level recognized by RMC.

It should be noted that admission into another academic programme does not entail the recognition of transfer credits or of credits that were granted in the current programme of study. The student requesting a change of academic programme and seeking recognition of his/her prior learning at a university level must fill out and submit a Request for Prior Learning Assessment. The form is available on My Services under the Documents and Forms tab.

Also please, refer to Academic Regulations - Undergraduate (# 6).

15.2 Readmission

Students who haven’t completed a course or received credit counting towards their academic programme in over two years will be considered inactive and automatically withdrawn from their programme of study.

Inactive students enrolled in an undergraduate programme of study will receive an email from RMC informing them of their imminent withdrawal from their programme of study. They will be encouraged to register in a course for the next session before the end of the registration period. At the end of the registration period, all inactive students not registered in a course for the next session will be withdrawn from their programme of study. They may apply at any time thereafter to be readmitted into the same or into another programme of study offered by RMC. However, their application for readmission will be treated by RMC as a new application, will be subject to fees, and their academic record will be subjected to a new assessment. Furthermore, programme requirements may have changed since the first enrolment of the student seeking readmission. Students seeking readmission must either contact the Office of the Registrar: Office of the Registrar or admissions@rmc-cmr.ca.

RMC Academic Regulations - Undergraduate #19 allow students who have been withdrawn from their programme of study for academic reasons, such as having failed a mandatory course twice or having failed a certain number of courses to apply for readmission into the same programme, but not before at least a full year has elapsed since they were withdrawn. However, students who are withdrawn from a programme of study for academic reasons may immediately apply for admission into another programme of study by either contacting the Office of the Registrar or admissions@rmc-cmr.ca.

Students withdrawn from their programme of study because of Academic Misconduct will under no circumstance be readmitted to RMC.

16 Graduation

All RMC students who satisfy the degree requirements for their programme of study are invited to apply to graduate and attend the May or November Convocations at the Royal Military College of Canada or the June Convocation at the Canadian Forces College. All students are reminded that in order to graduate and receive the appropriate diploma you must first apply for graduation by completing and forwarding the "Application to Graduate Form" to the Registrar's Office. The form is available via My Services under Documents and Forms tab.

17 Academic Regulations

We encourage RMC students to become familiar with all the Academic Regulations - Undergraduate.

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