so i have an issue... i play a high level of hockey where we go to tournaments (maybe 5 total in the year) and these tournaments require me to usually leave early friday morning and maybe 1 or 2 on thursday...anyway im a kinesiology student and I have possibly labs but TUTORIALS FOR SURE ON FRIDAY :( what am i supposed to do if i have a tournament the week i have a tutorial and what are the "rules" regarding them? am i allowed to skip, do i have the chance if i ask the prof about giving like a n mark if i explain the sitch or do they not care, etc. I REALLY NEED DETAILED ANSWERS!!!!! srry for the long post too

The kin "tutorials" on Friday are actually weekly quizzes that add up quite a bit of your final mark (~3% of your final marks each?). If you skip 1 or 2 of them that's ok but if you skip all of them...

Also the quizzes are 20 minutes each, not the entire 50 minute time slot.

In large classes (like kin anatomy, I think???), profs are usually not very accommodating in terms of schedule conflicts.
Smaller classes (~20,30 students), you might have better luck...

Contact the prof and explain the situation. They might be able to move you to a different tutorial (if there is one), even if it's full. They also might be able to get you to write the quizzes with the prof or a TA during office hours. I know the varsity Marauders get some sort of accommodation for their events but I do not know how this compares to students who aren't on a university team.

They won't make accommodations for non-McMaster events. And if you have five of these tournaments (I'm guessing that's about 2-3 per term) then you might be able to use your MSAF for one per term, but you should be prepared to lose the marks for the rest of them. Same deal for labs. The quizzes are ONLY on Fridays so you can't be moved to a different section on a different day, and labs are ONLY on Thursdays so again, you can't be moved to a different day - although you could try to get in an early morning section.

Best advice is to become acquainted with your prof, make accommodations. It helps a ton to approach your instructor/TA/IA ahead of time to inform them of your availabilities and the fact that you will not be able to make certain deadlines far a head of time -- it shows a ton of maturity and that you are willing to compromise. You absolutely can make arrangements -- taking quizzes early, doing them in your prof's office the following Monday and so forth.

The primary reason people don't get accommodations made is because people randomly ask instructors for exceptions... we're all big boys and girls, and if you approach the situation right you can make things work out for you. Obviously first year stuff is harder to work around because of the number of students in the course and there is much more first yearer hate, but try your best.

When it really comes down to it, bonus and attendance marks don't matter if you learn the content correctly; its mostly a handicap for people who don't put in enough effort to begin with.

Originally Posted by RyanC

Best advice is to become acquainted with your prof, make accommodations. It helps a ton to approach your instructor/TA/IA ahead of time to inform them of your availabilities and the fact that you will not be able to make certain deadlines far a head of time -- it shows a ton of maturity and that you are willing to compromise. You absolutely can make arrangements -- taking quizzes early, doing them in your prof's office the following Monday and so forth.

The primary reason people don't get accommodations made is because people randomly ask instructors for exceptions... we're all big boys and girls, and if you approach the situation right you can make things work out for you. Obviously first year stuff is harder to work around because of the number of students in the course and there is much more first yearer hate, but try your best.

When it really comes down to it, bonus and attendance marks don't matter if you learn the content correctly; its mostly a handicap for people who don't put in enough effort to begin with.

The OP isn't talking about bonus marks or attendance marks. They're talking about something that is a core part of the course.

The IA doesn't make exceptions, and nor will the faculty, no matter how far in advance you are aware of these issues. It's different from something like a death in the family, or even a one-time event. It's a recurring absence from quizzes, and possibly labs too. The point of view of the school is that you are a student first, and you need to adjust your priorities accordingly. Whether or not you agree with that assessment is beside the point.

Yes, it's definitely true that in upper years, when you have smaller class sizes, it's easier to get accommodations for these types of things - that's because the prof will bypass the usual channels. In a larger class though, if they make an exception for one person then they need to do it for everyone, and that creates a huge headache for them.

In first year anatomy/physiology, there are NO make-ups for missed quizzes regardless of the reason. If you have a legitimate medical/legal/religious reason then the weight of the missed quiz gets moved to your final exam. If you do not have a legitimate reason that falls into one of those categories, then you will receive a zero - the course outline is clear on that.

I would try talking anyways since I know varsity level stuff is more flexible.

I doubt they'd make exceptions for you, but it can't hurt to talk to your prof about it.

However, Kin tests were always on Fridays.

Originally Posted by Leeoku

I would try talking anyways since I know varsity level stuff is more flexible.

The OP isn't referring to varsity sports, though - they're not connected to the university at all, based on the post.