What is ISEP?

The Dawson College Institutional Student Evaluation Policy (ISEP) is designed to promote equitable and effective evaluation of student learning. Its premise is that these goals can be only achieved when programs and teachers, particularly in their course outlines, are explicit about course content, objectives, requirements and methods of evaluation so that students can clearly understand what is expected of them.

It also assumes that the development and implementation of appropriate evaluation processes can be an important force for academic growth and development on the part of both teachers and students. Teachers have a professional responsibility to develop suitable evaluation mechanisms and, as necessary, to revise, adapt or replace them. The College has a responsibility to support professional development activities dedicated to improving the evaluation of student learning.

Evaluation that is equitable is compatible with evaluation that varies among courses, departments and programs. Moreover, in order to be appropriate and to achieve its formative ends, evaluation must be adapted to specific pedagogical contexts which may require a variety of teaching strategies to achieve the same course or program objectives at the requisite standards. It is the particular professional competence and duty of teachers to discern and implement evaluation systems appropriate to this diversity. Therefore, the Institutional Student Evaluation Policy is constructed so as to promote the achievement of standards of evaluation without seeking to impose standardized systems of evaluation. Its purpose is simply to promote equity and effectiveness across the expected diversity.

The Dawson College Institutional Student Evaluation Policy is published in the College Calendar and is distributed and available to all members of the College community. Furthermore, reference copies of the policy (and related policies, such as department and program policies) are available to the public in the College library and in academic and administrative departments. Nothing in this policy shall compromise students’ rights to privacy under the Access to Information Act (Quebec Act 65).