You are not supposed to miss the midterm, unless something serious has disabled you to be there, such as an accident or a serious disease. Experience shows that most students that miss the midterm for one reason or another, often end up not passing the final exam, and therefore fail the course. The midterm is a good practice for the final exam, and its mark is returned before the "course drop date". Without the practice and the feedback on your performance it is very hard to catch up at the final exam. Do not request permission to miss the midterm, unless in extreme situations.
If you miss the midterm, you will get a mark of zero unless you have informed me BEFOREHAND and I have agreed that you may miss it. You can send me an e-mail (lucia@site.uottawa.ca), phone me at 562-5800 X-6678 or a friend can bring the news.
If I agree that you may miss the midterm, there will be no make-up midterm. Instead, the weight of the final exam will be increased to include the weight of the midterm. For example, if the midterm was worth 25% and the final exam 45%, the final exam will now be worth 70%.
If you inform me AFTERWARD that you were unable to write the midterm, you will get a mark of zero.
Lucia Moura