Undergraduate Grade Appeal Policy and Procedures

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Policy Statement

Clear development and communication of grading criteria and a fair and impartial evaluation of student’s performance are the responsibilities of all faculty. The grade appeal policy and procedures are designed as a mechanism of appeal for an undergraduate student who believes a final failing grade, as defined by the individual school, has been unjustly rendered.  (Any student with a documented 504 accommodations may contact the Office for Students with Disabilities for clarification). 

 

Grounds for Grade Appeal

The student has the responsibility to clearly identify the perceived grounds for the grade appeal. The burden to demonstrate that legitimate grounds for a grade appeal exist lies with the student.  

Grounds for a grade appeal: 

  1. The result of an error on the part of the instructor in calculating, recording, or reporting the final grade. 
  2. The course requirements outlined in the syllabus were not followed. 
  3. Standards for evaluating the student’s performance were inequitably applied. 

 

Procedures

Steps in Appeal Procedures: Timeline: This timeline will be strictly followed Resolution/Continuance Algorithm:
1. Student’s Correspondence with Course Instructor: The student must email (using the official University email system, which pertains to all subsequent steps) the course Instructor and clearly identify the perceived grounds for the grade appeal and request a meeting. This email must be sent within 2 business days of the official release and posting of the final grade by the University Registrar’s Office. A meeting must occur within 3 days of the email being sent to the faculty member If a mutually agreed upon resolution occurs between the student and course faculty, no further steps are necessary.

If no resolution occurs within 3 business days of sending the initial email the student continues to step 2.
2. Student’s Correspondence with Appropriate Associate Dean: The student must email the appropriate School’s Associate Dean and faculty member to document clearly the communication that occurred with the course Instructor in Step 1, including the perceived grounds for the grade appeal. This email must be sent within 6 business days of the official release and posting of the final grade by the University Registrar’s Office. A meeting must occur within 3 days of the email being sent to the Associate Dean. If a mutually agreed upon resolution occurs with the Associate Dean, course faculty and student, no further steps are necessary.

If no resolution occurs within 6 business days of sending the initial email the student continues to step 3.
3. Student’s Correspondence with Appropriate School Dean: The student must email the appropriate School’s Dean to document clearly the communication (including dates) that occurred with the Instructor and the Associate Dean in Steps 1 and 2, as well as the perceived grounds for the grade appeal. This email must be received within 10 business days after the grades are officially released by the Registrar’s office. A meeting must occur within 3 business days of the email being sent to the Dean. If a mutually agreed upon resolution occurs with the Dean, Associate Dean, course faculty and student no further steps are necessary.

If no resolution occurs the student continues to step 4.

4. Grade Appeal Request Form Submission: The student must submit, via email, a completed Grade Appeal Request Form and all relevant, supporting documentation that the student would like reviewed to substantiate the grade appeal to the University’s Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA).

(The Grade Appeal Request Form can be found in the Registrar’s Office.)

 The submission of the Grade Appeal Request Form and all documentation must be received within 14 business days after the grades are officially released by the Registrar’s office. The VPAA will review the student’s Grade Appeal Request Form and assess the validity of the request. Validity will be determined by meeting the criteria set above under grounds for Grade Appeal as well as completing steps 1-3. When appropriate, the VPAA will refer the student to the Academic Integrity Committee for review. The VPAA will notify, via email, the course Instructor (or faculty designee) and the Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee by close of the following business day.

All parties involved now continue to Step 5.
5. Faculty Documentation Submission: The Instructor must submit, via email, a written response to support the instructor’s position in upholding the grade and all relevant, supporting documentation to substantiate the instructor’s position to the VPAA. All documentation must be submitted, via email, to the VPAA within 3 business days of receiving the notification from the VPAA that a Grade Appeal Hearing panel has been requested.

No additional materials will be accepted after this step.

All parties involved now continue to Step 6.
6. Documentation Distribution: The VPAA will distribute, via email, all documentation concurrently to the student, course Instructor, and the Chair of the Academic Standing and Degrees Committee for review in preparation for a Grade Appeal Hearing. The VPAA distributes all documentation, via email, concurrently to the relevant parties by the close of the following business day following the receipt of the documentation. No additional materials will be accepted after this step.

All parties involved now continue to Step 7.
7. Documentation Review and Determination of Hearing date: All parties will review the documentation submitted in preparation for the Grade Appeal Hearing and a date will be agreed upon between all parties.

The Chair of the Hearing Panel will notify all parties of the date, time and location of the Grade Appeal Hearing.

The student may enroll in the next semester courses while the grade appeal is being heard but may need to withdraw from the course/courses if the student fails to demonstrate the need to reverse the grade of record.		 All parties will review the documentation and a hearing date will be set no later than 22 business days after the grades are officially released and posted by the Registrar’s Office. All parties now continue to the Grade Appeal Hearing.

Grade Appeal Hearing

Grade Appeal Hearing Panel:

The Grade Appeal Hearing Panel must include, at minimum, an elected faculty member from each School in the University currently serving on the AS&D Committee. If any faculty member has a need to recuse him/herself, the Chair of AS&D will request the affected School’s Dean or Associate Dean to recommend a replacement.

Formal participation in the Hearing will be open only to the student, Instructor and Hearing Panel members. Any additional attendee at the Hearing will be considered on an individual basis by the members of the Academic Standing and Degrees Committee; however no member may bring legal counsel.

Grade Appeal Hearing Format:

  • In attendance: Course Instructor, student, members of the assembled Hearing Panel.
  • Facilitation/Summary: The facilitation of the Hearing will be rotated among faculty members on the AS&D Committee as assigned by the Chair of the AS&D Committee. The faculty facilitator shall not be from the same School as the student bringing forth the appeal.
  • Student position: The student will be given the opportunity to present their position with a time limit of 20 minutes.
  • Questions: Participants are given the opportunity to ask questions and the student and course Instructor will be given the opportunity to respond.
  • Faculty position: The Instructor will be given the opportunity to present their position with a time limit of 20 minutes.
  • Questions: Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions to which the student and course Instructor will respond.
  • Conclusion of the Hearing: The faculty facilitator will summarize, state the “next steps,” and dismiss the Instructor and student.
  • Deliberation: The members of the Hearing Panel will deliberate and reach a recommendation.
  • Grade Appeal Hearing Outcome: The criteria used to determine the outcome shall be based on the understanding that the student has the responsibility to convince a majority of the Hearing Panel that there are legitimate grounds to reverse the grade of record.
  • Notification of the recommendation: The faculty facilitator of the Hearing Panel will notify the VPAA or Dean designee via email of the Hearing Panel Recommendation.
  • Outcome Notification: The VPAA, or the Dean designee, reviews the recommendation of the Grade Appeal Panel and will make the final decision. The student, course Instructor, relevant School’s Dean and Associate Dean will be notified of the decision by email. The decision of the VPAA, or the Dean designee, will be communicated to the relevant parties within 3 business days of the Hearing. The decision of the VPAA, or the Dean designee, is final and concludes the grade appeal.
  • Document confidentiality: All the documentation generated for the grade appeal review and hearing will be forwarded to the VPAA’s office to ensure confidentiality.