Procedure V.5001.C.a, Student Final Grade Appeal Process

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Associated Policy

Policy V.5001.C, Student Final Grade Appeal

Procedures

Grade determination and awarding of a final letter grade in a course is the responsibility of the instructor. Final letter grade reports should be available to the student within a reasonable time following the end of the course typically within seven working days. If a student has reason to believe that a final letter grade is incorrect, the student may appeal the final letter grade received in the course. The student shall initiate the appeal process as soon as possible following the receipt or electronic posting of the grade. The appeal process shall be initiated no later than 30 calendar days after the end of the semester, and must be resolved within 120 calendar days following the initiation of the appeal.

Campus leaders for each campus are as follows:

• Central Campus Provost for Central Campus courses
• North Campus Provost for North Campus courses
• South Campus Provost for South Campus courses
• Maritime Campus Associate Vice Chancellor for Maritime Campus courses
• Generation Park Campus Executive Director for Generation Park courses

The procedures for appealing a final letter grade are as follows:

Step 1. Student Meeting with Instructor

The student and instructor shall discuss the grade that the student believes is incorrect. At this meeting, only the grades on tests, projects, reports, etc., and the grading system listed in the syllabus will be reviewed and recalculated as necessary. Whenever possible, the matter should be resolved at this meeting. If the instructor cannot resolve the student’s concern within five working days, the instructor shall provide the student with a written decision and provide notice of the grade appeal procedure. If the student is dissatisfied with the decision, the student may request a meeting with the Department Chair to appeal the decision of the instructor. NOTE: If there is no Department Chair, the student may request a meeting with the Dean who will conduct the meeting in accordance with steps No. 1 and No. 2 of this procedure. The student must submit the appeal within five (5) working days after receiving notice from the instructor.

Step 2. Student Meeting with Department Chair/Program Director

The Department Chair must arrange a meeting no more than five (5) working days after receiving a request from the student, unless exceptional circumstances warrant additional time. This meeting will include the student, the instructor, and the Department Chair. Providing sufficient evidence of discrepancies or errors in the grade will be the responsibility of the student. If insufficient evidence is offered, the appeal is denied. The student will be given an opportunity to present his/her case. The instructor will be given a chance for rebuttal.

Upon a showing of good cause, or upon the mutual agreement of the parties, the deadlines may be extended.

On hearing the evidence from both sides, the Program Director or the Department Chair will take one of the following actions:

1. If, in the professional judgement of the Department Chair/Program Director, the student failed to provide sufficient evidence of discrepancies or errors in the grades, the student will be notified in writing that the appeal is denied. The Department Chair will inform the student of the right to appeal the decision and about the procedures for appeal. At the same time, the Department Chair will notify the instructor in writing of this decision. The notification must be given within five (5) working days of the hearing.
2. If, in the professional judgement of the Department Chair, the student provided sufficient evidence of discrepancies or errors in the grades, the instructor will be notified in writing within five (5) working days of the meeting. At the same time, the Department Chair will notify the student in writing of this decision.

The instructor will, in turn, inform the Department Chair in writing within five (5) working days whether he/she agrees to change the grade. If the instructor changes the grade, the instructor notifies the student in writing, and the matter is closed.

If the instructor declines to change the grade, the Department Chair will be notified of the decision in writing within five (5) working days after having received the recommendation from the Department Chair. Within five (5) working days after being informed of the instructor’s decision to deny the grade change, the Department Chair will notify the student that the appeal is denied and inform the student of further rights to appeal and the procedure for doing so.

All time limits stated are in working days. All time limits may be extended by mutual consent.

Step 3. Student Meeting with Dean

Within five (5) working days after receiving notification from the Department Chair that the appeal has been denied, a student may request a meeting with the Dean who will take either action “A” or action “B” as described above in step No. 2 above.

(NOTE: If there is no Dean or in the event that the Dean conducted the initial meeting, the student will proceed to step 4.)

Step 4. Student Meeting with Academic Appeals Committee

Within five (5) working days after receiving written notification from the Dean that the appeal has been denied, a student appealing a grade in a course may request a hearing before an Academic Appeals Committee. This request will be in writing to the campus leader. The committee will consist of one (1) full-time instructor to be named by the student, one (1) full-time instructor to be named by the instructor, and one (1) full-time instructor to be named by the campus leader. The campus leader will request that the student and instructor submit the name of their nominees within five (5) working days after notification of all parties involved. Upon receiving the names of those nominees and appointing a third instructor to the committee, the campus leader will set the time, date, and place of the closed hearing and notify all parties. This will be done within five (5) working days after having received the names of both nominees. A student may present written evidence relevant to the grade appeal and may be advised at the hearing by the advisor of his or her choice. The student may have a maximum of two (2) persons in the room at a time. The Academic Appeals Committee may request information from the instructor and/or person’s familiar with the matter. Cross-examination is not permitted.

Within five (5) working days after this hearing, the Academic Appeals Committee will notify the student, the instructor, and the campus leader in writing of its findings:

1. A grade change is justified and will be made; or
2. A grade change is not justified and will not be made.

If the decision of the Academic Appeals Committee is to change the grade, the campus leader will have five (5) working days to make the grade change. The decision of the Academic Appeals Committee will be final.

If, at the time of the grade appeal, the instructor is not available or no longer employed by the College, step 1 of the procedure will be omitted.