The Appeal Process
for Change of Course Grade applies to students and both full-time and
part-time faculty members in all schools and colleges except the School
of Law. Language specific to the USFFA contract is noted as appropriate.
Procedural differences for students and faculty members in Degree Completion and Graduate Management programs are also noted as appropriate.
When a student believes that his or her final grade for a
course was unfair, the student may use the process described herein to
seek resolution of the matter. The burden of proving a claim of an
unfair grade (e.g. discrimination, unjust treatment, or errors in
calculation) rests with the student. Grades are awarded or changed only
by the course instructor or through this appeals process. An appealed
grade may be raised or lowered during the course of this appeals
process. The parties should make every effort to achieve consensus and
to resolve conflicts at the lowest level and as quickly as possible,
especially in cases where a student's timely academic progress is in
jeopardy.
The student must direct an appeal in writing to the course
instructor involved within the first 30 days of the next semester for
the Fall and Spring semesters or 30 days after the grade is available
online for Intersession or Summer Session. The appeal must include
presentation of whatever evidence of unfair evaluation the student
believes is relevant. Once the time limit has expired, an appeal will
not be taken forward unless the student could not reasonably have known
about the alleged injustice within that time; in that case the student
must appeal within 30 days of discovering the alleged injustice. It is
the responsibility of all parties to make every effort to resolve their
differences between themselves and informally.
If at any stage of the grade appeal process an allegation of
academic dishonesty becomes known for the first time, this Grade Appeal
Process shall be suspended and the case referred to the Academic
Honesty Hearing Committee. The Academic Honesty Hearing Committee will
make a written report of its findings to the parties involved. If the
Academic Honesty Hearing Committee finds the student not guilty of
academic dishonesty, the student shall then have the right to decide
whether or not to return to the Appeal Process for Change of Grade. If
the Academic Honesty Hearing Committee finds the student guilty of
academic dishonesty, then the instructor's grade will stand and the
student will not have the right to return to the Appeal Process for
Change of Grade. The Academic Honesty Hearing Committee does not have
the authority to alter a student's grade and should not consider in any
way the merits of the grade itself; the only questions are whether
academic dishonesty did occur, and if so, what the appropriate
sanction(s) should be.
At any stage, any of the parties may invite the University
Ombudsperson to help facilitate an agreement.
Dean Consultation Process
The parties may decide to expedite the appeal procedure by
consulting the dean (in the school or college within which the course
resides) for an informal resolution. If they decide to consult the dean,
the dean's decision may not be appealed through the formal process but
shall be final and binding. If the student and faculty member cannot
resolve the matter between themselves within 30 days and do not agree to
consult the dean, the student may appeal through the formal process
below. If the faculty member is absent from campus or otherwise
unavailable during the 30 days, then the student may proceed directly to
the formal process below.
Grade Appeal Committee Process
Adherence to the time requirements listed below in the
formal process are the responsibility of the faculty member and the
student. If the student does not adhere to them, then the instructor's
grade will stand. If the faculty member does not adhere to them, then
the student may appeal to the dean of the college in which the course
was offered to expedite the process. If the faculty member still fails
to respond in a timely manner the student may proceed with the appeal
directly to the appropriate dean or to Step Two of the Committee
Process. This choice will be at the student's discretion.
STEP
ONE:
(Note: Degree Completion and Graduate Management program students studying at
Regional Campuses may move directly to Step Two if full-time faculty
members are not available.)
The first step in the Committee Process is for the student
and instructor mutually to select another full-time faculty member
within the same school or college as the course instructor. This
mutually selected faculty member (the third-party faculty member) shall
examine all relevant evidence presented by the two parties and make a
recommendation. The third-party faculty member shall be chosen within
two weeks after the appeal is presented and shall render a
recommendation within one week after examining the evidence. Upon
request by the student, time limits may be extended in order to
accommodate the Intersession or Summer Session calendars.
If the student and the course instructor cannot agree on a
third-party faculty member or cannot or do not choose a third-party
faculty member, then the chair of the department or the faculty
coordinator of the program involved shall make this selection. If the
course instructor is also the chair or coordinator and cannot agree with
the student on a suitable third-party faculty member, the student may
move directly to Step Two.
In addition to the third-party faculty member, a qualified
student (i.e., any undergraduate or graduate student in good academic
standing, with at least a 3.0 GPA, within the college in which the
appeal is being processed) may be selected, at the sole discretion of
the student who has appealed, to assist the student in any appropriate
manner, whether as an advocate, another mediator, or an observer.
The third-party faculty member shall make his or her written
recommendation to the student and instructor simultaneously. The
objective shall be to reach consensus based on the third-party faculty
member's recommendation.
The third-party faculty member shall complete a Step One
Grade Appeal Form available in the deans' offices stating the basis of
the claim, the recommendation he or she has made, and whether the
parties have accepted the recommendation. This form shall be placed in
the student's official University record at the conclusion of the
appeals process, with copies given to both the student and involved
instructor.
STEP
TWO: If no
consensus is reached at Step One, the student may appeal within one
week to the full-time faculty in the department or program in which the
course was offered by notifying the department/area chair, program
director or coordinator. Notification must be in writing, including
supporting materials. As necessary, the department/area chair, program
director or coordinator may select additional faculty to make the
necessary quorum of three full-time faculty. The faculty members shall
consider an appeal within 20 working days after receiving the student's
written request. These faculty members shall constitute the Course Grade
Appeal Committee and shall hold a hearing on the appeal where both the
course instructor and student involved are present. In the hearing, the
faculty members shall not be bound by formal rules of courtroom
evidence. The basic standard for admission of evidence shall be due
process and fairness to the student and the faculty member. The student
may be accompanied by an advisor of his or her choosing. The role of the
advisor is limited to assistance and support to the student in
presenting his or her case. The advisor is not allowed to actively
participate in the hearing, which includes speaking for the student.
After hearing the relevant evidence, the faculty members shall
deliberate and reach a decision, which shall be final and binding. (The
course instructor and student involved shall not be present during the
deliberations and vote.)
A change of grade requires at least a two-thirds vote of
those present and voting. Absent such a two-thirds vote the original
grade shall stand.
The department/area chair, program director or coordinator
shall note the final resolution of the appeal on the Step Two Grade
Appeal Form and send copies to the University Registrar's office, the
office of the dean of the college or school in which the course resides,
the student, and the course instructor involved.
