Students are entitled by section 5.3 of the regents’ bylaws of the university of appeal a course grade they feel was assigned through prejudice or caprice. Their first recourse is to the department of the instructor who assigned the grade. The English Department appeals procedure has three parts:
- consultation with the instructor,
- mediation by the department chair,
- hearing and recommendation by the department grade appeals committee
Students are cautioned that any formal grade appeal to the department committee (step 3, above) must be presented in writing before the end of the eighth class week of the fall or spring semester following the semester in which the grade was assigned; appeals presented after that date will not be heard. Further, reasonable time must first be allowed for consultation with the instructor (step 1) and mediation by the department chair (step 2). Any recommendation of the committee must be made before the end of the 13th week of the semester in which the appeal was accepted.
- Consultation with the instructor. Consultation with the instructor often clarifies and resolves the issues and is normally required before further steps are Students who feel unable to comply should consult with the department chair instead and request exemption from this requirement. (Note: should the instructor be the department chair, the duties of the chair here will be assumed by the dean of the college.)
- Mediation by the chair. If consultation fails to resolve the issue, the student should give the chair a note to that The chair, or the chair’s designate, will then meet with the student and instructor and attempt to mediate the disagreement,
- Hearing and recommendation by the department grade appeals committee. If mediation fails to resolve the issue, the student may give the chair a written appeal in which the particulars of the alleged caprice or prejudice are fully presented. The chair will inform the instructor, invite a written response from the instructor, and convene the committee. The committee may, at its discretion, invite the student and instructor to appear jointly before it and will forward to the department chair a recommendation as to whether the grade should be changed, including a rationale for its At this point the instructor may effect any change of grade recommended by the committee, but lacking that, the chair will forward any recommended change of grade to the college.
Appeal to the college. Both the student and the instructor have the right to appeal the department committee’s recommendation on procedural grounds. The grade appeal procedures of the College of Arts and Sciences are available in the dean’s office. Such appeals must be submitted before the end of the fall or spring semester following the semester in which the grade was assigned.