Grade Appeal Process and Timetable - Steps in the College of Humanities

STEP 1 Within the first five weeks of the regular semester after the semester in which the grade was awarded, or sooner if possible, the student should inform him/herself of the University's Grade Appeal Policy. Student informs course instructor (Professor/GAT/ adjunct/lecturer/ instructor/TA) of his/her intent to file a grade appeal regarding the specified course. Student discusses his/her concerns with the course instructor, stating the reasons for questioning the grade. If the course instructor in question is a GAT, and the interview between the instructor and the student does not resolve the difficulty, the student shall immediately discuss the problem with the person in charge of supervising the course, or the appointed designee or the department head, whichever pertains to the course in question.

STEP 2 Within the first five weeks of the regular semester after the semester in which the grade was awarded, or sooner if possible, if there is no resolution with the course instructor and/or supervisor/department head, the student obtains requisite forms from the COH Dean's Office in Modern Languages 345. The student must attest in writing that he/she has informed the course instructor he/she intends to file a grade appeal and the student is to sign the specified COH Student Attest Form. It is also the responsibility of the student to present all of the necessary documentation from the course in question. Please refer to the NOTE on the COH Grade Appeal Form Statement by Student, where the presentation of the necessary course materials is summarized. For steps 3-7, the COH grade appeal forms must be used. The student is to provide these forms to those with whom he/she is pursuing the appeal.

STEP 3 Within the first five weeks of the regular semester after the semester in which the grade was awarded, or sooner if possible, student submits written statement to course instructor (with copies to the course supervisor if the instructor is a GAT), the instructor's department head, and the COH Dean's Office. The appeal should be carefully formulated and submitted to the course instructor on the requisite COH grade appeal form.

STEP 4 Instructor responds in writing to student's appeal statement. The COH Instructor's Comments to Student's Grade Appeal should be used. Instructor returns written response and signed forms to the student within the two-week period allowed. Refer to steps 4 and 5, in the University Grade Appeal Policy for a detailed summary.

STEP 5 Student submits written statement and instructor's written response to department head. Refer to step 5, University Grade Appeal Policy for a detailed summary.

STEP 6 Department head responds in writing to student and instructor. The COH Department Head's Comments to Student's Grade Appeal should be used. Department head returns written response and forms to the student within the two-week period allowed. Refer to step 6, University Grade Appeal Policy for a detailed summary.

STEP 7 If the grade appeal matter has not been resolved at the department-level and the student wishes to pursue the appeal, the student shall submit the written statement, and written responses from the instructor and department head to the COH Dean's Office. All such statements must be on the requisite COH grade appeal forms and must be original documents. Refer to step 7, University Grade Appeal Policy.

STEP 8 The associate dean shall review the student’s appeal and take appropriate action. If the basis of the appeal is the fundamental fairness of treatment of the student by the instructor, the associate dean should convene a committee to review the case. Valid reasons for convening an appeal committee include, but are not limited to: a violation of University policy, a failure to follow published course policies, a lack of consistency within the student’s course section, or a dispute over the factual accuracy of graded work. The following are NOT reasons that should be brought to a committee: a disagreement with published course policies, differences in classroom policies or grading schemes in different courses or between different sections of the same course, or a grade’s impact on a student’s academic progress, athletic eligibility, or eligibility for veteran’s benefits.

STEP 9 On behalf of the dean, the associate dean convenes an appointed COH Grade Appeal Committee which considers the grade appeal within the period of time specified by the COH. Refer to step 9, University Grade Appeal Policy. The COH Grade Appeal Committee provides copies of its recommendation to the student, instructor, department head, and associate dean.

STEP 10 The associate dean forwards all recommendations to the dean. The dean shall make a final decision after full consideration of the committee's recommendation and within four weeks of receiving the student's appeal. The dean has the authority to change the grade to a different credit-bearing grade, which includes regular grades (A,B,C,D,E), alternative grades (S,P), or optional grades (P,F), depending on the course grading system and the system chosen by the student at registration. The Registrar shall accept the dean's decision. The department head, instructor, and student shall be notified in writing of the dean's decision.

Timetable for the Grade Appeal Process in the College of Humanities

WEEK	STEPS
1 - 5	1 - 2 - 3
6-7	4
8	5
9-10	6
11	7
12-15	8-9-10