There are two types of appeals. 1) Grade appeals are concerned with the fair evaluation of student work and are conducted at departmental level. 2) Appeals concerned with the mistaken application of University regulations, including appeals against penalties imposed for academic offenses, are considered by the Appeals Committee. The Registrar’s role is to coordinate the appeals process. The Registrar’s Office will advise students on procedural matters upon request; it does not provide advocacy services.
These procedures are in place to ensure that student appeals are dealt with in an equitable and orderly fashion. All concerns about grading should be resolved at the level nearest the student whenever possible. Students should approach their professor as soon as a concern is identified and request an informal re-assessment of the grade under consideration. It is not necessary to wait until the course is over to request consideration of a grade. Mutually agreeable settlements may be made between the professor and the student informally at any time in the process.
If students have concerns about the way a course is being managed, rather than with their own grade, they should speak to their professor or to the Chair of the Department as early in the term as possible. The Academic Appeals policy is not intended to apply to course management issues.
A. Grade Appeals
Stage One: Informal Grade Query and Grade Analysis
The student with a grade concern must approach the faculty member to discuss the grade. This step should be taken within two weeks of notification of the grade, if the grade is an interim mark. Final grade queries must be initiated by the deadlines shown at the end of this section. The faculty member will conduct a grade analysis if requested. A grade analysis involves confirming that all grades were recorded correctly.
If still dissatisfied, the student may move to Stage 2. Stage 2 is initiated by contacting the Registrar’s Office to complete the Academic Appeals and paying the fee of $25. The Academic Appeals form is copied to the department Chair, the Dean, and the faculty member concerned. If not carried out at stage 1, a grade analysis is conducted before a re-read in order to ensure that any arithmetical errors are corrected.
Stage Two: Re-read
A re-read shall involve reconsideration of the student’s coursework, including the final examination, if any. It shall be the responsibility of the student to preserve all exercises, papers, reports and other graded material for the course except the final examination paper, and to submit the originals of these documents with the application for a re-read. Work not submitted, and courses, or aspects of courses in which it is not possible to review the student’s work cannot be taken into consideration.
Students must initiate a re-read within two weeks of the completion of stage 1.
By initiating a re-read, the student forfeits the grade originally assigned and understands that a grade will be assigned as a result of the re-read process. Grades may go down as well as up, and the grade decision reached after a re-read is final.
A re-read will be conducted as follows:
- The Registrar will convey the re-read request with copies of all relevant materials to the department Chair (or to the appropriate Dean if the Chair is the instructor, or if there is no Chair).
- The re-read will be conducted by two professors designated by the departmental Chair or the appropriate Dean. Those conducting the re-read will be provided with copies of the course outline and marking criteria, as appropriate. Normally the professor who assigned the original grade will not re-read the work at this stage unless no other faculty with competence in the area are available. Regrading results are reported on a standard form, giving the grade awarded and the basis for the decision, within three weeks of the date of the request for a re-read.
- The department Chair will determine the result of the re-read, after consultation with the Dean if necessary, and report the grade to be assigned in writing to the Registrar.
- The Registrar will convey the result to the student, the appropriate Dean, and the faculty member, and will amend the student’s transcript of grades accordingly.
- The results of a re-read are final and do not constitute grounds for further appeal.
B. Appeal of Misapplication of University Regulations by Petition to the Committee on Academic Appeals
Students who have reason to believe they have been subject to a misapplication of an academic regulation or that the imposition of academic regulations would create undue hardship have the right to submit their case to the Committee on Academic Appeals.
A petition to the Committee on Academic Appeals must be based on solid evidence. An appeal must be initiated within three weeks of the incidence of the alleged mistaken treatment under appeal. The Committee has the right to refuse to hear cases it judges to be without substance, or if the outcome of a grade appeal is the only point in dispute.
Procedures for this Type of Appeal
- Application for an appeal to the Committee must be made in the form of a signed and dated letter, accompanied by an Academic Appeal Petition form, available from the Registrar’s Office. The basis of the appeal should be clearly stated in the letter of appeal and decisions will be based on this information alone. Thus, applicants must ensure that all relevant information is stated in the letter of appeal. Applicants are advised to contact the Registrar’s Office for advice while collecting information for their appeal in order to ensure that all necessary information is included. Students will state in writing their specific complaint and the action already taken to seek a remedy. This written representation should be directed to the Registrar and all supporting documents must accompany it. A fee of $25 must be paid at this stage. At this point the faculty member involved will be informed by the Registrar that a petition to the Committee has been launched.
- The Registrar will forward any relevant material with the letter of appeal to the Chair of the Committee on Academic Appeals. The Committee has the right to dismiss a case as unfounded at this stage.
- If the Committee determines that a hearing will take place, applicants will be notified of the date and time their appeal will be heard and invited to attend and be heard at that time. Members of the committee cannot participate in the hearing of any appeal arising from an action to which they have been a party. The conduct of the hearing is described below.
- The Chair of the Committee on Academic Appeals will report the results of the committee’s consideration and the reasons for its decision to the student, professor and Registrar. The decision of the Committee is final and there is no avenue for further appeal.
- All proceedings of the Committee are confidential.
Academic Appeals Committee Procedures
Appeals related to academic matters (misapplication of university regulations and academic offences) will be considered by the Academic Appeals Committee, a standing committee of the University Senate, with membership as follows:
- Six members of faculty, one of whom will be designated as the Chair of the Committee and three of whom will be alternates
- Four students, two of whom will be alternates
- The Registrar as a resource (non-voting)
- Faculty and students who have a conflict of interest, such as having been involved previously with the case under consideration, will withdraw from the Committee. In the event that the Registrar and Associate Registrar have both been involved in the case, an alternate Dean will serve as the resource member on the Committee.
The Registrar will forward the written appeal and supporting material to the Academic Appeals Committee, the student, and the faculty member.
With reasonable notice, but normally within three weeks, the Academic Appeals Committee will invite both parties to a hearing to state their respective cases. The Committee will have the right to call on the Chair of the Department and/or the Dean as appropriate to the hearing.
The hearing will occur whether the parties involved choose to be present or not.
Written materials submitted from the faculty or student subsequent to the initial request for an appeal will be provided to both parties. Normally these materials will be received 48 hours in advance of the hearing. When this is not the case, the hearing may be delayed at the request of either party.
Hearing Procedures
- The purpose of the hearing is to ascertain the facts. Both the student and faculty will be invited into the hearing by the Chair of the Committee and asked to present their respective cases and will be permitted to cross examine the evidence.
- The Chair of the Committee has the authority to maintain order during the hearing. The faculty and student are permitted to have a supporter present at the hearing. Such supports will appear as advisors, not advocates, and may speak briefly on behalf of their advisees. Supporters are not permitted to cross examine other participants or members of the Committee at the hearing. The Chair of the Committee will ensure that both parties have sufficient opportunity to be heard.
- At the conclusion of the hearing, both parties and any supporters will leave and the Committee will begin deliberations in camera.
- The decision of the Committee is final. The decision and the reasons for it will be communicated to the student, the professor, and the Registrar in writing.