College of Arts and Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences Grade Appeal Policy

Draft version, September 18, 2003

Grade appeals are conducted by the College in cases where a student’s appeal of a grade cannot be resolved at the department level. College grade appeals are governed by the University Grade Appeal Policy[1] which states:

Appeal Procedure -- College Level

If the result of the decision of the Departmental Grade Appeal Committee is unsatisfactory to either party, that person shall have the right to appeal to the Dean of the College in which the Department involved is located. The appeal must be filed in writing in the Dean's Office within two weeks after the chairperson of the departmental committee has notified the student of the faculty member's decision of whether or not the grade will be changed. The chairperson of the department committee shall forward the committee's report, and other written material considered by the committee, and any minority report to the Dean's Office upon being notified by the Dean that there will be an appeal at the College level. Grade appeals at the College level shall be heard by a three-person committee appointed by the Dean and drawn from a list of department representatives (one faculty member and one major per department). The committee shall consist of one faculty member, one student, and a representative of the Dean. In cases involving appeals in graduate courses, the faculty person(s) must be members of the graduate faculty and the student must be a graduate student. The faculty member(s) on the committee shall not be a member of the department in which the grade appeal originated, nor shall the student be a major or minor in that department. The Dean's representative shall chair the committee and shall notify the other members of the grade appeal. A meeting shall be held within two weeks after receiving the appeal using the same procedures provided for at the department level. The college committee will also include in its deliberations the written report of the Departmental Grade Appeal Committee and any other written materials forwarded to the Dean from the chairperson of the departmental committee. After considering the case, the college committee shall decide by secret ballot and a majority vote report whether or not to approve the student's appeal. The decision is advisory to the faculty member. A written report of the proceedings, to include those things as specified at the department level, shall be prepared by the chairperson of the college committee and shall be submitted to the members for their approval. A minority report may be appended. The chairperson of the college committee must inform the student, faculty member, chair of the department, and the Council on Admission, Graduation and Academic Standards if the case involves an undergraduate student or the Graduate Council if the case involves a graduate student (for record keeping purposes) in writing of the decision in the case within a week. If the student's appeal is upheld, the faculty member must inform the chairperson of the college committee in writing as to whether or not he or she will change the grade within a week. Within a week, the chairperson of the committee shall then inform the student and the Council on Admission, Graduation and Academic Standards or the Graduate Council (for a graduate student appeal) in writing of the faculty member's decision.

This document is to clarify the procedure through which appeals will be conducted by the College of Arts and Sciences. It is intended to supplement the guidelines provided in the University Grade Appeal Policy.

College grade appeals will be heard by a three member committee. As directed by the University Grade Appeal Policy, the committee will consist of three members, one faculty, one student and representative of the Dean’s office. At the beginning of the year, the Dean’s office will request from each department the names of a faculty member, an undergraduate student, and where possible, a graduate student. The compiled list will serve as the panel from which grade appeal committees will be composed.

Student requests for grade appeals will be handled as follows:

  1. Students requesting a College grade appeal will be directed to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Students will be offered an office appointment or phone interview to discuss the appeal process with the Assistant Dean.
  2. Students will be provided (or directed to a web-based copy) of the College’s Grade Appeal Policy.
  3. Students will be directed to submit a written appeal of their grade to the Assistant Dean within the time restrictions noted in the University Grade Appeal Policy.
  4. Upon receipt of the written request for appeal of a grade, the Assistant Dean will request all relevant materials from the department that heard the appeal originally. At the same time, the Assistant Dean will select a chair and members of the committee from the College panel in accord with the restrictions noted in the University Grade Appeal Policy.
  5. The chair of the College Grade Appeal Committee will be responsible for scheduling meetings and writing the final report within the timeline dictated by the University Grade Appeal Policy. In particular, the chair will:

a.  contact the members of the committee and arrange for distribution of materials (with support of the Dean’s office). The chairperson may also choose to schedule a preparatory/organizational meeting with the committee.

b.  schedule an appeal meeting (or meetings) within two weeks of receipt of the written appeal. The student (and an advisor of the student’s choosing, if desired) should meet with the committee. The committee also should meet separately with the instructor who assigned the grade under appeal. Either party may submit written material or present witnesses to support his or her position. Either party may elect to waive an appearance before the committee and submit only written documentation, with the understanding that this action will preclude the committee from seeking clarification that may be important in their rendering a decision.

c.  write a report of the proceedings of the committee. After considering the available information, the committee will vote by secret ballot and the majority decision will be reported by the committee chair within one week of the formal vote. In the report, the chair will indicate the basis of the appeal, the conclusions of the committee, a report of the voting and the specific recommendation of the committee.

d.  provide copies of the report to involved parties. The report of the grade appeal committee will be signed by all members of the committee and copies will be sent to the student, the faculty member, the chair of the faculty member’s department, the Dean’s office and CAGAS (or the Graduate Council, if a graduate student has filed the appeal).

6.  The following procedures will be followed upon completion of the College Grade Appeal Committee’s report.

a.  In cases where the grade appeal committee finds in favor of the student, the chair of the College Grade Appeal Committee will send a letter to the faculty member (with copies going to those listed in point 5.d. above) informing him or her of the committee’s recommendation and requesting a response. If the faculty member indicates unwillingness to change the grade or if no completed change-of-grade form is received in the Dean’s office within one week, the Assistant Dean will inform the student of his or her right to an appeal at the university level, and the student will be referred to CAGAS (or the Graduate Council, in the case of graduate students).

b.  In cases where the college grade appeal committee finds in favor of the faculty member, the student will be informed of his or her right to an appeal at the university level and he or she will be referred to CAGAS (or Graduate Council, as appropriate).

c.  In the case that the faculty member is unable or unwilling to be involved (e.g., faculty has left the university, faculty member does not respond to college grade appeal committee’s request for participation/information) and the committee’s decision is in favor of the student, the student’s grade shall be changed. This does not apply to instances where a faculty member participated in or provided materials for an appeal at the department level but who does not wish to participate further in the appeal at the college level. These faculty members, by virtue of the record sent by the department shall be considered to be participants in the college appeal, even if they choose to allow the record from the department appeal stand on its own.

WIU Policy on Grade Appeals