Overview of Grade Appeal Procedure – Exhibit B
Criteria for Grade Appeal
The only grounds for a student grade appeal are either one or both of the following:
- The grade is allegedly based on an error in calculation.
- The grade assigned allegedly did not follow the grading criteria in the course syllabus.
Procedure
Step 1: Informal procedure
If a student has reason to believe that a grade he/she has received is incorrect based on College criteria, the student should first try to resolve the issue with the Instructor. If no satisfactory resolution is reached, the student should then attempt to resolve the matter by consultation with the appropriate Department Chair or Chief Academic Officer. The student needs to complete the Informal Student Grade Appeal form and submit it to the instructor first. This must be initiated prior to the last day of classes in that semester and subsequent to receipt of the grade. The Time Frame for appeals is as follows: Fall semester appeals must be made in the subsequent Winter semester; Winter semester appeals must be made by the subsequent Fall semester; Spring/Summer semester appeals must be made by the subsequent Fall semester as well. The initiation date of the Informal Procedure for a final course grade must be documented on the form as noted, which can be found on the SC4 student portal. The instructor has five (5) college working days to respond to the student by providing the Informal Student Grade Appeal Instructor Response form and provide this to the student. College working days are defined as Monday-Friday when the college is in session. The time deadline for each step of the appeal procedure shall be 4:30 p.m. the last day in which the process is to occur.
If the student is not satisfied with the outcome, he/she may submit the Informal Student Grade Appeal form to the Department Chair, Chief Academic Officer, or Designee within five (5) college working days of the Instructor’s response. The Informal Student Grade Appeal form shall be provided to the student by the Department Chair, Chief Academic Officer, or designee along with a copy to the Instructor within five (5) college working days to the student. If no satisfactory resolution has been reached through this informal procedure and the student still believes that he/she has a basis for a complaint, then the student shall initiate the Formal Grade Appeal Request procedure through the Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct.
Step 2: Formal procedure
The formal appeal stage begins with the student’s completion of the Formal Grade Appeal Request form that is submitted to the Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct. Within ten (10) college working days, the Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct schedules a Grade Appeal Hearing. The Grade Appeal Hearing Committee shall consist of three members as follows: one student peer, one instructor, and one department chair or division administrator, who each has anonymous voting privileges. These shall all be selected by the Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct (or designee).
The Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct shall preside at the hearing as a facilitator but will not have voting privileges.
Further, the Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct (or designee) shall be responsible for explaining the hearing procedure to the student and scheduling necessary meetings. The student, faculty, and staff will be responsible for adhering to requests related to the process.
Those to be in attendance for the hearing shall include the following:
- The student making the grade appeal (one support person(s), if desired, who cannot be an attorney).
- The instructor (and/or the Program Director, Division Administrator, or designee if desired) and one support person, if desired.
- Grade Appeal Hearing Committee members (three total)
- Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct facilitator
- Witnesses (if any)
- Note: Legal counsel or attorneys are not allowed
Grade Appeal Hearing
The purpose of the Grade Appeal Hearing Committee is to review any written and/or oral information provided by the student, the instructor and witnesses (if any) and to arrive at a decision concerning the requested grade change.
1.0 Conducting the Hearing
Convene Hearing Committee
The Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct (or designee) will convene the committee, serve as the chairperson, review and provide the written grade appeal and related material, and describe the function and procedures of the Committee and Hearing.
The hearing will be in a closed session, and only open to the parties concerned. The Grade Appeal Hearing Committee, Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct, student or instructor may request one individual who may testify on their behalf as to the specifics of the alleged violation/complaint. Such witness shall be limited to persons with actual knowledge of the specific matter under dispute. Also, the student and/or the instructor may each request an additional person (excluding legal counsel/attorney) to be present at the hearing for the purpose of advice and support. Such support persons shall not participate in the proceedings nor make any remarks during the hearing but are available only for consultation with the party that they are supporting.
Conduct of the Hearing:
- Meeting: Once convened, the Grade Appeal Hearing Committee shall consider the facts and circumstances of the grade appeal. Witnesses providing validation of the specifics of the appeal will only be present during their own period of testimony. At the beginning of the meeting the Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct will provide any/all materials given to each committee member in an individual packet along with a secret ballot. After the hearing is concluded and a secret ballot vote is given, the Hearing Committee members will give these back to the Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct.
- Student’s case: The student shall present his/her case without interruption, including the presentation of factual evidence and the calling of one witness providing validation of the specifics of the appeal, if they deem this necessary. The student has up to 15 minutes to present his/her case. The student witness, if any, has up to five minutes to present his/her case in support.
- Instructor’s case: The faculty member shall present his/her case without interruption, including the presentation of factual evidence and the calling of one witness, providing validation of the specifics of the appeal, if they deem necessary. The faculty member has up to 15 minutes to present his/her case. The faculty witness, if any, has up to five minutes to present his/her case in support.
- Questioning by student and instructor: After both parties have presented their case, the student has the right to question the instructor and/or his/her witness. Following this, the instructor shall have the right to question the student and/or his/her witness. Maximum allotted time is five minutes total.
- Committee questioning: Following this questioning period, members of Grade Appeal Hearing Committee shall have the right to direct questions to either party or their witnesses or request additional information. Hearing committee members each have up to five minutes to ask any clarifying questions of either party, student, or faculty, not to exceed 15 minutes total for all committee members.
- Modifications to the questioning may be requested by the Committee to help in the facilitation of the understanding of the complaint.
1.1 Deliberations and decision
When testimony has been completed, the members of the Grade Appeal Hearing Committee, exclusive of the Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct (or designee) shall enter into deliberations, which will be conducted in private and shall remain confidential.
The Grade Appeal Hearing Committee’s decision shall be rendered within five (5) college working days of the conclusion of the hearing and shall be in writing on the Grade Appeal Hearing Committee Report form. The Grade Appeal Hearing Committee’s decision shall be final. There shall be no further appeals.
The decision of The Grade Appeal Hearing Committee must be unanimous. If a unanimous decision fails, no grade change action shall be taken. The vote on the decision shall be by secret ballot and returned to the Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct along with any prior support documents provided to committee members.
The Grade Appeal Hearing Committee’s decision shall be to support or change the existing grade. The Grade Appeal Hearing Committee may provide any recommendation as needed to either the instructor and/or the student.
2.0 Notification of Hearing Outcome
The Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct (or designee) shall provide written notification regarding the Grade Appeal Hearing Committee’s decision to all parties concerned (Student and Instructor) within five (5) college working days of the conclusion of the hearing.
3.0 Decision Implementation
If there is a decision to change a grade, this change shall then be implemented by the Director of Academic Support and Student Conduct and the Registrar within five (5) college days of the conclusion of the hearing, with entry into the data system as soon as possible.
