Policy
and Procedures
for Student Appeals of Final Course Grades
(Approved by the UNC Charlotte Faculty Council, April
16, 1998)
I. Statement of Policy
The purpose of the Final Course Grade Review Policy
is to establish a uniform and clear procedure for mediating
and settling cases involving contested final grades
assigned in undergraduate and graduate courses. The
Policy seeks to articulate and to protect both the rights
of students for fair and impartial evaluation of their
academic performance and the responsibilities of faculty
members as the determiners of student grades. A course
grade assigned in a manner consistent with University
policy can be changed only by the instructor. University
administrators can direct a grade to be changed only
when it is determined through the procedure established
by this policy that the faculty member assigned the
course grade impermissibly or arbitrarily as defined
herein.
Faculty Responsibility. It is a fundamental
principle of higher education that faculty members are
expected to exercise their professional judgment in
evaluating student performance. At the same time, faculty
members have the responsibility to specify in each of
their courses at the beginning of the academic term:
a) course requirements and expectations for academic
performance; and b) procedures for evaluating performance
(method(s) of evaluation and grading scales). Faculty
members must also communicate clearly to all students
in the course any subsequent additions to or changes
in these requirements, standards and procedures. Finally,
faculty members have the responsibility to apply the
specified grading criteria equitably to the academic
performance of all students in the course regardless
of their race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age,
sexual orientation, disability, or other personal characteristics.
Student Responsibility. Students have the responsibility
to know and adhere to the University policies and standards
pertaining to them. As students willingly accept the
benefits of membership in the UNC Charlotte academic
community, they are obligated to uphold and observe
the principles and standards articulated in The
UNC Charlotte Code of Student Academic Integrity
and The
UNC Charlotte Code of Student Responsibility.
II. Applications and Definitions
This Policy applies only to final course grades.
However, course grades which result from alleged violations
of the Code of Student Academic Integrity can NOT
be appealed under this policy, since separate procedures
established by the Academic Integrity Board take precedence
in such cases (see the Dean
of Students). For purposes of this Policy, a course
grade is deemed to have been assigned arbitrarily or
impermissibly if, by a preponderance of the evidence,
a student establishes that:
1.
The course grade was based upon the student's race, color,
religion, national origin, age, sex, disability, sexual
orientation, or for some other arbitrary or personal reason
unrelated to the instructor's exercise of his or her professional
academic judgment in the evaluation of the academic performance
of the student; or
2. The course grade was assigned in
a manner not consistent with the standards and procedures
for evaluation established by the instructor, usually
at the beginning of the course in the course syllabus
but supplemented on occasion during the semester in
other written or oral communications directed to the
class as a whole; or
3. The course grade assigned by the
instructor was the result of a clear and material mistake
in calculating or recording grades. Individual elements
(e.g., assignments, tests, activities, projects) which
contribute to a course grade are generally NOT subject
to appeal or subsequent review during a grade appeals
procedure. However, individual elements may be appealed
under these procedures providing all of the following
conditions are met:
a.
The student presents compelling evidence that one or more
individual elements were graded on arbitrary or
impermissible grounds (defined in 1 - 3 above in this
section);
b. Grounds can be established for determining
a professionally sound grade for the appealed element(s);
and
c. The ensuing grade for each appealed
element would have resulted in a different course grade
than that assigned by the faculty member.
Allegations
that sexual harassment was the reason a final course grade
was impermissibly or arbitrarily assigned by the instructor
must be addressed according to procedures set forth in
University Policy
Statement # 61 rather than from the following procedures.
III. Procedure
Step 1. Consultation with Instructor:
When a student believes that a course grade is incorrect,
the student shall first discuss it with the instructor
who assigned the grade. The instructor will explain
how the grade was determined and attempt to resolve
any disagreement. The student’s inquiry to the instructor
should occur as soon as possible after the formal grade
report is received.
Step 2. Application for Appeal of
Course Grade: If the student is unable to resolve
the grievance through consultation with the instructor,
a written request for review of the course grade may
be submitted to the Chair of the Department or the Director
of the interdisciplinary degree program in which the
course was taught. Requests for review must be submitted
within the first four weeks of the next regular academic
semester. Requests for review submitted after the deadline
will be heard only in exceptional cases as determined
by the Dean of the college in which the appealed course
grade occurred.
To initiate a grade review, the student
should forward a written request for review of a final
course grade to the Department Chair or Program Director
in whose unit the course was offered. Students requesting
a final course grade review assume the burden of proof.
Therefore, the request for review must include:
a.
A statement of the reasons the student believes the grade
was impermissibly or arbitrarily assigned;
b.
The steps taken to resolve the disagreement over the
assigned course grade; and
c.
The resolution sought.
The
written request for review of a final course grade shall
be accompanied by any evidence the student believes supports
the conclusion that the grade was impermissibly or arbitrarily
assigned. Evidence might include papers, tests, syllabi,
or written documentation from witnesses. The student must
demonstrate that the instructor applied irrelevant or
impermissible criteria in evaluating the student's academic
performance, that the instructor failed to follow his
or her course evaluation standards, or that the course
grade was assigned as the result of a clear and material
mistake in calculating or recording grades. That the student
disagrees with the assigned grade does not constitute
a basis for a review. Students can obtain advice and assistance
from the Dean of Students
on how to request a grade review.
A student alleging that the course grade
assigned was impermissible or arbitrary due to sexual
harassment by the instructor should follow the procedures
set forth in University
Policy Statement # 61 rather than those set forth
here.
CAUTION: Falsification or fabrication
of information provided by the student may be subject
to disciplinary action under the Code
of Student Academic Integrity.
Step 3. Mediation by Chair:
Within ten working days of receiving the "Request
for Review," the Department Chair or Program Director
will attempt an informal resolution of the disagreement
between the student and the instructor. If the Chair
or Director is unable to resolve the disagreement within
ten working days, the Chair or Director shall forward
the student's "Request for Review" to the College Dean
with a statement of the Chair's or Director’s understanding
of the facts.
Step
4. Initial Review by Dean: Upon receipt of the request
and statement of the Chair or Director, the Dean should
invite the student and instructor to submit any supplemental
written statements they wish by a specified deadline.
If the Dean determines that the facts alleged in the
student’s written request for review of the final course
grade or in the supplemental statement could, if true,
constitute a violation of this policy, the Dean, within
ten working days, shall appoint an ad hoc "Grade
Review Committee." Within ten working days after receiving
information from the Chair or Director and any supplemental
statements from the instructor and/or the student, the
Dean will review the written request for review of a
final course grade and any supplemental statements.
If the Dean concludes that the facts alleged by the
student would not constitute a violation of the policy,
the Dean may dismiss the grade review. The student then
has ten working days in which to appeal this decision
by the Dean to the Provost whose decision is final.
Step
5. Grade Review Committee: The ad hoc Grade
Review Committee shall consist of three faculty members
appointed by the appropriate Dean. Two of the faculty
members shall be selected from "neighboring" disciplines
or programs whose methods and techniques of teaching
and testing are as similar as possible to those of the
discipline or program of the course in question. One
of these two faculty members shall be named by the Dean
to serve as chair of the Grade Review Committee. In
addition, the Dean shall select one faculty member from
a "non-neighboring" discipline.
The
purpose of this Committee is to determine whether the
facts support the student's contention that the grade
was impermissibly or arbitrarily assigned as defined
in section II of this Policy. It is
not the function of the Review Committee to reevaluate
the student's work to determine whether the Committee
agrees with the professional judgment of the faculty
member who assigned the grade.
The
Committee Chair shall convene the Committee not later
than ten working days from his/her appointment to examine
the student's written request for review, the factual
report of the Departmental Chair or interdisciplinary
degree program Director, any written statement received
by the Dean from either the student or the instructor,
and any additional relevant documentation. Additionally,
the Committee may request oral presentations from both
parties. Witnesses may be questioned by Committee members
and by the persons directly involved in the review.
Neither the student nor the faculty member may be accompanied
or represented in the hearing by legal counsel or other
advisor. The Committee may consider only such evidence
as is offered by the parties and at the hearing(s) and
need consider only the evidence offered that it considers
fair and reliable. The burden of proof shall be on the
student to satisfy the Committee that a preponderance
of the evidence supports a conclusion that the grade
was awarded arbitrarily or impermissibly as defined
in section II. All decisions of the
Committee shall be made by majority vote.
The
conduct of the review shall be under the control of
the Committee Chair. Within ten working days from the
conclusion of its hearing(s) on the matter, the Committee
will provide a written report to the Dean. The Committee
report must include the Committee's finding as to whether
or not the grade assigned was awarded arbitrarily or
impermissibly as defined in Section II
of this policy. If such a determination is made, the
Committee shall specify a recommended course of action
which could include assignment of a specific grade to
replace the one originally assigned or implementation
of some process to reevaluate the student's work.
Step
6. Review by the Dean: Within ten working
days after receiving the Committee's report and recommendations
and other documentation assembled in the review, the
Dean will make a final decision which s/he will then
communicate in writing to the student, faculty member,
and the Department Chair or interdisciplinary degree
program Director.
Step
7. Appeal: Other than an appeal to the Provost
submitted by the student as part of Step
4 of this policy, appeals beyond the College Dean
will be considered by the Provost only if the
student is able to provide a reasonable basis to support
the contention that the procedures prescribed in this
document were not followed in the disposition of the
student's request for review of a contested grade. These
appeals must be made in writing to the Provost within
ten working days of the Dean's decision. The decision
of the Provost is final.
IV.
Substitution Provisions
In
the event that the faculty member whose grade is being
reviewed is also a Department Chair or interdisciplinary
degree program Director, the Dean shall do those things
required by the Chair or Director. In the event that
the faculty member whose grade is being reviewed is
also a Dean, the Provost can name an appropriate substitute
to perform the functions of the Dean as required by
this policy.
