Grade Appeal Procedure

Purpose:

This procedure defines the steps necessary for students at Winona State University (WSU) to appeal grades or evaluations believed to be unjust or incorrect.

Procedure:

A. Grade Appeal Process

1. Any student who wishes to appeal a grade must confer with the instructor within the first 10 academic calendar days of the next term (excluding summer terms) in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

2. If the student and the faculty member come to agreement, the process ends.

3. If the student and the faculty member do not come to agreement, the student may file a written grade appeal, using the online Grade Appeal Form. The appeal must be filed within 30 academic calendar days of the next term (excluding summer terms). The submitted appeal form will be sent to the Grade Appeals Committee (GAC) chairperson and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

4. Upon receiving a student’s request for a grade appeal, the GAC chair will forward a copy of the Grade Appeal Form to the instructor and to the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs/ Chief Academic Officer (VPAA/CAO). The GAC chair will then appoint a Hearing Subcommittee from the membership of the GAC.

5. Upon receiving notice of a grade appeal, the instructor may:

1. Request an in-person meeting with the GAC Hearing Subcommittee to present documentation and rationale for the original grade;

2. Submit written documentation and rationale to the GAC Hearing Subcommittee;

3. Submit an oral rationale to the GAC Hearing Subcommittee through a telecommunications medium.

The instructor is not obligated to respond to the GAC Hearing Subcommittee.

6. The Hearing Committee, which is a subcommittee of the Grade Appeals Committee, will review the case as presented by the student and the faculty member. The Hearing Subcommittee may request an additional meeting with the instructor and/or request additional documentation based on questions that arise. Both parties are entitled to assistance and advice from members of the academic community in presenting their case to the subcommittee.

7. The Hearing Subcommittee, after reviewing all relevant materials presented by the student and the instructor, will present the GAC chair with one of the following recommendations:

1. Make no change in the grade

2. Reevaluate the student’s academic work

3. Change the grade

The Hearing Subcommittee will also provide a rationale for that recommendation.

8. The GAC chair will convey the recommendation to the student. The GAC chair will convey the recommendation and the rationale to the instructor and the VPAA/CAO. After this step has been taken, the GAC and its Hearing Subcommittee will have no further direct involvement in the process.

9. The instructor should provide a response to the student and the VPAA/CAO regarding the Hearing Committee’s recommendation within five (5) academic calendar days. The instructor is not required to comply with the recommendation of the GAC Hearing Subcommittee. However, the instructor should respond in one of the following ways:

1. No response: The instructor chooses to not respond within five (5) academic calendar days. The student and the VPAA/CAO shall interpret this as a decision to not change the grade.

2. Response without reevaluation: The instructor should indicate within five (5) academic calendar days whether the grade will be changed or not. The instructor is encouraged (but not required) to provide a rationale for the decision. This will be considered the instructor’s final response. A copy of this final response should be sent to the VPAA/CAO.

3. Response with reevaluation: The instructor should notify the student and the VPAA/CAO of this intent to reevaluate within five (5) academic calendar days. The instructor will complete this re-evaluation and send the student and VPAA/CAO a final response within ten (10) academic calendar days of receiving the GAC chair’s notification. The instructor should indicate whether the grade will be changed or not. The instructor is encouraged (but not required) to provide a rationale for the decision.

10. If the student wants to contest the final decision of the instructor, they should submit a letter presenting their case to the VPAA/CAO within five (5) academic calendar days of receiving the instructor’s final response, or if no response from the instructor, within ten (10) academic calendar days from the GAC chair’s notification.

11 . The VPAA/CAO may request additional information before resolving the matter. Within ten (10) academic calendar days of receiving the student’s letter of contestation, the VPAA/CAO will either support or over-ride the instructor’s final decision. The VPAA/CAO will inform the student, the instructor, and (if a grade change is involved) the Office of the Registrar of the appeal’s final resolution and its rationale. The decision of the VPAA/CAO is final.

12. Neither the GAC nor the VPAA/CAO will review a second appeal for the same course and grade after a decision has been made by the VPAA/CAO or after the case is considered closed.

13. Expedited appeals may be considered on a case-by-case basis due to, but not limited by: scholarship deadlines, graduation, military responsibilities, or prerequisite consideration.

14. The Grade Appeals Committee will communicate to Faculty Senate aggregate data on the total number of appeals in a semester and whatever recommendation was made by the committee.

Related Documents

• Minnesota State Policy 3.1 (Student Rights and Responsibilities)

• Minnesota State Policy 3.8 (Student Complaints and Grievances)

• Minnesota State Procedure 3.8.1 (Student Complaints and Grievances)

• Minnesota State Operating Instruction 7. 6.2.1 (Satisfactory Academic Progress Exception)

• WSU Academic Integrity Policy

• WSU Student Grade Appeal Form

Related definitions:

[3-37] Academic Calendar Days:

Days when the university is open for regular business and faculty members are on duty, excluding holidays. In general, five academic days refers to one regular calendar week, ten days refers to two weeks, etc.

[3-37] Course Instructor:

The faculty member who determined the final grade in the course. If that instructor is no longer employed by the university, or if that instructor is otherwise unavailable (including but not limited to sabbatical leaves, medical leaves, or remote teaching assignments), the student should contact the current department chair. The department chair or their designee shall serve the role of “instructor” for the purposes of this policy.

Authorizing Policy:

• 3-37 Grade Appeal Policy

History:

Adoption date: 02/27/2017
Implementation date: 02/27/2017