Faculty members are vested with the authority to establish course requirements and standards of performance. It is also their responsibility to articulate and communicate course requirements and standards of performance to the students at the beginning of each course and apply all grading criteria uniformly and in a timely manner.
Final grades submitted by faculty to the Registrar's Office are presumed to be accurate and final.
Grounds for Appeal
Students can appeal a grade only when they can document that one or a combination of the following has occurred:
- An error in calculating the grade,
- Failure to inform student of their course requirements in regards to the standards of performance,
- Assignment of a grade based on other than announced criteria and standards,
- Assignment of a grade based on factors other than student achievement, e.g., prejudice or discrimination,
- Inconsistent or inequitably applied standards for evaluation of student academic performance,
If student believes that the grade received is based upon unlawful discrimination, the student must proceed under the procedures in the catalog for "Complaints Relating to Discrimination and Sexual Harassment".
Procedure
The student must submit a written appeal to the Vice President of Academics within ten (10) days of the end date of the course. The student must provide in writing relevant evidence pertinent to the above criteria in support of the request for a grade appeal. If the evidence meets the criteria, the Vice President will forward the request to instructor for response, which the instructor must provide within five (5) days. The Vice President will refer documents to the grade committee.
The grade committee will review documentation and may decide either to change or uphold the grade. Final decisions will be rendered and forwarded to student and Registrar within five (5) days by the Vice President. All decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
