Academic Grievance
An academic grievance is a complaint by a student specifically related to a punitive grade (F for undergraduate students and C and below for graduate students) received while a student is currently registered in a course and specifically alleging:
1. That a computational, recording, or other technical error has been made but not acknowledged by the instructor; or
2. That the grade has been assigned in an arbitrary, capricious, or vindictive manner or in a manner intended to inappropriately manipulate or control the student.
An academic grievance does not deal with general student complaints, disagreement with individual responses, feedback to graded assignments or the discretion and judgement of faculty. If such issues impact the final course grade a student may file a grade appeal after the course has ended. Issues such as violation of the academic integrity policy, behavioral issues, academic probation, academic warning, or other such administrative actions are not covered under this policy.
Students should be protected from prejudice and capriciousness in matters of academic policy and practice. They are entitled to a reasonable explanation of their performance in relation to the standards of a program or a course. As such, if a student has an academic grievance, they are expected to attempt resolution of the issue with their instructor prior to submitting an appeal. Owing to the nature of academic grievance issues, timeliness in resolving academic grievances is necessary and adherence to the timelines established below must be met.
All parties to an academic grievance will conduct themselves in a professional manner throughout the academic grievance process. Any report of unprofessional behavior, verbal abuse or hostile language will be referred for appropriate adjudication. Initial inquiries concerning academic grievance issues should be directed to the course instructor either in person or in writing (to include via University email) as soon as possible after the issue has occurred. If in person, the student and the instructor should keep a record of the conversation. The instructor shall have 2 days (excluding university recognized holidays, official breaks, or weekends) in which to reply in writing. If there is no response from the instructor after 2 days or the academic grievance is still in dispute, the student may submit an appeal by following the instructions below.
Academic Grievance Appeal Instructions
1. The student is required to discuss the reason for the academic grievance appeal with the appropriate program manager/program chair either in writing or in person. If in person, a record of the conversation should be kept by the student and the program manager/program chair. If the program manager/program chair is the instructor, go directly to the step 2. This discussion must take place within 3 days of the response from the instructor (or equivalent time if no response from the instructor). a. If the student does not initiate the discussion within 3 days of the response from the instructor (or equivalent time if no response from the instructor), the academic grievance will be considered closed and no further appeal will be considered. 2. If, after meeting with the appropriate program manager/program chair the student still disputes the reason for the academic grievance appeal the final step is to submit a written academic grievance appeal to the appropriate school dean. The written academic grievance appeal must be submitted within 2 days of the discussion with the appropriate program manager/program chair. If the school dean is the instructor, the school dean will be recused, and the appropriate associate provost will serve in the dean’s capacity. a. If the student does not submit the written academic grievance appeal to the appropriate school dean within 2 days of the discussion with the appropriate program manager/program chair, the academic grievance will be considered closed and no further appeal will be considered. b. The academic grievance appeal to the school dean should include all relevant correspondence between the student and instructor regarding the academic grievance. c. The school dean will have 3 days from receipt of the written academic grievance appeal to review the academic grievance appeal and render a decision. d. The school dean will forward their decision to the student and instructor in writing within 3 days of receipt of the academic grievance appeal. e. The school dean is the final authority concerning an academic grievance appeal, no further appeal will be considered following their decision.