Grade Appeal Procedure

The grade appeal system affords recourse to a student who has evidence or believes that evidence exists to show that an inappropriate grade has been assigned as a result of clerical error, personal bias, or arbitrary grading. Grades (for an entire course, assignment, or unit) given by a faculty member (or faculty members, for co-taught courses) after the student is found responsible for an Honor Code violation through the University Honor System may not be appealed.

Keeping in mind that the appeal of a course grade should be attended to as soon as possible, the student must contact the faculty member(s) involved within the first two (2) weeks of the start of fall semester for the appeal of a spring semester or a summer term grade and within the first two (2) weeks of the spring semester for the appeal of a fall semester grade. In the case of a winter term grade, the appeal must be made no later than April 1st of the year in which the course was completed.

In the case of a grade that would affect a senior intending to graduate or that would result in academic probation or suspension, the student should contact the faculty member(s) as soon as possible after the grade is posted, in which case the procedure may be expedited.

If the individual faculty member who taught the course is not available (for example, is on leave or sabbatical, or no longer employed by the university), the appeal should be made to the chair of the faculty member's department.

The language in the process attempts to address the most common instructional arrangements. The standard language refers to disciplinary courses taught by faculty in departments with a chair reporting to a dean.

The policy also recognizes the following cases of interdisciplinary courses: for COR prefix courses, appeals should be made to the Elon Core Curriculum Director; for GBL courses, appeals should be made to the Assistant Dean of Global Education; and for other courses carrying an interdisciplinary program prefix, appeals should be made to the program coordinator. (Hereafter, the term "program head" applies in all of these cases).

If a student is unsure to whom an appeal should be made after contacting the faculty member(s), the academic advisor or department chair/program head can offer guidance.

For some less common instructional arrangements, the standard language in this procedure does not anticipate every consideration: for example, for co-taught courses where faculty members are in different departments or schools, or for courses taught by staff with faculty rank who do not report to a department chair or dean.

In co-taught courses, the appropriate process may depend on whether particular work in question was graded by one or more than one of the faculty members.

Where necessary, the Chair of the Grade Appeals Hearing Committee will determine the appropriate adaptation(s) of the process.

Procedure for appealing a course grade:

To begin an appeal the student must first request a meeting with the faculty member(s) (or, if unavailable, department chair or program head) to discuss the situation within the time frame outlined above. Because it is the responsibility of the student to demonstrate that the appeal has merit, the student should bring to this meeting any work from the course the student has in his/her/their possession for the faculty member(s) (or department chair/program head) to review. At the meeting the faculty member(s) (or department chair/program head) will:

1. Review any graded work that the student brings to discuss.
2. Show the student any of the student’s work that remains in the faculty member(s)'s possession (e.g., papers, final examinations and projects).
3. Explain how the student’s grade was determined based on the standards set forth at the beginning of the class and listed in the course syllabus.
4. Re-calculate the numerical computation of the grade, if any, to determine if there has been a clerical error.

If the student wishes to continue the appeal following this meeting, the student must file a written appeal with the faculty member(s)'s department chair/program head by the end of the fourth week of the semester, or by April 15th in the case of the appeal of a winter term grade.

If the faculty member(s) is/are unavailable and is/are being represented by the department chair/program head, unreturned graded work may not be available. The burden of retaining and submitting to the department chair/program head the student's copies of previously submitted work rests with the student, who testifies that the work has not been altered or augmented in any way since the original submission.

The student will submit to the department chair/program head the “Student Grade Appeal Statement” form together with copies of the course syllabus, tests, assignments, and relevant work in the student’s possession.

The department chair/program head will notify the faculty member(s) involved within two (2) business days, and the faculty member(s) will file the “Faculty Grade Appeal Statement” form with the department chair/program head within seven (7) days, or by April 22nd for a winter term grade, together with copies of the syllabus, assignments, and any of the student’s work that remains in the faculty member('s) possession. For co-taught courses, only one Faculty Grade Appeal Statement is submitted; depending on the circumstances of the case, the form may carry one signature or multiple signatures.

The department chair/program head, following consultation with the relevant dean or deans, will render a decision in writing regarding the grade appeal within seven (7) days of receipt of the Faculty Grade Appeal Statement, or by April 29 in the appeal of a winter term grade.

If the department chair or program head is the/a faculty member involved, the written appeal will go to the associate chair (for larger departments with associate chairs) or to the dean of the college or school housing the department of the faculty member's (primary) appointment, who will assume the role of the department chair/program head in the process.

If the student wishes to appeal the department chair’s/program head's decision (or the decision of an associate chair or dean assuming the role of the department chair/program head) to the final hearing body, the student must put that request in writing to the dean within seven (7) days.

The dean, or a designee, will notify and forward all documentation to the Chair of the Grade Appeals Hearing Committee. Recognizing that coordinating student and faculty members' schedules can be challenging, the committee ordinarily should meet no later than the end of the eighth week of the semester, or by May 13 for a winter term grade appeal. For expedited cases involving seniors intending to graduate, or potential academic probation or suspension, the committee may meet earlier.