ES4660 - Appeal of Final Grades Procedure

1. Institutional Regulations
   
   The Board of Directors of DMACC confers upon the staff the power to invoke sanctions and promulgate rules to protect the educational processes and the rights of individual students and staff.
    
2. Procedure

1. The Appeal Process for Final Grades

Assigning final grades is the responsibility of the faculty member teaching the course. The instructor is the person best qualified to judge the academic progress of the student enrolled in the course.

The Appeal of Final Course Grade Form is used when a student believes they have received an incorrect final course grade. The process is used, therefore, to provide the student with a safeguard against receiving what could be an incorrect final grade, while respecting the academic authority of the instructor.

This procedure recognizes that every student has a right to receive a grade assigned upon a fair and unprejudiced evaluation based on a method that is neither arbitrary nor capricious. Furthermore, instructors have the right to assign a grade based on any method that is professionally acceptable, submitted in writing to all students, and applied equally.

This appeal process is to be initiated within the first three (3) calendar weeks of the next academic term after the grade was assigned unless there are extenuating circumstances. The Chairperson of the College Review Board or their designee is responsible for addressing and ruling upon any extenuating circumstances.

Courses which do not follow the normal semester schedule will have prorated last dates to request an appeal of final grade.  The dates may be obtained from the Chairperson of the College Review Board or their designee. This procedure is not intended to address complaints about faculty. Complaints are addressed through procedure ES 4640.

1. 1. When a student believes they have received an incorrect final course grade, the student may complete the Appeal of Final Course Grade Form and include a detailed description of all relevant information and documentation in support of the appeal and the remedy sought.
   2. A student may visit the Provost’s/Assoc. Provost’s/Dean’s office or meet with an Advisor or Pathway Navigator to discuss the process, but this step is not required.
   3. The student may request a student or faculty mentor from any student or faculty leadership role, including Phi Theta Kappa, SAC, tutoring, etc. by contacting the Chair Person of the College Review Board, but requesting a mentor is not a required step.
   4. STEP ONE. The student reviews the Appeal of Final Grade Student Checklist (Student Checklist), completes the Appeal of Final Grade Form, and collects the relevant information about the course requirements to help in making an informed decision with the instructor. The sources of relevant information will include the course syllabus, course objectives, due dates, assigned grades, any information provided by the instructor about grading practices (e.g. assignment rubrics), and any disputed work that has been returned to the student. The student checks items reviewed on the Student Checklist. The student is responsible for providing verifiable evidence that supports their appeal and remedy.
   5. The student submits a copy of the Appeal of Final Grade Form, relevant information, and a copy of the Student Checklist to the instructor. The instructor has five (5) full college class days to review the student’s information and schedule a time to meet with the student. The student and faculty meet to discuss all the relevant information as noted on the Student Checklist and as noted above in step 4. Once all relevant information is reviewed and discussed, the instructor then makes their determination as to the grade and signs the form. The instructor returns the original form with signature and relevant information to the student at the end of the meeting and retains a copy. Only if the instructor is no longer working at the college or is otherwise unavailable may the student proceed to appeal the final grade without discussing the matter with the instructor. 
   6. If the instructor and student did not agree to a mutual resolution of the appeal, the student may initiate STEP TWO of the appeal process by submitting the original, signed instructor copy of the appeal and all relevant information to the academic Dean or Provost within five (5) full college class days after the meeting with the instructor. The academic Dean or Provost will review and discuss the appeal with the student and instructor together within five (5) full college class days following receipt of the instructor signed appeal form. The outcome of the discussion will be noted in STEP TWO on the appeal form and the original copy of the appeal form and all relevant information will be returned to the student after the meeting or within five (5) full college days of the discussion date.
      1. An exception exists to STEP TWO.  For nursing students, a pre-Step Two will be initiated by submitting the original, signed instructor copy of the appeal with all relevant information to the Director of Nursing Education within five (5) full college class days after the meeting with the instructor. The Director of Nursing Education will review and discuss the appeal with the student and instructor together within five (5) full college class days following receipt of the instructor signed appeal form. The outcome of the discussion will be noted in the Nursing section on the appeal form and the original copy of the appeal form and all relevant information will be returned after the meeting or to the student within five (5) full college days of the discussion date.  If the appeal is not resolved the student may proceed to STEP TWO as noted in #6.
   7. Faculty members are entitled to have a support person present during STEPs TWO and THREE. The support person may not be anyone who is otherwise involved in the process, but might be a DMACC colleague or HEA representative, for example.
   8. If the student, instructor, Dean or Provost are unable to resolve the appeal, the student may initiate STEP THREE of the appeal process by submitting the signed, original copy of the appeal and the relevant information to the Chairperson of the College Review Board within five (5) full college days of notification of the outcome of STEP TWO. The academic Dean or Provost will inform the student of this right. A hearing will be scheduled within five (5) full college class days of receipt of the student’s original appeal form by the Chairperson of the College Review Board unless otherwise scheduled with the student. The College Review Board will reach one of the following decisions:
      1. The College Review Board may reach a resolution that is mutually acceptable to the student and the instructor who issued the grade. Should the acceptable resolution involve a grade change, the instructor will submit a change of grade form.
      2. The College Review Board may determine that the original grade should be recalculated or otherwise changed. The new grade may be higher than, the same as, or lower than the original grade. The Chairperson of the College Review Board and three members from the College Review Board will sign and submit the change of grade form to the Registrar only if the faculty is unable to do so.
      3. The College Review Board may determine that the original grade stands.
      4. The College Review Board may determine other outcomes that may impact the grade such as allowing a test retake and the recalculation of the grade, for example.
   9. Decisions reached and implemented by the College Review Board are final and binding on all parties.
   10. The instructor and student will be advised in writing of the College Review Board’s decision.
   11. Within this procedure, under no circumstance may persons other than the original instructor or the College Review Board change a grade.
   12. The original copy of the appeal form will be returned to the student.
   13. If any timelines are not met by college personnel, the appeal automatically goes to the next higher level. If timelines are not met by the student, the appeal process may be cancelled as determined by the Chairperson of the College Review Board.

May 10, 2022 - Uploaded Appeal Form

November 2, 2022 - Added language in II.A. regarding Honors credit designation for an Honors project.  This was done as ES4107 has been inactivated.

January 10, 2023 - Correct form was uploaded per Sharon Bittner.

January 11, 2023 - Checklist for Student Appeal uploaded per Sharon Bittner.

September 20, 2022 - Updated procedure approved by Policy & Procedure Committee.

Related Form: ES4660-Appeal-of-Final-Grades-Fillable-Form-20230110  

ES4660-Appeal-of-Final-Grade-Student-Checklist-20230111  

ES4660-General-information-and-Decision-Making-for-Grade-Appeals-20230112  
Note: Faculty Guidelines for Appeal of Final Grades Procedure