Administrative Regulation Title:  Student Grade Appeal Process

Regulation Number:  5.13.3

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Grade Appeal Process:

Students have the opportunity to appeal a final grade. Grade appeals must:

 

  1. Be initiated by the student no later than 30 calendar days after grades are posted in the student information system.
  2. Conclude within one semester (excluding summer) following the assignment of the final grade.
  3. Follow the prescribed final grade appeal process, including use of the Final Grade Appeal Form (available from the Academic Services office).

 

Students may appeal a final grade following the prescribed process. Only the final grade for a course may be appealed (individual assignment or examination grades may not be appealed). An appeal may be initiated if the student is able to demonstrate that an inappropriate final grade was assigned as a result of prejudice, caprice, or other improper conditions such as mechanical error or assignment of a final grade inconsistent with those assigned to other students.

 

Process to Appeal a Final Grade:

 

Step 1. Student Meeting with Instructor

  1. A student who seeks to appeal a final grade must first meet with or discuss the matter with the instructor to review the criteria applied in assigning the final grade before the appeal progresses to the next level. (If approached, administrators, department heads, program directors, fellow faculty and staff shall redirect the student to the closest level of resolution; i.e., to the faculty member involved).
  2. Instructors shall provide the student, in writing, a determination on the outcome of their discussion. If the student is dissatisfied with the decision, the student may request a meeting with the department head or program director to appeal the decision of the instructor. The student must make the appeal within five (5) working days after notification by the instructor.

 

Step 2. Student Meeting with Department Head/Program Director

  1. The department head or program director must arrange a meeting no more than five (5) working days after receiving a request from the student. The department head/program director may meet separately with the student and instructor, or if both agree, to discuss the appeal jointly. The student shall describe on the Final Grade Appeal Form, and supply to the department head/program director prior to the meeting the following:
    1. The facts surrounding how grades in the class were assigned.
    2. What inaccuracies the student believes exist in the assignment of the final grade.
    3. The remedy being sought.
  2. Providing sufficient evidence of discrepancies or errors in the grade will be the responsibility of the student. If insufficient evidence is offered, the appeal is denied. The department head/program director shall provide written notification of their recommendation to the student and instructor within five (5) working days of the meeting.
  3. Should the instructor involved in the appeal be the department head or program director, the student should proceed directly to Step 3. Student Meeting with the Vice President of Student and Academic Services.

Step 3. Student Meeting with Vice President of Student and Academic Services

If either party is dissatisfied with the recommendation of the department head/program director, they may appeal to the Vice President of Student and Academic Services within five (5) working days after receiving written notification from the department head / program director. Following the same procedure outlined in Step 2, the student should additionally provide information addressing why the evidence was not properly evaluated or what additional evidence was not previously considered. The Vice President of Student and Academic Services shall provide a written decision to both parties within five (5) working days of their arranged meeting(s).

 

Step 4. Student Meeting with Academic Appeals Committee

  1. Within five (5) working days after receiving notification from the Vice President of Student and Academic Services that the appeal has been denied, a student appealing a grade in a course may request a hearing before an Academic Appeals Committee. This request will be in writing to the Vice President of Student and Academic Services (). The committee will consist of one (1) full-time instructor to be named by the student, one (1) full-time instructor to be named by the instructor and one (1) full-time instructor to be named by the Vice President of Student and Academic Services.
  2. The Vice President of Student and Academic Services will request the student and instructor submit the name of their nominees within five (5) working days after notification of all parties involved. Upon receiving the names of those nominees and appointing a third instructor to the committee, the Vice President of Student and Academic Services will set the time, date and place of the closed hearing and notify all parties. This will be done within five (5) working days after having received the names of both nominees. A student may present written evidence relevant to the grade appeal and may be advised at the hearing by one or more persons of his/her own choice. The student may have a maximum of two (2) persons in the room at a time. The Academic Appeals Committee may request information from the instructor and/or person’s familiar with the case.
  3. Within five (5) working days after this hearing, the Academic Appeals Committee will notify the student, the instructor, and the Vice President of Student and Academic Services in writing of its findings:
    1. grade change is justified and will be made.
    2. A grade change is not justified and will not be made.

 

If the decision of the Academic Appeals Committee is to change the grade, the Vice President of Student and Academic Services will have five (5) working days to make the grade change. The decision of the Academic Appeals Committee will be final. The same appeal process will be followed when the instructor is not accessible or no longer employed by Eastern Wyoming College by excluding Step 1 involving the instructor. All time limits stated are in working days.  All time limits may be extended by mutual consent.

 

Original Adoption Date: 9/10/19

Date(s) Amended: 2/24/20, 6/1/21, 9/10/24(RN)

Date(s) reviewed, no change: