(2 October
1986)
I.
Introduction and Grounds for an Appeal
The
Department of Astronomy believes that the primary instructor of a
course is, by far, the most qualified person to make the judgment
behind the conferral of a grade. Under some circumstances an unjust
grade may be assigned. The appeals procedure described below is
intended to provide a remedy for the assignment of unjust grades
due to clerical error, capricious or biased judgment, ex post facto
changes in course requirements or lack of uniformity in the
application of standards within a class. This procedure is not
applicable to complaints stemming from differences in the level of
difficulty from one course to another or to complaints arising from
a misunderstanding of the basis for evaluations if that basis was
described in writing.
Any set of
proceedings of this sort must be recognized as imperfect. The
procedure is not, therefore, expected to be able to resolve
disputes over fine points of borderline judgment.
The
Committee of Appeals has no power to force an instructor to change
a grade (see section III.3.a. below).
II.
Timing
The student
should initiate this procedure as soon as he or she is aware of the
course grade. We distinguish between Case A, in which a student
continues in residence during the next regular University term
following that in which the grade in question was assigned, and
Case B, where the student is not in residence in the following
regular term. Case B would apply, for example, to students who
received a grade during the Winter or Spring terms, and were not in
residence until the following Fall term.
In Case A,
the department will usually consider an appeal only if it is
initiated within the first two weeks of the term immediately
following the assignment of the grade. While the initial inquiry
may be verbal (See III-1 below), a written statement should be sent
both to the instructor of the course and the Department Chairman
within this two week period if the student plans to proceed beyond
the initial inquiry (III-1).
In Case B,
the department will usually consider an appeal only if written
notification of an intent to appeal is received by the Department
Chairman and the course instructor within the first four weeks of
the term immediately following the assignment of the grade. The
Grade Grievance Procedures (III below) must then be initiated
within the first two weeks of the student's next term in
residence.
The
Astronomy Department will endeavor to complete its consideration of
a grade grievance within two weeks of the time in which it begins
deliberations.
III.
Grade Grievance Procedures
The
procedure for handling student complaints of unfair or improper
grading shall be as follows:
- The student
must first discuss any complaints with the instructor of the
course. This may be done by telephone in the situation described
above as Case B.
- If the
student remains dissatisfied, he or she may bring a complaint to
the Department Chairman, or his representative who will hear the
student's complaints and obtain the instructor's reply. The
Chairman may decide, usually within a week's time (a) that the
complaint is unjustified or (b) that the complaint may be
justified. In either case both the student and the instructor will
be notified of the decision in writing. In instance (b) the
Chairman will attempt to negotiate a settlement of the
complaint.
- If neither
(1) nor (2) result in a satisfactory settlement, either party may
request a review by the Department's Standing Committee on Appeals.
The request should be made in writing to the Chairman of this
committee. If the Department Chairman has delegated a surrogate for
stage (2), this person will not serve on the Appeals Committee.
Upon receipt of the request for a hearing, the Committee will set
up a time agreeable to both parties, usually within a week of
receipt of the request for review.
a. If the Committee finds that the instructor has not acted fairly
or properly, it should attempt to persuade the instructor to change
the grade or remedy the wrong. The Committee may seek the advice of
the Assistant Dean to see if some alternative action is acceptable,
e.g., allowing the student to drop the course, or consenting to
award partial credit for the course, or permitting the course to be
expunged from the record.
b. The Standing Committee on Appeals will be composed of two
faculty members, an undergraduate student and a graduate student.
Only one student member need attend a hearing: The student member
hearing a complaint shall be an undergraduate if the complaint
involves an undergraduate; the student member hearing a complaint
shall be a graduate student if the complaint involves a graduate
student.
c. If a member of the Standing Committee on Appeals is involved
directly in the complaint, replacement shall be appointed by the
Chairman of the Department.
IV.
Procedures for Hearing a Complaint (Standing Committee on
Appeals)
- The 3 or 4
members of the Committee hearing a complaint will treat the
information and materials which are involved as sensitive and
confidential.
- Prior to
the hearing, the Committee will receive from the Department chair
all relevant written materials in his possession.
- The
Committee chair will contact both instructor and student to arrange
a mutually satisfactory hearing date, and may do this either in
person or by telephone. The chair will invite each to collect,
prepare, or organize any relevant written materials to be submitted
to the Committee. The date and time of the hearing, and the other
arrangements, are to be confirmed by letter.
- At the
hearing, both sides will present their information to the
Committee. The nature of the complaint will already be plain from
the materials made available by the Department chair. Presentations
at the hearing will be made as follows:
a. Presentation by complainant (20 minute limit)
b. Presentation by other party (20 minute limit)
c. Rebuttal by complainant (10 minute limit)
d. Rebuttal by other party (10 minute limit)
e. Questions asked by Committee of both parties (30 minute
limit)
If either party wishes to submit written materials of any sort at
the hearing they should be offered during the original presentation
(a) or (b).
- Following
the hearing, the Committee will conduct its deliberations in
private. These will remain confidential. A written summary of the
procedures, findings, and recommendations will be prepared and
transmitted to both parties, to the Department chair and the Dean's
office as soon as possible following the end of the Committee's
deliberations. All materials collected by the Committee will remain
in the Departmental files as a record of the hearing.
