Graduate Catalog - Shippensburg University

Shippensburg UniversityIn the event a faculty member, department chairperson, orprogram director (or chair of the department’s Professional AffairsCommittee if necessary) fails to comply with the timelinesor procedures set forth in this policy, the student shall have theright to appeal to the dean of the college in which the appeal hasarisen. If the dean shall determine the student’s rights under thispolicy have been violated he or she shall direct the department toschedule the Formal Grade Appeal Hearing in a timely fashionconsistent with the intent of the policy.A. Meeting with the Faculty Member Assigning the Final CourseGrade – Following notification of a final grade assigned in acourse a student disagreeing with a final course grade shallmeet informally with the course instructor in an effort toresolve the matter prior to resorting to the formal appealprocess.* This informal meeting between the student and thefaculty member assigning the disputed grade shall occur nolater than thirty (30) calendar days following the beginningof the next regular (fall or spring) academic semester.** If thefaculty member finds in the student’s favor, a grade changewill be sent to the Registrar’s Office after the program chairhas signed the grade change form. A copy will be sent to thestudent. However, if the faculty member decides the gradeas given was correct, the student will be notified in writingwithin seven (7) calendar days. Students who are not satisfiedwith the results may initiate a formal appeal of the final gradeassigned in the course, as outlined below.*In the event the faculty member assigning the final gradein the course is no longer an employee of ShippensburgUniversity the student desiring to appeal a course grade shallmeet with the department chairperson or program directorto establish procedures consistent with this policy and pastpractice for entertaining the desired grade appeal.** Note: Shippensburg University policy permits facultymembers to change grades if there has been a miscalculationor oversight in grading, but not on the basis of additionalstudent work or revision of previously accepted work.B. Initiating a Formal Grade Appeal – Students wishing to formallyappeal a final course grade based on the factors listed inSection II. Basis for Appealing a Final Course Grade, mustfile a written appeal with the department chairperson or programdirector of the academic program home to the coursewhose grade they are seeking to appeal no later than thirty(30) calendar days from the first full day that classes meet ofthe semester following the semester in which the final coursegrade was assigned. Appeals may not be filed electronically.Failure to meet the deadline for formally filing a grade appealshall result in the forfeiture of a student’s appeal rights.*** Astudent wishing to pursue a grade appeal shall by this datesubmit to the department chairperson or program director (orchair of the department’s Professional Affairs Committee inthe event that the student is appealing a grade assigned by thedepartment chairperson or program director) the completedgrade appeal form, signed and dated, and supporting documentationwhich shall set forth the basis for the appeal andthe desired resolution. Appeals from the Spring semester andSummer terms shall be filed no later than thirty (30) calendardays from the first day of the fall semester. An undergraduategrade appeal form may be obtained in the department officeof the major/program where the appeal is filed or from thegraduate dean’s office. Formal Grade Appeals may not be filedelectronically.***Note: Both the informal attempt at resolving the disputedgrade with the faculty member assigning such grade and theformal initiation of a formal grade appeal must be completedno later than thirty (30) calendar days from the first full day thatclasses meet of the semester following the semester in whichthe final course grade was assigned.C. Meeting with Department Chairperson or Program Director –Within ten (10) calendar days of receiving a completed gradeappeal form, the program chairperson shall meet individuallyand/or jointly, if useful, with the student and the facultymember to discuss the disputed grade in an effort to mediatean amicable resolution to disagreement over the final gradeassigned. Such meeting(s) may occur in person or via conferencecall if necessary. The mediated result must be given inwriting to both the student and faculty member. The departmentchairperson or program director will notify the facultymember a formal appeal has been filed.D. Formal Program Grade Appeal Hearing – If the studentfinds the mediated effort fails to address his or her concernsor achieve the desired results, he or she must notify the departmentchairperson or program director in writing withinfourteen (14) calendar days of the meeting with the programchairperson (or designee) of his or her desire to continue on tothe formal grade appeal hearing before the Academic AppealsCommittee of the program. Failure to meet this fourteen (14)day deadline for proceeding with the formal grade appeal shallresult in the forfeiture of a student’s appeal rights, except asnoted in Section IV.1. Scheduling of the Academic Appeals Hearing – Upon notificationby the student of his or her desire to continue with theappeal, the Academic Appeals Committee shall have ten(10) calendar days to conduct a hearing on the matter andto issue its findings and recommendations.2. An equal number of students and faculty, but in no casefewer that four members, shall be present at an AppealsHearing.3. Conduct of the Academic Appeals Hearing – The chairpersonsof the Academic Appeals Committee shall have soleresponsibility for the conduct of the hearing. Prior to thehearing the student shall submit to the committee a writtenstatement setting forth the issue(s) in the dispute and thedesired resolution. Only the student and the faculty memberin the dispute have the right to attend the hearing. Both thestudent and faculty member involved in the grade appealshall have the right to be present during the grade appealhearing itself. Both the student and the faculty memberhave the right to introduce materials into the hearing thatare directly relevant to the assignment of the final grade inthe course, including such items as:• Course syllabi as given to the student• Graded assignments such as, but not limited to, journals,research papers, group projects, examinations• Other material relevant to the determination of the student’sfinal course gradeE. Decision of the Academic Appeals Committee – Onlythe actual members of the graduate Academic AppealsCommittee shall be present during the discussion and deliberationson the outcome of the student’s grade appeal. TheAcademic Appeals Committee’s deliberations shall be viewedas confidential and no transcripts, notes, or records shall bemade regarding their discussion other than a record of theirfinal decision. The committee has the power to decide theoutcome of the final grade dispute by simple majority votetaken by secret ballot. A tie vote upholds the faculty member’sdecision in the case. If the committee sustains the appeal (i.e.,rules in favor of the student) a grade change form will be sentto the Registrar’s Office after being signed by the programchair. With the exception of the grade, no part of these proceedingswill become part of the student’s official academicrecord. In addition, no part of these proceedings will becomepart of the faculty member’s record or file. The evidence,proceedings, and the final decision of the Academic AppealsCommittee shall remain confidential.18