11824_JFKU_Catalog Front Cover.indd - John F. Kennedy University

General Information3. DEFINITIONS3.1 Arbiter. Program chair, dean, or office of Academic Affairsstaff member assigned to resolve a grade change dispute.Under normal circumstances, the appropriate program chairassumes the role of Arbiter. however, if the instructor ofrecord is a program chair then the college dean serves asArbiter; if the instructor of record is the dean, then the officeof Academic Affairs will appoint a supervising staff memberto serve in the Arbiter role.3.2 Arbitrariness. e grade awarded does not appear to bebased on criteria related to course objectives, studentlearning outcomes, the grading rubric contained on thecourse syllabus, or other expected standards of judgment.3.3 error. e instructor made a mistake in fact (clerical error)or calculation (mathematical error).3.4 Prejudice. e grade awarded is perceived to be motivatedby ill will and is not indicative of the student’s actualdemonstrated academic performance.4. DESCRIPTION4.1 Grounds.4.1.1 only error, arbitrariness, or prejudice will be considered aslegitimate grounds to submit a Petition for Grade Change.erefore, a formal Petition for Grade Change may onlyaddress:(a) Correction of a clerical error;(b) Correction of a mathematical error; or(c) Charges of arbitrary or prejudiced action toward anindividual student.4.1.2 A Petition for Grade Change may not involve a challenge toan instructor’s grading standard or method. While a studenthas a right to expect thoughtful and clearly definedapproaches to course grading, it must be recognized thatvaried standards and individual approaches to grading arevalid. is policy considers whether a grade was determinedin a fair and appropriate manner; it does not attempt toprovide recourse of grading or re-grading individualassignments or projects.4.2 Procedure. e Petition for Grade Change procedure strivesto resolve, in a collegial manner, disagreement betweenstudent and instructor concerning the assignment of a grade.e intent is to provide a mechanism for the informaldiscussion of differences of opinion, and for formaladjudication only when necessary. Students who feel thatthey have received an erroneous grade should discuss thatgrade first with the course instructor of record. In mostcases, this informal discussion between the student and theinstructor should suffice and the matter will not need to becarried further.4.3 Informal resolution.4.3.1 A student who wishes to dispute a grade must discuss thematter first with the instructor of record as soon as possible,preferably one week after the start of the next academic termafter receiving the grade. e student should be aware thatthe only valid basis for grade appeal beyond this first step isto establish that an instructor assigned a grade that wasarbitrary, prejudiced, or based in clerical or mathematicalerror.4.3.2 If the student and the instructor reach resolution and agreethat a grade change is indicated based on instructor error, theinstructor submits a Petition for Grade Change as describedin Section 4.7, Instructor Petition for Grade Change, below.4.3.3 In the event that the instructor of record is incapacitated orotherwise unavailable to participate in the grade changepetition procedure, then the student has the right to beginthe process with the formal resolution procedure.4.4 Formal resolution Procedure. If the matter cannot beresolved with mutual agreement between student andinstructor, the student must present his or her case in a timelyfashion with the procedure outlined below. e Petition fora Grade Change process must be started near the beginningof the next academic term after the disputed grade isreceived, and the petition must be received by the registrar’soffice no later than the end of the academic term followingthe term in which the grade in question was assigned.Petitions submitted after this deadline will not be considered.4.4.1 If, after attempting informal resolution (Section 4.3), thestudent and instructor are unable to resolve thedisagreement, the student submits a written request forFormal resolution to the Arbiter (3.3.1) within one week ofattempting informal resolution with the instructor. estudent should provide with this request completedocumentation, including a clear statement of the basis fortheir dispute, and should also be aware that response to thePetition may be to raise the grade, leave the grade asrecorded, or reduce the grade.4.4.2 once the Arbiter is in receipt of the student’s written requestfor Formal resolution he or she will meet within one weekwith the student, and, if he or she believes that the complaintmay have merit, with the instructor. After consultation withthe Arbiter, the instructor may choose to let the grade remainor submit a Petition for a Grade Change to the registrar. eregistrar will communicate to the student and instructor thatthe grade will not be changed, the grade change has beenprocessed, or will explain the next step in the process thestudent must initiate.4.5 Appeals Procedure.4.5.1 If the student wishes to appeal the outcome of the Formalresolution the student should submit a written requestwithin one week of the decision date to the college dean torequest a review of the Petition for a Grade Change. e deanwill meet with the student, and will ask the appropriatecollege’s Academic Standards Committee (ASC) to reviewthe Petition. Members of the ASC must not have anyapparent conflicts of interest with the instructor of record(which might include but are not limited to frequentco-advising or research collaboration). e committee willexamine available written information on the dispute, mayschedule meetings with the student and with the instructorto ask clarifying questions, and will meet with others as it seesfit.4.5.2 rough its inquiries and deliberations, the college ASC ischarged to determine whether the grade was assigned in afair and appropriate manner, or whether clear and convincingevidence of unfair treatment such as arbitrariness, prejudice,or clerical or mathematical error might justify changing thegrade. e college committee will make its decisions basedon a majority vote. If the committee concludes that the gradewas assigned in a fair and appropriate manner, the committeewill report its conclusion in writing to the student, theinstructor, and the Program Chair, and the matter will beconsidered closed. A copy of the written decision will beJohn F. KenneDy UnIverSIty General Information 13