EIU Office of Internal Auditing

#45 - Grade Appeals

Approved: March 28, 2007

Nomenclature changes: April 20, 2021

Monitor: Vice President for Academic Affairs

Introduction

Eastern Illinois University faculty members are responsible for assigning appropriate grades. The University will not review the judgment of a faculty member in assessing the quality of students' work. If, however, a student believes that a faculty member improperly assigned a semester grade due to one or more of the Grounds for Appeal, as described below, the student may appeal the grade by following the procedures described in this policy. Students are responsible for reading the Grade Appeal Policy and for complying with all procedures and meeting the deadlines established in the policy. All grade appeals are handled individually.

Grounds for Grade Appeal

The procedures described in this policy are available only for appeal of a semester or term grade based on one or more of the following reasons:

1. A mathematical error in calculation of the grade or clerical error in recording of the grade that remains uncorrected;
2. The assignment of a grade to a particular student by application of more exacting requirements than were applied to other students in the course;
3. The assignment of a grade to a particular student on some basis other than performance in the course;
4. The assignment of a grade by a substantial departure from the faculty member's previously announced standards.

Informal Conference with Faculty Member

Before initiating a formal grade appeal, a student who believe that a semester or term grade was improperly assigned must confer promptly with the faculty member who assigned the grade. If the conference does not result in a mutually agreeable resolution, the student may request formal review of the grade as described below.

If the faculty member who assigned the grade is not available - because of sabbatical, resignation, reassignment or other reason - the student should contact the chair of the department in which the course was offered. (Dean/Department Chair Contact List) If the chair determines the faculty member is not available for informal conference, the chair will authorize the student to proceed with the formal grade appeal.

Formal Grade Appeal

Grade Appeal Request

A student may request a grade appeal only by completing all of the following steps:

1. Complete a Grade Appeal Request using Form 1 available at the Grade Appeal web site (Grade Appeal at EIU)
2. Make copies of any relevant support materials; and
3. Submit hard copies (paper documents) of the completed Grade Appeal Request and support materials to the chair of the department in which the course was offered. (Dean/Department Chair Contact List)

Deadline for Grade Appeal Request: The Grade Appeal Request and support materials must be received by the department chair no later than the following:

• For a course taken in the fall semester, the Grade Appeal Request must be received no later than the Midterm Day of the following spring term.
• For a course taken in the spring semester or summer term, the Grade Appeal Request must be received no later than the Midterm Day of the following fall term.

Department Chair Review

Purposes

To serve as the initial, administrative contact in the formal grade appeal process; and

To facilitate a resolution of the grade appeal issue that is mutually agreeable to the faculty member and student including changing the grade.

Procedures

Upon timely receipt of the Grade Appeal Request, the department chair will:

1. Verify that the student and faculty member completed the required informal conference. If the informal conference has not occurred, the chair will postpone any further action until that conference is completed or until the chair determines that the faculty member is not available for an informal conference.
2. Provide written acknowledgment of the Grade Appeal Request to the student and written notification of the Grade Appeal Request to the faculty member.
3. Provide a copy of this Grade Appeals policy to the student and faculty member and address any questions raised by them.
4. Schedule a Chair Review Meeting with the student and faculty member at a mutually convenient time. If the faculty member is unavailable for a meeting, the department chair will request that the faculty member provide documentation of the basis of the grade and may appoint another faculty member in the department to serve as a representative for the faculty member who assigned the grade.
5. Conduct the Chair Review Meeting providing an opportunity for both parties to explain their positions orally and/or through written documents.
6. Prepare a written summary of the meeting that, at a minimum, includes the following:
1. a statement of whether any of the grounds for an appeal were valid;
2. a statement of whether the grading issue was resolved to the satisfaction of the student and faculty member; and
3. a statement of whether the student and faculty member agreed to a change of grade. The chair may include in the written summary other information that s/he deems relevant.
7. Notify, within five working days after the Chair Review Meeting, the student and faculty member that the summary of the Chair Review Meeting is available at the department office and arrange for signing and distribution of the summary and Form 2 Receipt of the Summary of the Chair Review Meeting in accordance with the directions on that form.

Request for Review by the University Grade Appeal Committee (UGAC)

If no mutually agreeable decision has been reached, the student may request review by the University Grade Appeal Committee, only by signing and submitting a copy of Form 2, Part B to the dean of the appropriate college or school. Appeals for undergraduate students are submitted to the dean of the college in which the course was offered. Appeals for graduate students are submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School. Appeals for courses offered through the IDS* (B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies) program are submitted to the Dean of the College of Education. (Dean/Department Chair Contact List)

* Formerly known as B.A. in General Studies (BGS)

Deadline for Request Review by the College Grade Appeal Committee

The student must provide Form 2, Part B Request for Review by University Grade Appeal Committee to the dean of the appropriate college or school no later than five (5) working days after the student received Form 2. If, within five (5) working days after receipt of Form 2, the student does not request review by the University Grade Appeal Committee, formal review of the grade will terminate.

University Grade Appeal Committee Review

Purposes

• To provide a fair and unbiased fact-finding meeting;
• To determine whether the grounds for the grade appeal are supported by facts;
• To determine whether the student's grade should be changed and, if so, to request change of grade by the dean; and
• To communicate the results of the review to the parties.

Procedures

Upon timely receipt of the Request for Review by the University Grade Appeal Committee, the following procedures will be used:

1. The dean will notify the chair of the University Grade Appeal Committee (UGAC) of the request for review and offer administrative assistance to the Chair (a recorder for the minutes, help with scheduling and reserving a room for the meeting).
2. The UGAC chair will:
1. Notify the student, the faculty member, and the department chair that the UGAC has received the request.
2. Secure copies of all grade appeal documents from the department chair and distribute copies of the documents to the UGAC members.
3. Schedule a UGAC Fact Finding Meeting at a time when both the student and faculty member are able to attend. The Fact Finding Meeting will occur no earlier than five (5) working days after the UGAC chair distributes copies of the documents to the UGAC members.
4. Notify the student and faculty member in writing of the date, time and place of the Fact Finding Meeting.
5. Notify the student and faculty member in writing that they may bring additional persons who may provide relevant information to the meeting but only if the name(s) of the person(s) and their relationship to the grade dispute is provided to the UGAC chair at least 48 hours prior to the Fact Finding Meeting. (Email notification to the student and faculty member will satisfy the writing requirement.)
3. The UGAC will conduct a Fact Finding Meeting at which both the student and the faculty member have the opportunity to present relevant information through oral statements and/or written documents.
1. The Fact Finding Meeting shall not be open to the public.
2. Individuals other than the student or faculty member will be allowed to present relevant information only if adequate notice was received as provided in 2.e., above.
3. At the Fact Finding Meeting, the UGAC may request additional relevant materials from the student or faculty member.
4. Following the Fact Finding Meeting, the UGAC chair will convene a meeting or meetings as needed with the members of the UGAC and the committee will determine whether the grounds for the grade appeal were supported by evidence presented at the Fact Finding meeting.
4. The UGAC chair will complete Form 3 Summary of Fact Finding in accordance with the UGAC's determination.
5. The UGAC chair will notify the student and faculty member within ten (10) working days of the final meeting of the UGAC that Form 3 Summary of Fact Finding and Form 4 Receipt for the Summary of Fact Finding are available at the Dean's office and will arrange for signing and distribution in accordance with the directions on Form 4. If either party fails to acknowledge receipt of the Summary, the UGAC chair will so note on the form.

Request for Review by the Dean

The student or faculty member may request Review by the Dean only by signing and submitting Part B of Form 4 Request for Review by the Dean to the dean of the appropriate college or school. Reviews for undergraduate students are completed by the dean of the college in which the course was offered. Reviews for graduate students are completed by the Dean of the Graduate School. Reviews for courses offered through the IDS (B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies) program are completed by the Dean of the College of Education. (Dean/Department Chair Contact List)

Deadline for Request for Review by the Dean

The student or faculty member must provide Form 4, Part B to the dean of the appropriate college or school no later than five (5) working days after receiving the Summary of Fact Finding and Form 4. If, within five (5) working days after receipt of Form 4, neither the student nor the faculty member submits the Request for Review by the Dean, formal review of the grade terminates and the decision of the UGAC becomes final.

Review by the Dean

Purpose

To determine whether the procedures used by the UGAC were in compliance with this Grade Appeal Policy.

Procedures

Upon receipt of Form 4, Part B, the dean will:

1. Secure copies of all grade appeal documents from the UGAC Chair.
2. Review those documents and determine whether the procedures used by the UGAC were in compliance with this Grade Appeal Policy.
3. Notify the student, the faculty member, and the UGAC Chair of his/her determination no later than ten (10) working days after receipt of Form 4, Part B. The dean's determination is limited to either:
• The UGAC correctly followed procedures and the decision of the UGAC will be implemented; or
• The UGAC failed to correctly follow procedures and the UGAC must repeat its review using the correct procedures.

If the college dean concludes that the UGAC correctly followed procedures, the grade appeal process ends and the decision of the UGAC becomes final.

Reporting Requirements

Within thirty (30) days after the end of each fall semester and the end of each spring semester, each dean will submit a Summary Report of Grade Appeals. Undergraduate appeals will be forwarded to the Council on Academic Affairs and graduate appeals will be forwarded to the Council on Graduate Studies. The Summary Report of Grade Appeals will include the following information on each grade appeal for which the UGAC conducted a Fact Finding Meeting:

1. The date of the Grade Appeal Request;
2. The grounds for the grade appeal; and
3. The disposition of the grade appeal.

The Summary Report of Grade Appeals will not identify the student or faculty member by name and will not include the course number or name.

You must submit this grade appeal request to the chair of the department that offered the course no later than:

• Midterm day of the following spring semester for a class taken in the fall semester or
• Midterm day of the following fall semester for a class taken in the spring semester or summer term.

Grade Appeal Forms

• Form 1 - Grade Appeal Request
• Form 2 - Receipt of the Summary of the Chair Review Meeting and Student?s Request for Review by the University Grade Appeal Committee
• Form 3 - Summary of Fact Finding by the University Grade Appeal Committee
• Form 4 - Receipt of the Fact Finding Summary and Request for Review by the Dean

Procedures for Selecting Faculty and Student Representatives to the University Grade Appeal Committees

Committee Composition

The University Grade Appeal Committee (UGAC) will consist of two faculty members from each college, only one of which will serve and vote on any given appeal, and one undergraduate student member with a vote for undergraduate appeals and one graduate student member with a vote for graduate appeals. Selection to the University Grade Appeal Committee is outlined below.

Faculty Member Selection

Two faculty members from each academic college who are elected or appointed according to procedures established by the college faculty will comprise the cohort of faculty who serve on the committee.

• Each faculty member will serve three terms (3 years).
• Faculty should be appointed to the committee so that at least two members of the committee are in the third year of their term and at least two members of the committee are in the second year of their term.
• At least one of the two faculty members elected to the committee for each college must hold a graduate faculty appointment, so that half of all the members of the UGAC are members of the graduate faculty. In the event of an appeal involving a graduate student, at least half of the UGAC members hearing the appeal must have a graduate faculty appointment.
• Department chairs may not serve on the University Grade Appeal Committee because of the role that the department chair already serves in the process.

Student Member Selection

For undergraduate appeals, the undergraduate student appointed to the UGAC must serve on the committee. The voting member will be selected collaboratively by the Student Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

For graduate appeals, the graduate student appointed to UGAC must serve on the committee. The voting member will be selected collaboratively by the Student Dean of the Graduate School and by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Terms of Service

The term of service is the fiscal year that begins on July 1 and concludes on June 30 each year. Faculty members serve three terms. Student members serve one term.

Committee Orientation

Prior to hearing any appeals in the new fiscal year, the new UGAC chair will convene the new committee members to provide an orientation for all members. The orientation will include a comprehensive review of the policy, procedures, and forms used to administer the Grade Appeal Policy.

Chair Selection

The vice chair will become the new UGAC chair with each new fiscal year. Prior to hearing any appeals in the new fiscal year, the new UGAC chair (former UGAC vice chair) will convene an initial meeting to elect a new UGAC vice chair from among committee members entering their first or second year of service. The new UGAC vice chair will become the new UGAC chair during the second or third year of service.

UGAC Chair Responsibilities

• Faculty Member Substitutes: A representative from each college must serve on a grade appeal review. In the event that a faculty member is not able to participate due to illness, leave, or conflict of interest, the other appointed representative from the college shall serve. In only extraordinary circumstances, when both members of a college are unable to serve, the UGAC chair will select a substitute from the pool of available members. The UGAC chair may also name a substitute for a member if the chair determines that there is a conflict of interest with the appeal. A conflict of interest occurs when the appeal involves the UGAC faculty member in any way.
• Student Member Substitutes: The UGAC chair may name a substitute for a voting student member for a specific grade appeal if the student member is not able to participate due to illness, academic assignments away from campus, or conflicts of interest. The UGAC chair will select a substitute student member in collaboration with the appropriate student leader. When a substitute student member is named for a voting student member, that voting student member will not attend or participate in the appeal in any way unless the student member is directly involved in the grade appeal.
• Chair substitutes: If the chair is unable to fulfill his/her responsibilities for a specific grade appeal due to illness, leave, or conflict of interest, the chair will request that the UGAC vice chair will assume the UGAC chair's responsibilities for the specific appeal. When a vice chair substitutes for the chair, the chair will not attend or participate in the appeal in any way unless the chair is directly involved in the grade appeal.
• Annual Reports: At the end of each fall and spring term the UGAC chair will complete a report for each dean that provides a confidential summary of each appeal relevant to the respective college for the specified term and its outcome or its status at the time of the report. Within thirty (30) days after the end of each fall semester and the end of each spring semester, each dean will submit a Summary Report of Grade Appeals for the appropriate council.

CGS Approval: March 6, 2007
CAA Approval: March 8, 2007
Revisions approved by CAA: April 1, 2021
Revisions approved by CGS: April 20, 2021