3.1.11 Grade Appeals Procedure

Grade appeals may not be made simply because a student wants a better grade or because of a disagreement over a subjective evaluation of submitted work. In addition, once posted, grades may not be lowered.

Grounds for grade appeals are:

  • Clerical error by the instructor (e.g., misplacing an assignment that had been  submitted properly by the student, mistyping a grade in a spreadsheet, or “clicking” on the wrong grade in BannerWeb);
  • Computational error by the instructor (e.g., combining individual grades incorrectly); and
  • Deviation from the grading scheme provided in the syllabus so significant as to affect a student’s grade (e.g., assigning a different weight to an assignment than stated in the syllabus so as to change the final grade).
  • The following procedures are followed by the Academic Dean’s Office in cases of student protests of final course grades.
  • In all cases, the appeal of a final course grade must first be made to the instructor within 10 business days* after the official due date for final grades at the close of any given grading period. In the event that the instructor is unavailable, the student must, within the 10 business day period, initiate contact with the department chair or Associate Academic Dean (e.g., by sending an e-mail message) and, in this correspondence, describe her/his attempt to reach the instructor and state her/his intent to appeal a particular final course grade. Either the student or the professor may contact the Conflict Resolution Resource Center to request assistance in their communication, or each may invite one individual from within the Guilford Community to attend the discussion. If the student and/or the professor are uncomfortable with meeting face-to-face, even with the assistance of others, it is possible to have this discussion in writing. Note: Because transcripts are sealed and may not be changed for any reason after a student graduates, graduating seniors have only until 5 pm two days before the graduation date to appeal final regular, intensive, fast track II, and Saturday course grades and have them corrected. * A “business day” is a weekday that the college is open for business regardless of whether classes are in session.
  • If the student remains unsatisfied, she or he must then discuss the situation with the chairperson of the academic department involved, unless the instructor is the department chair. If the instructor is the department chair, the student must instead discuss the situation with the chair of the division in which this course was taught. For the grade appeal procedure, for First Year Experience and Adult Transition courses, the department chairs are the First-Year Experience Coordinator and the Adult Transitions Coordinator, respectively. The student shall bring all relevant materials and information to this meeting, including papers, tests, syllabi, etc. The student must contact the department chair, or the division chair if instructor is the department chair, within 5 business days of having finished discussing the matter with the instructor.
  • If still unresolved, the case may be appealed to the Office of the Academic Dean, where the Associate Academic Dean will continue to try to achieve an appropriate resolution. The student must contact the Associate Academic Dean within 5 business days of having discussed the matter with the department chair and present to the Associate Academic Dean a complete, written account of the facts and an argument that explains the justification for a grade change.
  • If the student wishes to appeal the decision made by the Associate Academic Dean, he or she must submit this appeal in writing to the Academic Dean within 5 business days of the date of the Associate Academic Dean’s decision. This appeal must include a discussion of the grounds upon which the Associate Academic Dean’s decision should be reviewed; such grounds could include the discovery of additional information or a procedural irregularity so substantial as to have compromised the student’s right to a fair hearing. The Academic Dean will review the matter and make a determination whether or not the appeal warrants calling together a special hearing board. If the Academic Dean decides there are no grounds on which to proceed further with the appeal, the decision of the Associate Academic Dean will be considered final. If the Academic Dean decides otherwise, a special hearing board will be constituted.
  • At the discretion of the Academic Dean, a special hearing board will be instituted, composed of Guilford faculty and professional staff. The student and the instructor will each be asked to submit a list of requested faculty the Academic Dean might appoint to such a committee. Utilizing each list, the Academic Dean will appoint a group, drawing one individual from the student list, one from that of the instructor, and nominating a third. Both the student and the instructor will have the opportunity to reject up to three proposed members of the projected hearing board, until a group of three individuals satisfactory to the Academic Dean, the faculty member, and the student have been chosen and have agreed to serve.
  • The hearing board may meet with the student, the instructor, and anyone else appropriate and examine all relevant documentation. It will then make a final recommendation to the Academic Dean.
  • After receiving the recommendation of the hearing board, the Academic Dean will make the final decision regarding the student’s grade.