I
think my grade was calculated incorrectly. What should I do?
The first thing you must do
is talk to your professor. Your professor can explain how your grade was
calculated. No one else has access to that information.
I am
not satisfied with the response from my professor. What should I do next?
That depends. You cannot
appeal a grade you received on an exam or assignment. The only grade you can
appeal is the letter grade you receive at the end of the course. If the course
is still going on and you are dissatisfied with your grades and it is before
the "W" day, you can drop the course. If it is after the
"W" grade, you can ask the professor if they will allow you to
withdraw after the deadline.
The
grade I want to appeal is the letter grade I received in a course. How long do
I have to appeal the grade?
Grades must be appealed
within one semester. So, if you want to appeal a grade you received in fall
semester, you have until the end of that spring semester to file your appeal?
How
do I file the appeal?
Your appeal must be in
writing. It should contain all of the following information:
Who
do I send the appeal to?
Grade appeals go to the
chair of the department that is responsible for the course, not to the chair of your major. If the
course prefix is ACCT, ECON, or MGNT, then the appeal goes to:
Dr. Ronny Richardson
J-378B
regardless of your major.
Can I
submit the grade appeal by email?
The Business Administration
Department does accept grade appeals via email. Some departments do not. You
must check with the department chair to find out.
How
long does it take to decide?
That depends on how long it
takes to get in contact with your professor and get all the information I need.
Appeals filed during final exams naturally take longer because professors are
very busy and appeals filed during breaks naturally take longer since
professors are often on vacation. Figure on a minimum of four weeks.
How
likely is it that my grade will be changed?
Everyone at the University
wants you to get the grade you earned. If the professor made a mistake, they
will be glad to change the grade. That is why you need to start by talking to your
professor. If they did make a mistake, they can go ahead and change the grade.
Having said that, realize
that students often over estimate their performance in a class. If the
professor made a mistake, they will be happy to correct the grade. If the professor
did not make a mistake, the chance of someone higher up changing the grade is
very low.
Can I
get my exams or papers regraded?
In a grade appeal, I verify
that the professor calculated the grade correctly and did not overlook any
assignments or other matters. I do not regrade assignments. Your professor is
the content expert not me.
The
course was too hard. How will that affect the grade appeal?
It has no impact. Students often
find courses hard and different students find different courses hard. The only
thing that matters in a grade appeal is how well you met the requirements set
forth for the course.
My
friend got a better grade in the course and we did the same work. How will that
affect the grade appeal?
A grade appeal only looks
at how well you met the requirements set forth for the course. How well or
poorly anyone else in the course performed has no bearing.
I
need a good grade to keep my financial aid. How will that affect the grade
appeal?
A grade appeal only looks
at how well you met the requirements set forth for the course. Your financial
aid situation has no bearing.
What
if I do not agree with the decision?
You may appeal the decision
to the dean of the appropriate school. If you are appealing a Business
Administration course, that would be Dr. Jeffrey Ray. If you do not agree with
his decision, you can appeal to the Vice President of Academic Affairs. If you
do not agree with his decision, you can appeal to the President.