* Mansfield Campus Grade Appeal Process

If a student feels a grade in a course was in error or inconsistent with the grading standards applied to other students:

The student should make every effort to work out a solution with the instructor.
If the student and instructor reach an impasse, the student may ask the Associate Dean for assistance. In grade appeal cases, the Associate Dean assumes the role of a Department chair.
The Associate Dean will attempt to reach a solution with the student and may intercede on the student’s behalf by speaking with the instructor to gain clarification.
If the above steps fail, the student may make a formal grade appeal by submitting a full explanation of the case in writing to the Associate Dean.

a) The Associate Dean will inform the student of the formal procedures that involve an appeal committee of three members that will review      the materials submitted and decide whether or not a grade change is warranted.

  i) The Appeal Committee will consist of tenured or tenure track faculty from the Mansfield Campus if there are three or more such faculty       in the discipline in question.

  ii) If there are fewer than three Mansfield faculty in the discipline, the Associate Dean will inform the student that he/she may submit the       appeal to the Department. The Associate Dean will contact the relevant Department chair to clarify procedures.

  iii) If the student does not wish to appeal to the Department, the Associate Dean will form a committee of Mansfield faculty from the        relevant college or closely related college.

b) The Appeal Committee will review evidence submitted by the student and may (but is not required to) speak with the student in person or by phone about the case. The Committee may (but is not required to) speak with the instructor.

          c) The Committee should not recommend a grade change unless one or more of the following apply:
               i) There was an obvious error made in calculating the grade or in constructing the exam/assignment, or a factual error in the “correct”                    answer.
                ii) It is clear that the instructor used grading standards for the student in question that were not applied to all students in the class.
                iii) It is clear that there was an egregious misassessment of the student’s work.The committee should not attempt to second-guess an                       instructor’s evaluation by making close calls, such as changing a “B” to a “B+.”

d) The Committee’s decision is final. There is no further appeal on the part of either the student or the instructor.
The Committee will inform the Associate Dean of its decision in writing. The Associate Dean will communicate the final decision to the student.

5. All grade appeals must be filed within two quarters after the grade was assigned. Appeals will be accepted only for the overall course grade, not individual assignments or exams. Grades of an individual’s exams or papers will be examined only as part of the review of the overall course grade.

6. The review Committee may review the grades of all students in the class if it appears that there may have been egregious errors in grading. This would be done only in extraordinary circumstances.

* This policy conforms to University guidelines on grade appeals as explained in Rule 3335-7-22 (A) and (B).