Academic Due Process - Course Grade Appeal

On occasion a student may wish to dispute a grade assigned in a University of Pikeville course. The following procedure is to ensure proper due process for a student who wishes to appeal their grade. Please note: A Request for Hearing form must be filed, step four, within 60 calendar days following the beginning of the next regular fall or spring semester after the grade in question was assigned.

1. Meeting with Faculty Member: A student who seeks appeal of a final course grade will first speak with the instructor concerned. If the instructor determines that a miscalculation resulted in an incorrect grade or that new and compelling evidence warrants a different grade, the instructor will submit a request for a change of grade to the appropriate academic Dean. If this request is approved by the Dean, it will be forwarded to the Registrar’s Office for final processing.
2. Meeting with Division Chair (CAS courses only): A student wishing to proceed further with an appeal will then speak to the appropriate Division Chair. The Division Chair should keep a written record of all discussions and forward a copy to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. If there is any question about the decision reached in this conference, the aggrieved student will request a meeting with the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
3. Conference with Dean and Instructor: Upon receiving a student’s request, the Dean of the appropriate college or school will call a conference with the student, the instructor, and the Division Chair (CAS only). If a satisfactory solution is not found, the appeal will continue. The Dean will keep a written record of this conference.
4. The Hearing
   1. If the student wishes to proceed further on the appeal, he/she will register his/her grievance with the CAS, CCOB, PCOE, and CNHS Faculty Executive Committee using a Request for Hearing form obtained from the Registrar’s Office. The Request for Hearing form must be filed within 60 calendar days following the beginning of the next regular fall or spring semester after the grade in question was assigned. The completed Request for Hearing form is submitted to the Registrar’s Office who will forward the form to the chair of the Faculty Executive Committee. Grade appeals will normally be heard only during fall or spring semesters, although the Executive Committee may determine whether to hear an appeal during summer or during school breaks if, in its judgment, the student’s academic situation warrants it and if the necessary faculty members are available.
   2. The Committee: The Committee shall consist of the elected members of the Executive Committee and two students selected by the Student Government Association. In any proceeding, faculty and student representatives from the division, college or school involved in the grievance shall be excluded. In addition, either the student or the faculty member may request the removal of any person from the Committee. The Committee will decide if a reasonable basis exists for this request.
   3. Selection of Chair: The Chair of the Executive Committee will sit as Chair of the Committee unless disqualified; in which case, the Committee will select a Chair by a simple majority of votes in a secret ballot. The Chair will:
      1. have full voting rights,
      2. determine the status of all observers,
      3. set reasonable time limits for presentation and discussion,
      4. rule on the admissibility of evidence, and
      5. be responsible for ruling on such other questions as may arise.
   4. Notice of Hearing: The Committee Chair will call the hearing within 10 working days after the receipt of the Request for Hearing form. Either the student bringing the appeal, or the faculty member concerned may request, in writing, a time extension of up to thirty calendar days. The extension will automatically be granted. Further time extensions may also be granted, but only with the approval of the Executive Committee. Notices of date, time, and place will be sent to the Executive Committee, the student, the instructor, the appropriate Division Chair (CAS only), the appropriate academic Dean, and the Vice President or Executive Vice President.
   5. Conducting the Hearing: The hearing will be conducted in an orderly impartial manner. The student bringing the complaint and the faculty member involved will have the right to participate in the discussion. Each will have the right to be accompanied by an advisor from the University community (current student, faculty member, or administrator). The advisor may verbally participate in the proceedings.
   6. Recording the Hearing: The hearing will be recorded, and the recording retained by the Registrar’s Office. This recording will be kept in confidence and will be destroyed one calendar year after the decision of the Hearing Committee.
   7. Committee Deliberations: The Committee, in closed session, will carefully consider all the evidence. In reaching its findings and recommendations, the Committee will consider the reliability of the witnesses and the authenticity and accuracy of the documented evidence regarding the point at issue. The Committee will make its decision solely based on the evidence presented at the hearing. The decision of the Committee shall be final.
   8. Committee Report: The Committee will prepare and sign a written report of its findings and decision. The report will be sent to the Faculty Executive Committee, and copies of the report will be sent to the student, the instructor, the University Registrar, the Vice President, the Executive Vice President, the appropriate academic Dean, and the appropriate Division Chair (CAS only).
5. Conclusion: The University Registrar will inform the student and the instructor of the decision’s effect upon the grade.