The
university and the School of Nursing recognize that it is the faculty member's prerogative to determine a grade. Faculty members are expected to set fair and consistent grading policies in their courses. The responsibility for resolving
grade disputes is shared among the faculty member, the student, the program,
and the school.
Students have the
right to know the components of their final grade, which is included in each
course syllabi. If a student perceives
that their final course grade was based on anything other than academic
performance, an appeal may be filed.
Rutgers University's policy pertaining to discrimination and harassment
may be found at:
http://policies.rutgers.edu/sites/policies/files/60.1.12%20-%20current.pdf.
While students have the right to file an appeal, dissatisfaction with a
grade or failure to notify the faculty of personal circumstances which may have
affected academic performance are not grounds for a grade appeal. Mathematical errors do not
require a grade appeal, but should be brought to the attention of the
faculty. In the case of a successful
grievance, the grade does not automatically change, rather the committee makes
recommendations as to appropriate student/faculty measures to be taken.
The Process
The student shall attempt to reconcile the conflict or question by
direct interaction (e.g., email, phone, or face-to-face conversation) with the
involved faculty member(s) upon receipt of the grade, but no later than three academic days (days on which
the university is open for business) after official posting of the grade in
Banner or REGIS. In the event the faculty member is not available, the student
will contact the course leader/specialty director, who will attempt to contact
the faculty member. If the faculty
member or specialty director is unavailable to meet with the student, the
student will be referred to the appropriate academic associate dean who will
intercede on the student's behalf to contact the faculty.When the grade results in a course failure and that course is a prerequisite for following courses, the
student may not progress to those courses.
For students who are scheduled to start a course before the grievance process
is completed, they may request special permission from the appropriate academic
associate dean to continue coursework until the appeal is resolved. The student
will be advised that if the grade is upheld on appeal that they will be
required to withdraw from the class.Following unsuccessful
resolution with the faculty member, the student has three academic days to meet with the Senior Associate Dean for
Student Services or designee to discuss the nature of the appeal and for the
initiation of the formal grade appeal process if necessary. The student will be guided through the
process and submit all required material, including the grade appeal form and
all documentation to Student Services Operations within five academic days. Documentation should include, but is not
limited to, course syllabus, any course material related to the appeal, email
correspondence between the student and the faculty member, and a student
written statement explaining why he or she feels the appeal meets the criteria for
a grievance. The student will receive confirmation
from Student Services Operations that the material was received. The Senior Associate Dean for Student
Services will review the documents for completeness and send all documents to
the Chair of the Grievance CommitteeThe Chair of the Grievance Committee will determine the level of the
student (undergraduate or graduate) and convene a subcommittee. This subcommittee will consist of three faculty
members from the Grievance Committee who do not teach in the program the
student is enrolled in. Members of the subcommittee will review the appeal material and determine,
within three academic days,
whether (1) the appeal has no merit (i.e., does not meet the criteria of a
grievance) or (2) a full hearing is necessary. The subcommittee may request additional information from the faculty
member or the student if that information is needed to make a decision. If the appeal has no merit, the chair will
notify the student and faculty member, in writing, of the decision, and provide
the rationale. This will be done through
Student Services Operations. The student
may reject this decision and continue the appeal process. If a full hearing is
necessary, it will be scheduled as soon as possible, but no later than five academic days following the
decision.Hearing Process
The chair and
the subcommittee will meet with the student and faculty for the purpose of
gaining additional information that will help them determine whether the appeal
meets the criteria of a grievance. The
student may have a support person present, but that person will not participate
or speak on behalf of the student during the hearing.
Merits of the appeal evidence (both evidence submitted previously and
evidence gained during the hearing) will be discussed immediately following the
meeting with the student and faculty and the subcommittee will make a
decision. The decision will be either
(1) the appeal is justified (meets criteria for a grievance) or (2) the appeal
is not justified. If it is
determined that the appeal is not justified, the chair will notify the student
and faculty in writing within two
days through Student Services Operations. This letter will be sent by email
along with postal delivery using regular delivery and overnight or certified
mail. If it is determined that the
appeal is justified, the subcommittee will make a recommendation as to the
appropriate student/faculty measures to be taken.
The student or the
faculty may reject the decision of the subcommittee and continue the appeal
process by notification in writing to Student Services Operations. All materials and decisions submitted
previously will be sent to the appropriate Academic Associate Dean of
Student Services. The associate dean
will review all material and may also request additional material or request to
see the student and/or faculty member for the purpose of gaining additional
information that will help him or her render a decision. The associate dean may
either (1) uphold the decision of the subcommittee or (2) disagree with the
subcommittee's decision. If the decision
is upheld, the student, faculty, and Chair of the Grievance Committee will be
notified in writing. If the associate dean disagrees with the decision, the
Chair of the Grievance Committee must be notified and provided with the reasons
the decision was not upheld. If necessary,
recommendations as to actions to be taken will be made by both the associate dean and the Chair of the Grievance Committee.
For grade grievances that do not result in dismissal from the program,
the decision of the associate dean is final. If the grade appeal results in a
subsequent program dismissal, the student may reject the decision of the associate dean and continue the appeal process by contacting the dean through Student
Services Operations. The same process
will be followed and the decision of the dean is final.
Ph.D. students must follow the Graduate School-Newark policy for grade grievances.
