Review of Course Grades & Dean's Decisions on Academic Standing or Awards
- Review of Course Grades
- Review of Dean's Decisions on Academic Standing or Awards
- Grade Review and Academic Review Committees
Review of Course Grades
- Students with concerns on course grades should resolve the matter via the procedures outlined below.
- Disagreement with the academic judgement of Course Leaders is not a valid reason for review.
- As a result of review, grades may be revised upwards, downwards or remain unchanged.
Informal Resolution
- If you believe that there was an administrative error in recording or calculating the mark or result, or other circumstances that impact the course grade awarded, you should contact the Course Leader within 5 working days of the announcement of grades to resolve the matter.
- The Course Leader will notify you of the result no later than 13 working days following the announcement of grades.
Formal Procedures for Review
What Constitute Valid Reasons for Applying to Review Course Grades?
If you believe that:
- there was a procedural irregularity in the assessment process; for example, the assessment was not conducted in accordance with the Academic Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Degrees or with the arrangements prescribed for the course.
- there were extenuating circumstances that impact the course grade awarded, such as illness, hospitalisation, accident, family bereavement or other unforeseeable serious personal or emotional circumstances, that you were unable to bring to the attention of the Course Leader prior to the assessment for valid reasons.
Procedures
- Submit your application in writing to the Dean of the College/School offering the course within 22 working days of the announcement of grades.
- In your application letter, you must:
- state the grounds on which the request for review is made;
- include a description of the relevant facts; and
- provide supporting evidence.
Notification of Results
The Dean of the College/School will notify you in writing of the decision on your formal review application no later than 54 working days following the announcement of grades.
Further Requests for Appeal
- Formal requests for review of course grades should normally be resolved at the College/School level.
- If you believe that there was a procedural irregularity in the review process, you can convey your concern in writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies within 10 working days following receipt of the decision on formal review.
- The Dean of Graduate Studies will notify you in writing of the decision no later than 27 working days following receipt of the request and the decision is final.
Academic Regulations on Review of Course Grades
Refer to the Academic Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Degrees 11.1-11.17 for the detailed arrangements on review of course grades.
Review of Dean's Decisions on Academic Standing or Awards
- Students who have concerns about the Dean's decision on academic standing or final award should resolve the matter via the procedures outlined below.
- Disagreement with the academic judgement of the Dean is not a valid reason for review.
Informal Resolution
- If you believe that there was an administrative error in recording, transcription or reporting of result, you should contact the Programme Leader within 5 working days of the publication of the academic standing or final award by the University through the University administrative information system to resolve the matter.
- The Programme Leader will notify you of the result no later than 8 working days following receipt of the request.
Formal Procedures for Review
What Constitute Valid Reasons for Applying to Review Dean's Decisions on Academic Standing or Awards?
If you believe that:
- there was a procedural irregularity affecting the Dean's decision.
- there were extenuating circumstances that have a bearing on the Dean's decision that you were unable to bring to the attention of the Dean for valid reasons.
Procedures
- Submit your application in writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies within 22 working days of the publication of the Dean's decision.
- In your application letter, you must:
- state the grounds on which the request for review is made;
- include a description of the relevant facts; and
- provide supporting evidence.
Notification of Results
The Dean of Graduate Studies will notify you in writing of the decision no later than 22 working days following receipt of the request.
Further Requests for Appeal
- Formal request for review of the Dean's decisions should normally be resolved by the Postgraduate Academic Review Committee.
- If you believe that there was a procedural irregularity in the review process, you can convey your concern in writing to the Provost within 10 working days following receipt of the decision on formal review.
- The Provost will notify you in writing of the decision no later than 22 working days following receipt of the request and the decision is final.
Academic Regulations on Review of Dean's Decisions on Academic Standing or Awards
Refer to the Academic Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Degrees Section 16 for the detailed arrangements on review of Dean's decisions on academic standing or awards.
Grade Review and Academic Review Committees
1. College Grade Review Committee
Terms of Reference
- To decide whether a student has established grounds for review of course grades, in accordance with AR11.7
- To refer substantiated cases to the appropriate Assessment Panel(s)
- To dismiss requests for review where cases are not substantiated
- To receive reports from Assessment Panels in relation to cases referred by this committee
- To identify any academic quality or wider issues raised by each case
- To report annually to the Senate via the Quality Assurance Committee on review cases considered
Constitution
| Chair: | Dean (or nominee) |
|---|---|
| Members: |
One full-time academic staff member from the College (nominated by Department Head) |
| Secretary: | Administrative staff member of the College |
The College Grade Review Committee is established by the College Board. The period of office of members is two years.
2. School Grade Review Committee
Terms of Reference
- To decide whether a student has established grounds for review of course grades, in accordance with AR11.7
- To refer substantiated cases to the appropriate Assessment Panel(s)
- To dismiss requests for review where cases are not substantiated
- To receive reports from Assessment Panels in relation to cases referred by this committee
- To identify any academic quality or wider issues raised by each case
- To report annually to the Senate via the Quality Assurance Committee on review cases considered
Constitution
| Chair: | Dean (or nominee) |
|---|---|
| Members: |
One full-time academic staff member from the School (nominated by Dean) |
| Secretary: | Administrative staff member of the School |
The School Grade Review Committee is established by the School Board. The period of office of members is two years.
3. Academic Review Committee
Terms of Reference
- To decide whether a student has established grounds for review of Dean's decisions, in accordance with AR16.6
- To refer substantiated cases to the appropriate Dean(s)
- To decide whether a student has established grounds for appeal against College/School Grade Review Committees, in accordance with AR11.13
- To refer substantiated appeal cases to the appropriate Assessment Panel(s)
- To dismiss requests for review/appeal where cases are not substantiated
- To receive reports from Deans/Assessment Panels in relation to cases referred by this committee
- To identify any academic quality or wider issues raised by each case
- To report annually to the Academic Policy Committee on review cases considered
Constitution
| Co-Chairmen: |
- Dean of Graduate Studies (or nominee) and |
|---|---|
| Members: |
- Two full-time academic staff appointed by the Senate |
| Co-Secretaries: |
- School Secretary, School of Graduate Studies (or nominee) and |
Notes: When a postgraduate student case is considered, the Dean of Graduate Studies will chair the meeting and the secretary will be from School of Graduate Studies. When an undergraduate student case is considered, the Associate Provost (APUE) will chair the meeting and the secretary will be from the Academic Regulations and Records Office.
The term of office of the members appointed by the Senate shall be two years with a staggered arrangement.