A student who receives a final course grade that he or she believes is biased, capricious, erroneous, or unfair must first discuss the evaluation personally with the instructor who assigned the grade. Unless the instructor is permanently absent or the vice president for academic affairs advises otherwise, no formal grade appeal may begin until that conversation has taken place.
If a student, after discussing the matter with the instructor, still believes the recorded grade is unfair, they should consult with the vice president for academic affairs, who may attempt to resolve the issue by conferring with the student and instructor separately and informally.
If no resolution is achieved through the intervention of the vice president for academic affairs, the student may, with the written permission of the VPAA, appeal to a review committee established as follows:
- A member of the faculty selected by the student,
- A member of the faculty selected by the instructor involved,
- A member of a faculty selected either by the VPAA or the president of the college. (This member of the committee may be from another institution than McPherson College.)
The committee will determine the legitimacy of the student’s grievance. If the student’s grievance is found to be valid, the committee will recommend an alternative grade for record. Decisions of the review committee are final and not subject to further appeal.
NOTE: This same appeal process is used for students wishing to appeal an academic dishonesty incident reported to the vice president for academic affairs. See the Academic Integrity policy under Other Academic Policies.