Appeals
Procedures
For the Philosophy Department's explanation of appeals
processes, see below and the corresponding process flowchart. For the Registrar's Calendar
information on Academic Rights and Responsibilities, including Appeals, see
Academic Rights and Responsibilities found on the Registrar website.
Departmental Appeals
The appeal procedure within the department is separated into
the following steps:
- Meeting
with Instructor
- The student must first discuss the disputed mark with
the instructor. It is expected that at this discussion the student and
the instructor would have a full and frank exchange of their views on the
merits and deficiencies of the work in question.
- Meeting
with Chair
- If the student still believes there to be good grounds
to believe that the grade is inappropriate, the student may appeal to the
Department Chair. Appeals at this level will normally be entertained only
after all course work has been completed, a final grade for the course
has been submitted, and the student has discussed the entire semester’s
work with the instructor. In the normal case, appeals will not be entertained
unless more than 4% of the student’s final grade at stake.
- An appeal to the Chair must cite substantive reasons
for thinking that the work in dispute merited a higher grade. It must
enclose:
- 1. the disputed piece or
pieces of work as marked by instructor, including any additional written
comments the instructor might have supplied
- 2. a copy of the course
outline and of any written instructions the instructor may have provided
when giving the assignment;
- 3. a brief report on the
student’s discussion with the instructor and the student’s reasons for
disagreeing with the instructor’s assessment.
- The student should also
request a remedy. Among the remedies that might be requested are:
reassessment of the work by a third party, reweighing of the work, or exemption
from a portion of course requirements.
- If the Chair decides that the grounds for appeal are
plausible, the instructor shall be shown the student's written appeal and
offered the opportunity to make a written response to it.
- A committee shall be struck, comprising at least two
members of the Department who are competent in the area in question and
who were not involved in the assignment of the original mark. Copies of
the disputed pieces of work together with identification of the course
and the pertinent assignments and directions, shall be given to each
member of the committee. Committee members will also be given copies of
the student's written statement of grounds for appeal and the
instructor's response.
- The committee members will independently evaluate the
student's work in light of all the relevant evidence and submit
individual recommendations to the Chair as quickly as possible.
- The Chair will make the final decision on how the case
is to be resolved. The Chair may solicit the opinion of a third
adjudicator in cases where there is significant disagreement among the
committee members. Students should be aware that changes could be made in
the downward as well as the upward direction.
- The student and the instructor will be notified
promptly and in writing by the Chair of the decision and of the change in
grade, if any.
- The Chair’s decision may be appealed to the Dean. A
three week deadline from the date the decision is delivered applies.
- Meeting
with the Dean
- If the student feels there is still validity to their
claim, she would contact her home faculty counselling office to discuss
the procedures and required documentation for appealing a Chair's
decision.
- Meeting
with SRBA (Senate Review Board Academic)
- For the policies involving a hearing with the SRBA,
please refer to the Academic Calendar.
Letters of Permission/Credits from Other Universities
Students who wish to have courses at other universities credited to their
UWO record are advised to email the Undergraduate Counsellor (cviger@uwo.ca)
with the following information: student name, student number, the name of the
university at which you will take the courses, the numbers of the courses you
wish to take at that university. If you have an Internet link for the the
course descriptions in question, please include that.
If you provide the above information, then the Undergraduate Counsellor will
review the proposed courses online and send you the UWO equivalences and
arrange a convenient time to sign your Letter of Permission form. In a minority
of cases, we will have to review paper catalogues to establish the
equivalences.
Counselling
If you are a current or prospective UWO student in need of
counselling regarding philosophy courses and/or programs, please contact Chris Viger by email to make an appointment. Be sure to
include your name and student number!
Counselling
by Faculties
The Department of Philosophy is unable to consider certain
requests for consideration or special permissions. For example, we cannot give
you permission to register in courses at Affiliate Colleges, to carry
overloads, to have SPC or INC grades entered on your record. For those sorts of
consideration, you should discuss your situation with a Counsellor from your
home faculty. Faculty of Arts and Humanities students may contact the Faculty
of Arts and Humanities Counsellor; students from other Faculties should consult
their own faculty counsellors.
Additional
Links
