3.2 Grade Appeals
The grade appeal policy and procedure is designed to provide all students at the College of Western Idaho with a clearly defined avenue for appealing the assignment of a course grade, following the posting of final grades.
A final grade is the instructor’s evaluation of the student’s work and achievement throughout a semester’s participation in a course. Factors upon which the final grade may be based include attendance; recitation and class participation; written, oral, and online quizzes; reports; papers; final examinations; and other class activities. There is a presumption that the instructor who has conducted the course is professionally competent to judge the student’s work, and in the absence of convincing evidence to the contrary, has evaluated it fairly.
If the student fails to pursue any step of the grade appeal procedure within its allotted time, the decision made in the previous step shall be final (see Steps 1 and 2, below). All correspondence and records shall be retained in the office in which the complaint is finally resolved.
The grade initially assigned by an instructor remains in effect until and unless a change is determined by the appeal process.
Conditions for an Appeal
In all cases, the student shall have the burden of proof with regard to all allegations in their complaint and in their request for review or hearing. Students may appeal grades they believe were improperly assigned due to procedural irregularity, new evidence, or a bias or conflict of interest. A grade appeal cannot be based upon differences in assigned grades between multi-section courses, whether or not the course sections are taught by the same instructor.