Administrative Policies

Appeals

If you have reason to believe that a mistake has been made in the assessment of a grade given for term work or for a final grade, you have the right to appeal.

Before submitting a formal appeal, you should try to resolve the matter by discussing it with your instructor and/or Program Administrator. If the matter is not resolved, a formal appeal may be made to the Area Director.

Administrative Appeals

You may appeal administrative or academic decisions relating to admission, transfer of credits or course exemptions by submitting the Guidelines for Application for Appeal of Administrative Decision. You have 21 working days after receipt of an administrative decision to submit an appeal. There is no fee for administrative appeals. Call Student Registration and Records at 474-8016, toll-free 1-888-216-7011 ext. 8016 to request a copy of the required form.

Please contact your Program Administrator if you have specific questions related to an appeal.

Grounds for Appeal: Term Work and Final Grade

Continuing Education (CE) will only act on cases with substantive and sufficient grounds for appeal. The following, for example, will typically not be recognized as grounds for term work or grade appeal:
1.1. Being close to the next highest grade
1.2. Generally disliking or disagreeing with the instructor’s grading criteria and grading scheme
1.3. Generally disagreeing with the evaluation of, or grade assigned to, the work in question

Not included in the University of Manitoba’s appeal policies for term work or grade appeals are:
1.4. Credible claims of instructor incompetence*, or unprofessional conduct**
1.5. Failure on the part of the instructor to consider all relevant factors, including extenuating circumstances***

If students have concerns regarding these latter two points (1.4 & 1.5), alternative courses of action are available which can be explored in accord with the Student’s Advocacy Office.

CE requests that students talk to the instructor(s) of the course concerning the appropriateness of grades prior to filing all claims for appeals. Following this and all necessary Grade Appeal Procedures, CE will recognize the following grounds for appealing assigned grades:
2.1. Error in calculation
2.2 Procedural errors, such as deviating from the course outline
2.3 Credible claims of instructor error in interpretation (such as misunderstandings of the student’s work or differences in impression of a relevant text or issue)
2.4 Credible claims of instructor bias, bad faith or unfairness

Burden of Proof:

Students bear the burden of proof when establishing a claim in appeal cases concerning term work and final grades. This means that students may be required to provide additional information to demonstrate that their appeal falls under the aforementioned grounds for appeal (2.1, 2.2, 2.3 & 2.4).

Appeal Fees:
There is a $40.00 fee when filing an appeals claim in Continuing Education. This includes a $15 non-refundable administrative fee for each claim filed and a $25 appeals fee which will be refunded in cases where the student’s appeal results in the following:
• A grade adjustment of a higher grade

An appealed grade will not be lowered.

Call Student Registration and Records at 474-8016, toll-free 1-888-216-7011 ext. 8016 to request a copy of the required forms.The completed form (Application for Appealing a Grade for Term Work or Appeal of Assigned Final Grade) must be received within twenty-one working days (ten working days for Term Work Appeals) of the date on your grade letter, along with payment of the $40 fee.A separate form and fee for each appeal must be submitted directly to the Area Director.
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Footnotes:
*. Instructor incompetence shall be identified as the inability to perform and/or ineptitude in the teaching/learning process concerning practices of appraisals that use inaccurate, imprecise, narrow or unproven instruments and/or inappropriate criteria when evaluating a student’s performance.
** Unprofessional conduct shall be defined as behavior that is contravening to the University of Manitoba’s Respectful Work and Learning Environment Policy which stipulates an environment free from discrimination or sexual and personal harassment as prohibited by the Manitoba Human Rights Code.
***. Extenuating circumstances shall be recognized as unforeseen and/or unusual conditions for which the student has little or no control over such as sickness and/or injury and death involving the student and immediate family members such as a spouse or significant partner, dependent(s), parent(s) and sibling(s). Extenuating circumstance may also include non-negotiable work related obligations that prevent the student from attending classes, writing exams and/or completing assignments in a timely manner and/or other situations that may affect the emotional well-being of the student. Circumstances as described in the aforementioned may require proof through supporting documentation and can be requested at any time for any situations involving extenuating circumstances.