Category 1 Appeals

This guide is intended to help students in preparing and submitting an appeal that is directed to a specific course (e.g., with respect to a mark, grade, appropriateness of assignments or examinations, or grading practices) not involving medical or compassionate circumstances. 

Deadlines

An appeal against a mark or grade must be initiated with the instructor as soon as possible after the mark is issued. In the event that the instructor is not available to the student, or fails to act, or if the matter is not resolved satisfactorily with the instructor, an appeal must be submitted to the Associate/Undergraduate Chair of the department within three weeks from the date that the mark was issued. In the case of a final grade in a course, the written appeal must be submitted to the Associate/Undergraduate Chair of the department by the following dates:

  • January Marks: January 31
  • April/May Marks: June 30
  • Intersession: July 31
  • Summer Evening: August 31
  • Summer Day: September 15
  • Spring/Summer Distance Studies Courses: October 15

Appeals Process

Appeals for undergraduate students related to a course normally proceed in the following order:

  1. Instructor of the course that the appeal is directed to (in-person consultation or written request)
  2. Undergraduate Chair of the department offering the course (submission of written request)
    1. for Engineering students taking NMM, Physics, Writing, Statistics courses ect this means an appeal to the Undergraduate Chair of the Department operating the course.
    2. EngSci courses - EngSci courses are taken by first year engineering students and do not belong to a  department. The next step in the appeals process for EngSci courses would be to appeal to the Engineering Assistant Dean - First Year Studies. 
  3. Associate Dean of the Faculty offering the course (submission of written request)
    1. NMM, Physics & Chem courses would fall under the Faculty of Science
  4. Senate Review Board Academic (SRBA)

Consult the Academic Calendar for the full policy on Undergraduate Student Academic Appeals. 

Procedure

Lay out the reasons for your appeal

Prior to contacting the instructor for an appeal, you are strongly encouraged to layout your arguments or grounds in writing, and, if applicable, have all of the supporting documentation available.  

Grounds for appeals on a specific course may include things such as bias, inaccuracy or unfairness.  In your arguments, clearly indicate the detailed reasons in a concise manner; for example:

  • in a multiple-choice exam, provide the justifications of why your incorrect choice of a question should be also accepted as the correct answer;
  • if you find an exam question ambiguous, clearly state your interpretation and how it led to your answer deemed incorrect;
  • if you find the grading practice to be unfair or bias, explain how it affects your grade and the grades of other students in the same class.

Ignorance of Senate regulations and policies and particular program requirements and policies as set out in the University Calendar does not constitute grounds for an appeal.

The personal need of the appellant alone (to keep a scholarship, or to qualify an entrance requirement) does not constitute grounds for an appeal.

If you are unsure whether the grounds of your appeal are valid, you are advised to contact the Office of the Ombudsperson for advice. 

Consultation with the instructor

The appellant’s discussion with an instructor could take place either in-person or in writing. In either format, appellant should present his/her reasons for the request for relief, and allow the instructor to respond.

If the appellant and the instructor could not come to an agreement, the appellant should briefly record the points raised by both sides in writing, and send the summary to the instructor for verification.

If the instructor agrees to grant the request, he/she will make the necessary changes on the appellant’s record.  No further action is required.

Written appeal to the Undergraduate Chair

If the appellant is dissatisfied with the decision of the instructor, a written request for relief may be submitted to the Undergraduate Chair. The summary resulted from the consultation with the instructor should be used as the basis for the appeal. The appeal to the Undergraduate Chair should directly address why the instructor’s decision should be overturned. It should not contain any reasons that have not been presented to the instructor. The Undergraduate Chair will formally respond to the student in writing informing his/her decision.

If the Undergraduate Chair agrees to grant you the appeal, he/she will make the necessary changes on your record. No further reporting is required.

 

Written appeal to the Associate/Assistant Dean

An appeal against a decision of the Undergraduate Chair must be made to the Associate/Assistant Dean in writing not later than three weeks after the Undergraduate Chair's decision is issued. All correspondence between the student, instructor and Undergraduate Chair, and any relevant information and documentation must be provided to the Associate/Assistant Dean.

The appeal to the Associate/Assistant Dean should directly address why the appellant believes the Undergraduate Chair’s decision should be overturned. It should not contain any new reasons that have not been presented to the instructor and Undergraduate Chair. The Associate/Assistant Dean will formally respond to the appellant in writing informing his/her decision.

Please send the appeal to the Associate/Assistant Dean according to the course that the appeal is directed to:

  • For 1000-level courses in Science (NMM, CALCULUS, CHEM, COMPSCI, MATH, PHYSICS, STATS)
    Contact: Denis Maxwell, Assistant Dean, First Year Studies
    Email: dmaxwell@uwo.ca 

  • For 2000-, 3000- and 4000-level courses in Science (APPLMATH, BIOLOGY, CALCULUS, COMPSCI, MATH, NMM, PHYSICS, STATS)
    Contact: Jeff Hutter (Associate Dean of Science)
    Email: acadsci@uwo.ca 

  • For all upper year courses in Engineering (ECE, SE, MSE, MME, CBE, IE, ELI, CEE)  You must fill out the Engineering Student Appeals Form and upload your letter there with any supporting documentation.Your letter should be addressed to Jeff Wood (Associate Dean Undergraduate of Engineering)  

  • For all first year courses in Engineering (EngSci)  You must fill out the Engineering Student Appeals Form and upload your letter there with any supporting documentation.Your letter should be addressed to Craig Miller (Assistant Dean Engineering - First Year Studies)

Appeals to the Senate Review Board Academic (SRBA)

A student may appeal the decision of a Dean to the Senate Review Board Academic only if the decision falls within the jurisdiction of SRBA as set out below under APPEALS TO SRBA. A Dean's decision which is appealed to SRBA remains in full force and effect unless overturned or modified by SRBA. Please consult the university's official policy for more details.