Procedure for Reviewing a Final Grade Received for a Course
Introduction
Temple University School of Pharmacy will carefully review all requests made by students to reevaluate final course grades. This will occur only after a student has discussed the matter with the instructor first and a satisfactory outcome is not reached.
Students who subsequently decide to appeal to the Administration for a grade review are advised to present their case in a logical, coherent, succinct fashion, providing sufficient supporting documentation and explanations. The following procedures must be followed.
Deadlines
Requests to reconsider a final grade (with accompanying documentation) must be submitted within one month of the final grade first appearing on the student's academic record.
Fall grade - no later than February 15
Spring grade - no later than June 15
Summer grade - no later than October 1
Cases submitted after these deadlines will not be considered, and the grade for the course will stand. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Procedures
Step 1
The student should contact the instructor first to discuss the final grade, making sure that arithmetic or clerical errors were not made. This step must be taken before the student can appeal the case to the Administration.
Step 2
If a satisfactory outcome cannot be reached with the instructor, the student should submit a formal letter (no emails accepted) to the Assistant Dean of the RAQA Graduate Program presenting the reason(s) why the final grde should be reviewed. The attached form must be used.
A copy of the course syllabus must be included or the case will not be reviewed.
A cogent but succinct argument delineating the facts of the case must be presented with the letter. The onus is on the student to make the case. Supporting documentation (such as tests, assignments, quizzes, email correspondence with the instructor, etc.) must be attached. Each piece should be numbered and clearly referred to in the letter. Extraneous class materials (such as copies of notes or PowerPoints) should not be included, unless they are part of the argument. If these procedures are not followed, the Assistant Dean will make one request to the student to revise the materials. The student will be given a maximum of two weeks to make any revisions. If the student fails to provide the materials in an organized manner within that deadline, the case will be forwarded to the Committee for review as is.
Hearsay evidence is not accepted.
The letter, form, syllabus, and accompanying materials must be addressed to: Wendy Lebing, MALD, MS, Assistant Dean, Temple University School of Pharmacy, RAQA Graduate Program, 425 Commerce Drive, Suite 175, Fort Washington, PA 19034
Step 3
The Assistant Dean forwards the student's letter and accompanying documents to the Academic Coordinator of the RAQA Graduate Program. The Coordinator may consult with a faculty content expert (other than the instructor) and will also review the case for both content and academic procedure and then forward a rcommendation to the Graduate Studies Office and/or the Dean of the School. This stage takes a minimum of one month.
Step 4
The Dean of the School of Pharmacy reviews the matter and makes a final decision on the case, sending a formal letter to the student indicating whether or not the grade is to be changed. A copy of that letter is kept in the student's file. The decision of the Dean is final. Should the student still be dissatisfied, the School's decision may be appealed to the Graduate School. The student is responsible for consulting the Graduate Bulletin for the appropriate procedures.
Special Notes
All matters relating to student grades are kept confidential.
Time Frames
Overturning a final grade submitted by an instructor in a graduate-level course is a very serious undertaking. The School of Pharmacy will make every effort to facilitate the grade review; however, it often takes as long as an entire semester for all materials to be reviewed.
In summary
The Assistant Dean reviews the initial materials to make sure they are presented in a logical fashion.
The RAQA Academic Coordinator and/or the Graduate Committee reviews the case (minimum of 1 month during the fall and spring; longer during the summer)
The Dean makes a final ruling.
The Assistant Dean will keep the student information on the progress of the case. The student will not facilitate the process by continually contacting the RAQA Office. All decision and opinions of the case are kept confidential until the Dean has made a final ruling.