The UNO CBA Undergraduate Grade Appeal packet is available in the Undergraduate Advising Office (134 MH), the CBA Dean’s office (300 MH), or may be downloaded.
The Nebraska Regents By-Laws and the College of Business Administration (CBA) Policies and Procedures require a process that allows a student to appeal a grade. This process allows a student to initiate a grade appeal when the student believes a course grade was awarded prejudicially or capriciously.
Capricious means that the instructor acted with a sudden change of mind without notifying students about criteria and/or requirements which ultimately affected the student’s grade. That is, the instructor acted impulsively and unpredictably.
Prejudicial means the instructor treated the student differently, apart from the norm, thereby detrimentally affecting the student’s grade.
The student MUST provide specific information regarding how the instructor behaved in a capricious or prejudicial manner in awarding the student’s grade.
Prior to submitting the completed grade appeal form, the student must have spoken with the course instructor about the student’s grade. The student must document in writing all conversations with (or attempts to contact) the instructor about the student’s grade.
If the instructor is not available or does not respond to the student’s request to discuss the grade (all attempts to contact the instructor must be documented in writing), or if resolution is not achieved, the next step is for the student to meet with the instructor's department chairperson. The student must document in writing all conversations with (or attempts to contact) the department Chairperson.
The department chairperson serves as an informal facilitator in the grade appeal process. The department chairperson does not have the authority to change a student's grade. The chair will attempt to collect the relevant information from both student and instructor. The chair may ask that the three parties meet together (student, faculty member, and chairperson), or may facilitate communication between the two parties individually. A formal grade appeal form should be filed only if resolution is not achieved during this process.
Formal Grade Appeal Filing Process and Timeline
The strict deadlines for filing an official Undergraduate grade appeal form are:
- For a course completed during the fall semester: The last business day in January.
- For a course completed during the spring semester: The last business day in June.
- For a course completed during any of the summer sessions: The last business day in September.
A formal grade appeal is filed by turning in a typewritten Grade Appeal Filing Form to the CBA Dean’s office (MH 300). An electronic copy of the completed grade appeal forms must also be emailed to the Associate Dean Lynn Harland at lharland@unomaha.edu. This appeal form MUST CLEARLY INDICATE how the instructor behaved in a capricious or prejudicial manner in awarding the student’s grade.
Only the student whose grade is being appealed may initiate the process.
Grade Appeal Hearing
The Student Grade Appeal Hearing shall be scheduled within thirty (30) calendar days following the day the Grade Appeal Filing Form was delivered to the Dean’s office. If the appeal hearing must be held after more than thirty (30) calendar days since the filing, the Dean or his/her designee must approve the delay and the Dean or his/her designee shall provide a written explanation to the student, instructor, and chairperson of the Undergraduate Program Council, as to the reason(s) for the delay.
The appeal hearing is chaired by CBA’s Associate Dean. At the hearing the student may present: the syllabus for the course, materials which were used to ascertain grades in the course (exams, papers, and so on), oral or written statements from students members of the instructor’s classes--past and/or present, the oral testimony or written statements of faculty and administrative employees, the testimony or written statement of any other person who the Associate Dean allows to provide information. Extraneous, immaterial or irrelevant materials, as determined by the Associate Dean, may NOT be presented.
At the hearing the instructor may present: the syllabus for the course, materials that were used to determine grades in the course, a spreadsheet containing all recorded grades for all class members (student names and ID #s MUST be removed), oral or written statements from students members of the instructor’s classes--past and/or present, the oral testimony or written statements of faculty and administrative employees, the testimony or written statement of any other person who the Associate Dean allows to provide information. Extraneous or irrelevant materials, as determined by the Associate Dean, may NOT be presented.
The student and the faculty member may choose to be accompanied at the hearing by a counselor. That counsel may quietly and confidentially counsel that party during the hearing; but, a counselor may not address the hearing.
Upon completion of the hearing, all present are excused except the members of the appeal panel (composed of two CBA faculty and two undergraduate students). Further discussion may follow. A vote to support or deny the grade appeal is made by secret ballot. The Associate Dean counts the votes in view of the committee and votes only if necessary to break a tie. The majority prevails. The ballots are destroyed immediately and the vote count may be revealed ONLY to the CBA Dean.
The grade appeals panel has the authority to change the grade awarded to the student. If the grade is changed, there will be no permanent record of the original grade.
The student and instructor will be informed in writing by the CBA Associate Dean of the decision made by the grade appeal panel.
Questions or Concerns?
Please contact the CBA Associate Dean at 402.554.2304, 300 MH.