Appeal Policy for Summary Evaluation or Course Grade
Purpose
To outline grade clarification and appeal policies and procedures for courses, clerkships and clinical electives.
Overview
UCSF students who do not feel that their summary evaluation or grade accurately reflects their performance in a course or clerkship have a right to ask for clarification or appeal the grade from the clerkship, site, course or elective director.
Principles
- Students have the right to review and challenge their course or clerkship grade and receive a timely response.
- Students may seek clarification or formal appeal of a course or clerkship grade.
Policy
- Students have up to four weeks after being notified of their summary evaluation or grade to ask for clarification of a grade from the clerkship, site, course or elective director.
- A student is responsible for reviewing the clerkship grading explanation on the clerkship website prior to contacting the clerkship, site, course or elective director for clarification about the grade or evaluation summary.
- Directors are required to respond, either in-person or via email, to the request by explaining how the grade and/or summary evaluation ratings and comments were determined.
Appeal
- Students have up to four weeks after being notified of their summary evaluation or grade to ask for an appeal of a grade from the clerkship, site, course or elective director if the aforementioned attempt to clarify the evaluation or grade does not resolve the issue.
- The clerkship, site, course or elective director is required to conduct a formal review of the clerkship grade or summary evaluation.
- In core clerkships, the grading committee will re-review the student’s evaluation data along with any other information that has become available (e.g. a letter provided by the student with contextual information; student report of any evaluations they feel are problematic or unfair).
- In a clerkship that is not a core clerkship, the individual clerkship, course or elective director will conduct the re-review.
- Clerkship, site, course or elective directors are required to return a final decision to the student within 4 weeks of the submission of the appeal. After this decision there are no other avenues of grade appeal.
Procedure
- When a student contacts a clerkship, site, course or electives director with a request for clarification regarding a summary evaluation or grade, the director will contact the course, clerkship, site or elective director in-person or via email. Following the student initiated contact, the director will provide the student with an explanation of the summary evaluation or grade through an in-person meeting or via email.
- If the student is not satisfied with the explanation and still feels further review is warranted, the student can submit an appeal of the grade to the director.
- Following the request for an appeal, in core clerkships, the grading committee will re-review the student’s evaluation data along with any other information that has become available (e.g. a letter provided by the student with contextual information); student report of any evaluations they feel are problematic or unfair). Inclusion of additional faculty familiar with student performance and assessment along with members of the grading committee in the appeal process is recommended for a fair process that decreases the likelihood that bias impacts the result.
- In a clerkship that is not a core clerkship, the individual clerkship, course or elective director will conduct the re-review.
- The decision following the aforementioned re-review procedures will be communicated to the student and cannot be disputed further.
Accountable Dean or Director: Associate Dean for Competency Assessment and Professional Standards
Related Policies
Approval Date and Governing Body: February 3, 2018, Executive Committee
Last Updated: December 6, 2021
