Body
Unit Policy
Title
Offices of Medical Student Education: Policy on Appeal of Course Grades and Written Evaluations
Introduction
Purpose
This Policy establishes the conditions and steps for appealing a Course Grade or Written Evaluation.
Scope
This Policy applies to all University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“University”) School of Medicine (SOM) Medical Doctorate (MD) degree program and dual MD degree program students (“Students”) and faculty.
Policy
Policy Statement
The SOM is committed to ensuring that Students are evaluated fairly. To further its goal of fair evaluations, the SOM has established a process through which Students may seek appeals of Course Grades and Written Evaluations.
Grounds for an Appeal
All appeals must contain one (1) or more of the following as the basis for appeal:
- Mathematical or clerical error
- Arbitrariness (i.e., decisions that are made by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by reason or principle)
- Personal malice from the grader
- Inappropriate Jurisdiction (i.e., the matter related to the appeal was inappropriately decided through a SOM process/forum when there were elements that should have first been decided through a University process/forum [e.g., University’s Honor Court, which presides over Honor Code violations]).
- Note: Following a review conducted through a University process/forum, the SOM may impose requirements/sanctions on Students in addition to any imposed through the University process/forum.
- New information not available at the time the grade was assigned or evaluation completed
Discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identify, genetic information, national origin, religion, sex, or veteran status.
- Any administrator or supervisor, including a department chair, associate dean or other administrator, who receives a Student’s complaint about prohibited harassment or discrimination, must notify the University Compliance Office (UCO) as required by University policy.
- If a Student submits a claim of prohibited harassment or discrimination during an academic appeal, the Student’s claim must be shared with UCO for investigation. Either the Associate Dean of Student Affairs or the Associate Dean of Curricular Affairs must receive the results of the UCO’s investigation before the SOM may proceed with its review of a Student’s appeal.
- Students who want additional information regarding the University’s process for responding to allegations of discrimination or harassment should contact the UCO for assistance:
Appeal Levels and Steps
Level 1: Appeal to Course Director(s)
A Student’s first appeal (“Level 1” appeal) must be submitted within fifteen (15) business days of being notified (via Canvas or One45) of the grade or evaluation they wish to appeal. A Student appealing a failing grade may not continue to the next phase of the curriculum while their appeal is in process, but is able to take approved electives as allowed in writing by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. A Student’s original grade remains the grade of record on the Student’s transcript during their appeal process.
A Student’s Level 1 appeal must meet the following three (3) requirements:
- Be in written form;
- Clearly specify the grounds for the appeal using the six (6) grounds of appeal listed in this Policy; and
- Be submitted via email to the Student’s course director(s) and to each of the following parties:
- Associate Dean for Student Affairs;
- Assistant Dean for Student Affairs;
- Assistant Deans for Curriculum (Preclinical or Clinical, as applicable);
- Registrar; and
- Student’s College Advisor.
A course director will confirm the receipt of the Student’s materials for the parties listed above to the Student via email. The confirmation will either (1) accept the submission as complete or (2) decline the submission as incomplete, permitting the Student to re-submit according to this Policy. Re-submissions may not exceed the fifteen (15) business days specified above.
If the course director determines that there is no basis for changing the Course Grade or Written Evaluation in the Student’s favor, the course director must notify the Student, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, the Registrar, and the Student’s college advisor via email that the Student’s grade or Written Evaluation will not be changed.
The Student will receive the email notification of the course director’s decision within fifteen (15) business days of the Student’s appeal. If it is not possible to meet this deadline, then within those fifteen (15) business days, the course director will inform the Student of the date when the notification will be sent.
Level 2: Appeal to Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education or their Designee
If a Student’s Level 1 appeal is denied, the Student may file one (1) additional appeal (“Level 2” appeal) within fifteen (15) business days of receiving the Level 1 denial. A Student’s original grade remains the grade of record on their transcript during their appeal process.
A Student’s Level 2 appeal must meet the following three (3) requirements:
- Be in written form;
- Clearly specify the grounds for the appeal using the six (6) grounds of appeal in this Policy.
- Be submitted via email to the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education, or their designee, and to each of the following parties:
- Associate Dean for Student Affairs;
- Assistant Dean for Student Affairs;
- Assistant Deans for Curriculum (Preclinical or Clinical);
- Registrar; and
- Student’s college advisor.
The Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education or their designee will confirm the receipt of the Student’s materials for the parties listed above to the Student via email. The confirmation will either (1) accept the submission as complete or (2) decline the submission as incomplete, permitting the Student to re-submit according to guidelines above provided re-submission does not exceed the fifteen (15) business days specified above.
Within fifteen (15) business days of receipt of the appeal, the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education or their designee will either:
- Merit determination: Determine that the appeal lacks merit to warrant a hearing and uphold the decision of the course directors; or
- Schedule Hearing: Schedule a hearing which will take place before an ad hoc committee consisting of any three (3) faculty members of who serve on the Education Committee. The individuals serving on the ad hoc committee must not be individuals who have either been involved in assessing the Student in the course for which the Student is seeking an appeal or who have been the Student’s health care provider. During the hearing, the Student will have an opportunity to discuss the rationale for their appeal, and the course director, or their representative, will have an opportunity to discuss their rationale for determining the Student’s grade and for denying the Student’s Level 1 appeal.
The Student may have their college advisor, or another SOM faculty support of their choice, attend the hearing. Attorneys may not attend or participate in the hearing.
The ad hoc committee will make a recommendation based on the information reviewed and discussed at the hearing. The decision of the ad hoc committee is advisory to the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education or designee. The Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education or their designee, upon receipt of the recommendation of the ad hoc committee, will render a final decision regarding the appeal. The decision will be delivered to the Student via email within fifteen (15) business days of the appeal hearing. If it is not possible to meet this deadline, then within those fifteen (15) business days following the appeal hearing, the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education or their designee will inform the Student of the date when the notification will be sent. The decision of the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education or designee is the final decision Course Grade or Written Evaluation appeals, and no further appeals are available to the Student.
Definitions
- Appeal: For the purposes of this Policy, “appeal” refers to a Student’s appeal of a Course Grade or Written Evaluation.
- Dual degree program: A combined degree program, in which a Student applies to both programs with a single application process or an additional degree program, in which a Student enrolls in and completes a second, distinct graduate or professional degree—separate from the MD curriculum—during a designated interruption in medical training, with its own admissions requirements, curriculum, credit requirements, and credential awarded upon completion.
- College Advisor: A Student’s medical school advisor (not an undergraduate advisor)
- Course: a unit of study for which a final grade is administered (e.g., courses such as The Patient, Community Based Primary Care).
- Course Grade: The grade assigned for a given course in the MD degree program.
- Written evaluation: Comments summarizing a student's performance in a course, rotation, or training period.
- Grades for Honor Court Violations: A Student who is alleged to have cheated on a medical school exam should be given a grade of “no grade” (NG) and the incident should be referred to the UNC-Chapel Hill Honor Court system for investigation. Assigning a failing grade for cheating is not allowed under the current Instrument of Student Judicial Governance until the Student has completed the UNC-Chapel Hill Honor Court system process. If the Student is given a grade of “F” because of an allegation of cheating, and the case has not been referred to the UNC-Chapel Hill Honor Court system, the Student may appeal the grade. This ground for appeal was previously expressed as appealing based on “Student conduct cognizable under the Instrument of Student Judicial Governance”.
Related Requirements
External Regulations
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Heather Tarantino, Associate Dean of Curricular Affairs
Email: Heather_Tarantino@med.unc.edu