The procedure at the UW for all grade appeals is that the student should start with talking with the instructor:
A student who believes that the instructor erred in the assignment of a grade, or who believes a grade recording error or omission has occurred, shall first discuss the matter with the instructor before the end of the following academic quarter (not including Summer Quarter.)
If the student is not satisfied with the instructor's explanation, the student, no later than ten days after their discussion with the instructor, may submit a written appeal to the chair of the department, or in a nondepartmental college, to the dean, with a copy of the appeal also sent to the instructor. Within ten calendar days, the chair or dean consults with the instructor to ensure that the evaluation of the student's performance has not been arbitrary or capricious. Should the chair believe the instructor's conduct to be arbitrary or capricious and the instructor declines to revise the grade, the chair (or the dean in a nondepartmental school or college), with the approval of the voting members of their faculty, shall appoint an appropriate member, or members, of the faculty of that department to evaluate the performance of the student and assign a grade. The dean and Provost should be informed of this action.
Once a student submits a written appeal, this document and all subsequent actions on this appeal are recorded in written form for deposit in a department or college file.
For MSW Students, Tessa Evans-Campbell would be the program director to whom you would submit an appeal if you were unsatisfied with your instructor’s response.
As always, if you feel you’ve been discriminated against on the basis of being in a protected class, you may contact our SSW Ombud or the UW Ombud.
We would encourage you to approach the instructor by asking for the feedback on your assignments – until you get the actual feedback on the assignments, it’s hard to know whether you believe the grading was fair. It’s generally best to approach these situations with an attitude of curiosity and questioning – you’re likely to get a more collaborative response. If there is an error in computing your grade, it can almost always be resolved with the instructor directly.
As long as the feedback and points given line up with what the instructor has laid out in their syllabus, it is unlikely to be overturned except in the case of a miscalculation of points or unless the student can prove the instructor was acting arbitrarily.