Often it is not until you receive your final grade that you realise it was not what you expected, and you are dissatisfied with this grade as it has implications for your GPA, preclusion or financial considerations.
The first step to appealing a final grade is establishing that you have grounds to appeal. University policy defines grounds of appeal as either 1) the assessment processes were not followed, or 2) the final grade is wrong or unfair. It is also useful in this process to develop your arguments about why the grade is unfair. It is not enough to disagree with the grade – you must be able to make a case about why you think it’s too low.
The next part of the process is your responsibility. You must initiate the review of your grade by contacting the Topic Coordinator as soon as you receive your grade. If you are unhappy with the outcome of these discussions you can then write to the Dean (Education) of your College within 20 working days (weekends and public holidays are not counted as working days) of receiving your grade. The letter must outline your request for a grade review, as well as the grounds you are basing your appeal on and what type of review you are seeking.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the Dean’s decision, you can then lodge an appeal with the Students Appeal Committee within 20 working days of the notification of the outcome. Again there are specific grounds for appeal, including 1) that assessment processes were not followed, or 2) the Dean’s decision did not take into account all the facts or circumstances or evidence.
As with any disputes within the University, it is worthwhile consulting the policies and procedures which can be found on the main Flinders University website through the following link: https://www.flinders.edu.au/ppmanual/student/assessment-policy.cfm. Section 17 of the Assessment Policy and Procedures relates to appealing against final topic grade.
