Academic Appeal Operating Procedure

To outline the process by which academic appeals are undertaken at Cambrian College (‘the College’) in alignment with the requirements of the Academic Appeal Policy.

All Cambrian College students who initiate an Academic Appeal.

1. BEFORE STAGE 1 APPEAL

1.1. Prior to initiating a Stage 1 appeal the following action should be completed.

Step	Responsibility	Action	Timeline
1	Student	Contact the faculty member to discuss the issue, wherever possible/applicable.	Prior to appeal
2	Faculty	Respond to the student inquiry to explore possible resolutions, in consideration of all circumstances, information and grounds provided directly related to the academic decision.
3	Student	If no resolution is reached, complete and submit an academic appeal form.	Within 10 business days of receipt of academic decision

2. STAGE 1 REVIEW

2.1. If a resolution cannot be achieved through the discussion with the faculty member, the student may choose to initiate a Stage 1 review.

Step	Responsibility	Action	Timeline
1	Student	Complete and submit a Stage 1 Academic Appeal form providing all relevant supporting documentation/information directly related to the academic decision in question.	Within 10 days of the decision giving grounds to the appeal.
2	Chair	Review all information provided during the informal review, which may include discussing the matter with the student and/or faculty member.
3	Chair	Communicate decision, rationale for decision, and options for appealing the decision to the student.   Communicate decision to faculty member (where applicable)	Within 10 business days of receipt of Stage 1 academic appeal form

Note: If the responsible faculty member is not available to participate in a review (e.g., faculty member is on vacation, on leave, no longer working for the College, and cannot be contacted), and if a delay in reviewing the decision will unfairly impact on the student’s progression in the program, the Chair may seek input and advice from another faculty member who is familiar with the course in order to come to a decision.

Required Evidence

Students are expected to provide sufficient evidence to support their appeals. The standard of proof to be met is that it is more likely than not that the original decision was incorrect. The burden of proof rests with the student who requested the review.

Grounds	Required Evidence
Compassionate: Unforeseen events or circumstances that may have seriously impacted the student’s academic performance (including ability to complete course requirements and meet deadlines). This may include the death of a family member, a legal issue, or other life circumstances.	Evidence might include: death certificate, funeral notice, legal notice (e.g., eviction notice), letter(s) from individuals familiar with the situation, etc.
Policy Violation: An academic grade or decision that the student believes is invalid because a decision-maker failed to follow a College policy or procedure,	Reference the policy, procedure, or established practice and the alleged error and explain how this has affected academic performance.
New Evidence: Situations where relevant evidence emerges that was not available at the time of the original Academic decision.	Provide the new evidence and explain how it would have influenced the original decision.
Bias: Decisions that the student believes were biased.	·       Specific and detailed information about how bias influenced an academic decision. ·       Evidence supporting the allegation of bias.
Severity of Sanction: Situations where the student believes the severity of the sanction imposed was not reasonable.	·       Specific and detailed reasoning about why the sanction is too severe. Reference to policies, course outlines, additional handouts, or course-specific materials that contain information about how the sanction is inconsistent with expectations established in these documents.

3. STAGE 2 REVIEW

3.1. If a resolution cannot be achieved through the Stage 1 appeal process or if there is additional information that has arisen that was not included in that process, the student may choose to initiate a Stage 2 review.

Step	Responsibility	Action	Timeline
1	Student	Complete and submit a Stage 2 academic appeal form, providing all relevant supporting documentation/information directly related to the academic decision in question.	Within 5 business days of receipt of decision from Stage 1.
2	Dean	Communicate with the student to discuss the basis for their request for a Stage 1 review.
3	Dean	Review all information provided during the informal review, which may include discussing the matter with the student, the Chair and/or faculty member.
4	Dean	Respond to the student in writing.	Within 10 business days of receipt of Stage 2 academic appeal form.
5	Dean	Communicate decision, rationale for decision, and options for appealing the decision.   Communicate decision to faculty member (where applicable).

4. STAGE 3 REVIEW

4.1. A student may file for a Stage 3 review only under the following conditions:

1. New information – directly related to the initial issue/academic decision – not presented during stages 1 or 2.

Step	Responsibility	Action	Timeline
1	Student	Complete and submit a Stage 3 academic appeal form and provide all new supporting documentation.	Within 5 business days of notification of Stage 2 decision
2	Registrar	Review the information submitted by the student, as well as the information from Stage 1, to determine next steps. Potential outcomes: ·       Academic appeal hearing is granted. ·       Academic appeal hearing is denied.
3	Registrar	Inform student of decision.	Within 5 business days of receipt of Stage 2 academic appeal form
		Inform Dean of decision.
If Academic Appeal Hearing is granted
1	Registrar	Schedule a meeting date. Provide all necessary supporting documentation to Academic Appeal Committee members.	Typically, within 10 business days of step 3 above.
2	Student & Dean	Inform Registrar of: ·       Any concerns regarding Academic Appeal Hearing Committee members. ·       Any potential witnesses that will be called.	No later than 5 business days before scheduled meeting date
3	Registrar	Hold meeting in accordance with the procedures outlined in # 5 below
4	Registrar	The decision of the Academic Appeal Committee is communicated to the student, Dean, Faculty Member (where relevant), Vice President Academic, and Vice President, Human Resources, International, and Student Services	Within 5 business days of a hearing

5. ACADEMIC APPEAL COMMITTEE PROCESS

5.1. The Appeal Committee will consist of the following members:

1. Registrar (Chair, non-voting)
2. Dean or Chair from outside student’s School and outside the appeal case (appointed by VPA)
3. Faculty member from a different program/School; not involved in original decision (appointed by VPA)
4. Student member not from same class/program (appointed by President CSC)

5.2. Committee members are appointed on an as-needed basis.

5.3. Committee members must not have been involved in any prior decision related to the appeal and must not be from the same program as the student or the Dean whose decision is under review.

5.4. The Chair is responsible for ensuring that the hearing is conducted in a fair, respectful, and procedurally correct manner, including managing time, maintaining decorum, and confirming that all relevant information has been presented.

5.5. Committee decisions will be made by majority vote of the voting members present. In the event the Committee cannot reach a majority decision, the original academic decision will stand.

5.6. The Office of the Registrar will provide administrative support to the Committee, including scheduling hearings, circulating documentation to participants in advance, and maintaining the official record of proceedings in accordance with the College’s records retention schedule.

6. ACADEMIC APPEAL COMMITTEE HEARING

6.1. Students are responsible for presenting their position. However, the student may have one person accompany them to the hearing. Students wishing to have someone accompany them must submit the name of and relationship to the person to the Committee Chair at least 5 business days prior to the hearing.

1. The role of this accompanying individual is to provide support and/or advice to the student during the hearing. The accompanying person is not to present on behalf of the student.

6.2. It is expected that the student and Dean will be present during the hearing and will remail until all information has been heard.

6.3. Typically, a hearing will follow these steps:

1. The Chair will introduce the members of the Academic Appeal Committee and review the format of the meeting along with any ground rules that are appropriate.
2. The student will have an opportunity to state their concerns, speak to any relevant documentation, and clarify the resolution they are seeking.
   • The onus is on the student to demonstrate that the decision should be overturned due to one or more of the allowed grounds for review.
3. The Dean will have the opportunity to review the reasons for their decision and review any relevant documentation previously submitted.
4. Witnesses may be called to give a verbal statement(s), subject to determination by the Committee that the additional information will be relevant.
5. The Dean, student, and Committee members will have the opportunity to question any person(s) providing statements.
6. Parties will be provided with an opportunity to summarize their positions, based on the materials and any statements provided in the hearing, with the student having the final opportunity to speak.
7. After ensuring that all relevant information has been presented, the formal hearing will adjourn and the committee will meet privately to make a decision.

6.4. Upon considering all information, the Committee has the authority to determine the outcome of the academic appeal in one of the following ways:

1. Direct that the original decision remains unchanged.
2. Direct that a re-evaluation of the student’s work be completed by another faculty member qualified in the area of study.
3. Direct that a final grade be changed to ‘I’ (Incomplete) and that the student be allowed to complete specific items of work for a new evaluation by another faculty member qualified in the particular field of study.
4. Direct that a dismissed student be reinstated to a program and specify any conditions of that reinstatement.
5. Direct that an academic integrity violation be removed from a student’s record.