PLU School of Nursing Student Handbook

Grade Dispute Policy

Grade Dispute Policy

The PLU School of Nursing is dedicated to fair and accurate appraisal of each student’s coursework. When disagreements arise over grades assigned in a course, students and faculty should first follow the School’s established procedure for informal grade dispute resolution. If the informal procedure is unsuccessful in resolving the grade dispute, students and faculty will undertake the School’s formal grade dispute resolution procedure.

Procedural Steps:

  1. A student considering a grade dispute must first read this document in its entirety and discuss it with their assigned faculty advisor before proceeding to step 2. If the student’s advisor is also the faculty member responsible for submitting the disputed grade, the student should contact the School of Nursing Associate Director of Advising, Admission, and Student Support to determine an alternative advisor for these proceedings.
  2. A student who chooses to dispute a grade should first initiate the informal grade dispute process by addressing the matter with the faculty member responsible for submitting the grade in the following manner:
    1. Submit to the responsible faculty member a written statement, detailing why the grade is being disputed and the grade and/or remedy the student is seeking, and requesting an appointment time to meet with the faculty member.
      1. The student is responsible for providing a copy of the written statement to the School of Nursing office to be placed in the student’s official School of Nursing file.
      2. The written statement should be available during the discussion between the student and the responsible faculty member.
    2. After the initial discussion, the responsible faculty member should provide a written statement detailing the issues discussed, including why or why not the grade will be changed.
      1. Both the responsible faculty member and the student should sign this written statement; the student should have an opportunity to provide additional written comments.
      2. The faculty member is responsible for submitting this statement, along with any additional written comments from the student, to the School of Nursing office to be placed in the student’s official School of Nursing file.
  3. If the matter is not resolved between the student and the responsible faculty member, the student may request assistance and advocacy from his or her faculty advisor. With regard to written statements, requests for meetings and discussions held between the responsible faculty member, the faculty advisor, and the student, should follow the same procedures and guidelines as outlined in Step #2.
  4. If the matter is not resolved after discussion with the faculty member and the faculty advisor, the student may initiate the formal grade dispute process as outlined in the university grade dispute policy.