(Approved by the Senate on June 10, 2019 and effective September 2019)

Note: This regulation applies to all undergraduate and graduate students, except those registered in the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Education programs.

Preamble

The University recognizes the right of every student to see, on request after grading, all documents that have been used to establish their grade for courses in which they are duly registered; the documents include those produced by the students themselves or evaluations written by supervisors (as part of work terms, clinical placements or internships).

The University also recognizes students’ right to ask for a grade review and to appeal grades, for both individual and group work.

Students who have collaborated for group work may also request a grade review collectively. The same procedure as in the case of a grade review for individual work applies.

General provisions

Students who question a grade assigned to them must contact their professor or practicum supervisor for clarifications or for the reasoning behind the grade.

If students still question the grade despite the explanations they receive, they can ask for a grade review, as set out in this regulation.

The revised grade can be higher than, lower than or equal to the grade submitted for review. In the case of a grade review request submitted individually for group work, the revised grade, higher than, lower than or equal to the grade submitted for review is attributed only to the student who has requested the grade review.



The grade review cannot be cancelled once the process has been completed and the new grade assigned.

At the undergraduate level, this regulation does not apply to activities which are evaluated by a jury or committee in accordance with established procedures.

At the graduate level, a jury’s decision may only be appealed to the Dean of the Faculty where the student is registered on the grounds that appropriate procedures were not followed. Students who are not satisfied with the outcome of this process can appeal, on the grounds that appropriate procedures were not followed, to the Senate Appeals Committee.



This regulation also does not apply to technical errors (calculation errors, transcription errors, omissions, etc.), because they are quickly corrected by professors themselves.

A request for revision for any given mark may only be submitted once.

First stage: Grade review

A- All faculties except for undergraduate programs offered by the Faculty of Law

Students who are not satisfied with their grade after discussing the matter with their professor can ask for a grade review.

In all cases where the mandatory preliminary meeting with the professor could not be held or would prevent the student from respecting the prescribed deadlines, the student must provide written evidence that he or she attempted to reach the professor regarding the grade.

When the grade in question is received on or before the last day of classes, students must submit their request within ten (10) working days of receiving the contested grade. For grades received after the last day of classes, the request must be submitted within ten (10) working days after the grade in question becomes official (see the University calendar for the exact date).

Students submit their requests for grade reviews in writing to the chair of the academic unit offering the course. The request must include a) the course title, the course syllabus, the grade assigned and the name of the professor having assigned it, b) the grounds for the appeal, and c) the assignment/test corrected by the professor, if applicable, and other relevant documents.

The chair of the academic unit, or a designate, immediately sends a copy of the student's request to the professor concerned, inviting him or her to submit in writing any comments as well as the evaluation criteria used for the test or assignment, and other relevant documents. When an appeal is submitted for a grade received on or before the last day of classes, the professor must respond within five (5) working days. For an appeal submitted for a grade received after the last day of classes, the professor must respond within ten (10) working days.

Upon receiving the required documents from the professor, the chair of the academic unit, or a designate, asks at least one other professor to review the test or assignment under appeal and forwards all documents from the student and the grading professor to this reviewing professor. The chair of the unit, or a designate, must ensure that the reviewing professor possesses the necessary expertise. The reviewer`s anonymity must be maintained.

When an appeal is submitted for a grade received on or before the last day of classes, the review must be done within five (5) working days. For an appeal submitted for a grade received after the last day of classes, the review must be done within ten (10) working days.

Based on all of the documents received, including all evaluations (initial evaluation and revisions), the chair of the unit, or a designate, determines the grade to be awarded and immediately informs both the student and the professor in question.

Students have the right to obtain a copy of all the documents used in reaching the decision, with the exception of any type of examination or confidential marking key, which they may consult nevertheless.

B - Reviewing a grade - Faculty of Law (undergraduate programs only)

Common Law Section: Students who are not satisfied with their grade after discussing the matter with their professor can ask for a grade review. Their request must be submitted within ten (10) working days after the course’s final grade becomes official (see the University calendar for the exact date). In all cases where the mandatory preliminary meeting with the professor could not be held or would prevent the student from respecting the prescribed deadlines, the student must provide written evidence that he or she attempted to reach the professor regarding the grade.



Civil Law Section: Students who are not satisfied with their grade may discuss the matter with their professor and ask for a review. Their request must be submitted within ten (10) working days after the course’s final grade becomes official (see the University calendar for the exact date).

Civil Law and Common Law Sections: Students submit their request for review in writing to the dean of their section, or to the dean's designate. The request must include a) the course title, the course syllabus, the grade assigned and the name of the professor having assigned it, b) the grounds for the appeal, and c) the assignment/test corrected by the professor (if applicable), and other relevant documents.

The dean, or a designate, appoints a grade-review panel at his or her discretion and notifies the student. The panel first assesses the admissibility of the request within ten (10) working days. Acceptable grounds for granting a review are serious errors in the application of grading criteria, as well as facts that point to a lack of impartiality or to unequal treatment during grading.



If the request is deemed inadmissible, the chair of the review panel informs the student in writing and includes the reason for rejecting the appeal.



If the request is deemed to be admissible, the chair of the panel informs the student. The chair also immediately sends notice of the student's request to the professor concerned and may invite him or her to revise the grade and/or submit in writing any comments, as well as the evaluation criteria explained to the student for the test or assignment, and other relevant documents. Professors must respond within ten (10) working days.

Upon receiving the required documents from the professor, if necessary, the chair of the panel asks at least one other professor to review the test or assignment under review and forwards all documents from the student and the grading professor to this reviewing professor. The dean, or a designate, must ensure that the reviewing professor possesses the necessary expertise. The review must be done within ten (10) working days.

Based on all of the documents received following the review process described above, the review panel determines within ten (10) working days the grade to be awarded and the student and the professor in question are informed immediately.

C - Appealing work-term grades, clinical placements or internships—All faculties except for the Faculty of Education and for undergraduate programs offered by the Faculty of Law

Students who fail a work term or practicum and who do not agree with the grade received may, after discussing the matter with the person at the University who assigned the final work-term grade, ask for a grade review; students must submit their appeal no more than ten (10) working days after receiving their grade at the end of his/her work term.

Students must submit their appeal in writing to the chair of the unit offering the work term or to the director of the Coop programs, depending on the case. The appeal must include a) all work-term-related information, such as the course title, the course syllabus, the number of work-term days, the work-term location, the type of supervision, the grade obtained, and the name of the person at the University who assigned the final work-term grade, as well as b) the grounds for the appeal, c) the work-term evaluation reports and d) all other relevant documents.

The chair of the academic unit, or a designate, immediately sends a copy of the student's request to the person at the University who assigned the final work-term grade, inviting him or her to submit in writing any comments, as well as the evaluation criteria explained to the student, and other relevant documents. The person at the University who assigned the final work-term grade must respond within ten (10) working days.

Upon receiving the required documents from the person at the University who assigned the final work-term grade, the chair of the academic unit, or a designate, asks one or several other professors to assess the request for review (the appeal), forwards all documents from the student and the person at the University who assigned the final work-term grade to these reviewing professors, and asks them for recommendations (ex., maintain the grade or have the work term, clinical placements or practicum repeated in whole or in part). The chair of the unit, or a designate, must ensure that the professor or these professors possess the necessary professional qualifications. This review must take place immediately.

Based on all of the documents received, the chair of the academic unit, or a designate, determines the grade to be awarded and immediately informs the student, the professor, the person at the University who assigned the final work-term grade, and the faculty in question.



Second stage: Appealing to the Senate Appeals Committee

A student can approach the Senate Appeals Committee to contest decisions handed down after an initial grade review.

Once a student has filed such an appeal, the academic unit will provide to the Committee all relevant documentation and its comments.

The Senate appeals procedure is posted here.