1999 Art and Design Handbook - Faculty grievance procedures

Faculty grievance procedures

General information
Academic grievances
Administrative grievances

General information

The faculty has introduced procedures to consider academic and administrative problems and grievances at departmental or faculty level that students may encounter. These include enrolment matters, assessment, unsatisfactory progress, or the reasonable provision of faculty teaching and support facilities. These procedures exclude disciplinary or sexual harassment matters, which are covered by other special university procedures.
A grievance case would be considered closed upon receipt by the Chair of the Committee of Undergraduate Studies or the Committee of Graduate Studies of a written withdrawal of the grievance by the complainant, or of a written agreement between the parties.

Academic grievances

Academic grievances are those where students have complaints about aspects of their courses, assessment or other matters which are the responsibility of academic staff and of departments, and centres in the faculty.
Because there are two main types of assignment and assessment in the faculty, academic assessment appeals fall into two separate categories. The grounds on which appeals can be made and the methods for making such appeals are outlined as follows.

Written assignments

Students should be aware that grounds for any appeal are normally based only on matters of process, not quality of work. The Committee of Undergraduate Studies or the Committee of Graduate Studies will not arbitrate on the quality of the work per se.

Folios

The procedure for assessment of folios has a form of double-marking inherently built into it. Normally folios are not assessed by one person in the faculty but by a panel of staff members. An appeal against a grade will only be considered on technical discrepancies, such as:

discrepancies between criteria advertised in the subject outline distributed by the department and those allegedly applied;
discrepancies between processes or written advice given prior to assessment and alleged procedures during assessment;
in certain cases, extensive discrepancies between grades awarded for projects marked during the semester and the grade for the semester as a whole.

In establishing the case, the student is required to collect particular evidence to indicate a failure to follow appropriate process.
The discrepancy between messages of encouragement from academic staff during the semester and a fail result at the end of the semester does not constitute grounds for appeal against a grade. The student should be aware that any appeal is normally based on process as outlined above and not on quality of work. The Committee for Undergraduate Studies or the Committee for Graduate Studies will not arbitrate on the quality of the work per se.

Performances, installations and oral presentations

The re-marking of performances, installations and oral presentations are difficult because they are often impossible to reconstruct. These categories may arise in both the studio area and the theory area. Provision by students should always be made for reassessment on the basis of a written or taped or video recording of the work. Students are advised that they should take care to create and retain a hard copy of their work in these ephemeral genres. In the case of a class paper, comprehensive notes may be used for re-assessment.

Grievance procedures

The procedures are designed to provide speedy and efficient resolution of problems and complaints through appropriate departmental and faculty mechanisms, while protecting the rights of students and staff. They provide for cases which cannot be resolved satisfactorily through normal negotiations. All cases will be treated as confidential.
1 Initially, students should discuss the matter with the lecturer concerned. If satisfactory resolution does not eventuate, the student should consult the course coordinator (where the course coordinator is not the lecturer). If the matter remains unresolved, the student should present his/her case in writing to the responsible head of department, or centre. (Where the lecturer is the head of the department or centre, another senior member of that department or centre should deal with the case.) Normally no more than fourteen days should elapse from the date of the initial complaint and the completion of all stages of referral and attempted resolution within the relevant department or centre.
2 If the matter remains unresolved after the fourteen-day period, the matter may be referred to the chairperson of the Committee for Undergraduate Studies (CUGS) or of the Committee for Graduate Studies (COGS) by either the student or the head of the department, or the centre. Normally, the referral will be made by the head of the department or centre who shall notify the student in writing at the time that this step has been taken. Either party may submit further information to the chairperson of CUGS or COGS, who will attempt to conciliate and resolve the dispute within fourteen days of receiving the referral.
3 If conciliation fails, it may be referred to an ad hoc student grievance committee of CUGS or COGS for arbitration. Material from either party to the dispute shall be made available to all parties involved, prior to the appeal hearing. Members of the Faculty Grievance Committee cannot be from a department from which the dispute has arisen. The committee shall normally make its determination within fourteen days and provide written notification of its decision to the student and the head of the department or centre.
Decisions of the Faculty Grievance Committee may be appealed in writing to the dean of the faculty.

Administrative grievances

Administrative grievances are those where students have complaints about matters relating to enrolment or to information, advice or services on other matters provided by administrative staff of the faculty.
1 Students who have a grievance in relation to administrative matters concerning the faculty office or officers should in the first instance discuss the matter with the faculty registrar who will attempt to resolve the matter.
2 If this is not successful, students have a right to request, in writing, that the matter be reviewed by the dean of the faculty. A recommendation for the resolution of the matter should normally be made within fourteen days of the submission being received.
3 If the dean of the faculty is unable to resolve the matter it will be considered by the faculty Student Grievance Committee. The committee shall finally determine the matter normally within fourteen days.