Grade appeal

Student Lounge College Life
1

I am a first semester nursing student and per my college, an average of all exams must be a 75 in order for other coursework to be averaged in. So basically, if you do not receive the 75 test average during the class, it is an automatic failure of the class. The professor’s syllabus states that she does not round up to a 75, a 74.99 is not passing. I unfortuantly recieved a 74.61 for my exam averages for this class. I am not wanting to argue why I did not do better or what not, that part is completly on me I am not denying.

My question is this; after reading the Student Nursing handbook (which is the BIBLE) for the nursing program, it states, “Rounding Rule: Students must achieve an average grade of 75 or higher on course exams in order to pass the course. A course/quiz exam average at or below 74.49 will not be rounded up. Grades from other assignments, when applicable, will only be added if the student has a quiz and exam average at or above 75.”

I interpret this as meaning anything above a 74.49 WILL in fact be rounded up to a 75. It that is not the case, I would think it should read, “a 74.99” will not round up. The grades have been submitted, I spoke with my professor today and at first she told me the 74.49 was an example they were giving, but after her reading the paragraph all of the way through, she believes this is a typo on the nursing programs part. Her syllabus says 74.99 and I asked her which carried more weight, her syllabus or the student handbook. She informed me that the handbook is what the grading goes by. The meeting with her was very good, I am wanting to handle this in a respectful and professional manner. She acknowledged I had a point, but it was a typo. When I began this program, I signed something saying I understood the handbook and would abide by it’s policies.

Would you pursue this and appeal the grade? If it is a typo, which I am sure it is, will they ultimatly just tell me it is a typo or should they have an obligation to uphold what it says? I am worried about ruffling feathers, as I said, this is just my first semester and I have 3 more to go!!

2

Find the handbook for the year you enrolled and see what it says. At our college, the requirements that were in force when students matriculate carry forward even if they change for students who enroll later. I think the way yours reads, averages above 74.49 should be rounded up. There isn’t any criteria for rounding other than that, and it doesn’t say it’s at the discretion of the professor either. Unless the catalog specifically says they’re not responsible for typos or you received some other official agreement (not the syllabus), I think your class should have 74.49 as the cut off for passing.

3

How does she know the syllabus isn’t the typo. If you’re not going to round it’s as simple as saying there will be no rounding. The fact that they used 74.49 as the cutoff follows all of the rounding conventions I am familiar with.