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Faculty Jurisdiction With Respect to Student Appeals of Academic Decisions

Approved by Senate March 3, 2005

Policy

  1. The jurisdiction for matters of academic appeal shall, in all instances, reside in the Faculty in which the student is registered.

  2. While the jurisdiction for matters of academic appeal shall reside in the Faculty in which the student is registered, the Faculty in which the course(s) in question resides shall be consulted as a normal part of the appeals process to ensure that the interest of the Faculty in which the course(s) resides is taken into consideration.

  3. All Faculties and Schools should incorporate the above policy recommendations into their current administrative procedures.

  4. For academic-integrity matters, if a student is enrolled in a course which does not belong to his or her home Faculty/School, instructors and Faculties/Schools are required to follow the appeal procedures as outlined in Appendix B of the Senate Policy on Academic Integrity Procedures - Requirements of Faculties & Schools (PDF*, 97 KB)

Context

The Senate Committee on Academic Procedures Subcommittee on Examinations identified the need for clear guidelines for treating academic appeals by students taking courses outside their home Faculty. Also, the recently approved Senate Policy on Student Appeals, Rights and Discipline (SARD) states that "Faculties [and] schools...shall have explicit statements of the rights and responsibilities of students and shall clearly describe formal procedures with channels of appeal" (6[c]). The SARD Policy goes on to state that the "Senate Committee on Academic Procedures (SCAP) shall establish a policy that determines whether jurisdiction in cases involving academic matters, non-academic discipline in an academic setting, and academic dishonesty resides with the faculty or school offering the course or with the student's home faculty or school" (8[b]).

After careful consideration of all the issues, it was recommended that the jurisdiction for matters of academic appeal should, in all instances, reside in the student's home Faculty to minimize the possibility of confusion for students. Each student is expected to gain a working knowledge of the regulations governing the Faculty in which he or she is registered.

During deliberations it was noted that consultation is important in the case of appeals involving cross-Faculty matters. Any remedy to a student appeal must take into account a solution that is appropriate, one that recognizes the requirements and aims of the student's home Faculty and also respects the principles and realities of the host Faculty. The Policy does not alter or eliminate any existing academic procedures of first instance or internal appeal that are now in place.

This matter was approved by the Senate Committee on Academic Procedures on October 4, 2004 and sent to Faculty Boards for consideration. All Faculties and Schools responded favourable. Senate accepted the recommendations of the Senate Committee on Academic Procedures that jurisdiction for matters of academic appeal shall, in all instances, reside in the Faculty in which the student is registered. The complete report can be found here:

 Faculty Jurisdiction Report (PDF*, 128 KB)

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