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Grade Appeal and Course Concerns

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Concerns about your PWR course

In general, if you have concerns about your progress or classroom experience in your PWR course, you should first discuss them with your instructor.  If that meeting does not help to resolve the issue, or if you feel uncomfortable discussing your concerns with your instructor, you should make an appointment with the Associate Director, Christine Alfano, to talk about your PWR experience.

Grade dispute on an assignment 

If you have wish to question a grade you have received on an individual assignment, please write a note or email explaining your concerns, and send it to your instructor, requesting a meeting to discuss the grade.  You may want, for example, to ask the instructor to read your essay again, reconsidering your work in light of points you have made about it.  If you wish, you can contact the Associate Director, Christine Alfano, for help with this process; the Associate Director can also attend the meeting between you and your instructor, at your request.

Grade appeal on your final overall class grade

If you would like to appeal the grade you received for your PWR class, please start by asking your instructor for a reconsideration of your grade, explaining the reasons for your request and any other relevant information about the situation.  As per University guidelines, the conversation can take place orally or in writing (over email).  Ideally, you will meet with your instructor to discuss the situation. Many misunderstandings or problems can be worked out in such a meeting.

If you cannot resolve the dispute during this meeting and wish to pursue an official complaint or grade appeal, you must submit a formal grievance to the PWR Associate Director (Christine Alfano, alfano@) within 30 days of the end of the quarter. This should include a detailed memo (which can be contained in the body of the email) explaining the reason that you're appealing your grade as well as any actions you've taken so far to resolve the issue with your instructor, the outcome of the action, and any adverse effects you have experienced.  Once the Associate Director has received the memo, she may reach out for additional materials, such as copies of the work submitted for the class, and advise on next steps in the process.

Please note that a delay in filing a grievance (beyond the 30 day window) will constitute grounds for rejection of the grievance. For further information on Stanford policies regarding grade appeals, see the Academic Grievance Procedure page in the Student Policies section of the Student Services website.