Academic Grievance

There may be occasions when a student believes his or her academic work or conduct has been unfairly or inadequately evaluated.¹ Typically, such differences of opinion can be amicably resolved informally between the student and BYU Independent Study’s faculty and staff; however, BYU Independent Study recognizes that this is not always possible. It is BYU Independent Study’s policy to encourage satisfactory resolution of academic grievances at the lowest possible administrative level. What follows are the procedural steps to accomplish this goal:

1. The grievance must be initiated by the student no later than three months (90 days) from the day the final grade is posted for the course in which the alleged unfair or inadequate evaluation or discipline occurred.
2. The student should initially address the grievance by writing to the instructor² to request a review and resolution. This initial communication should be sent to is_petitions@byu.edu. Staff will ensure that the instructor receives the communication. 
3. If the instructor is unavailable or if the student has a valid reason to believe that the matter will not be dealt with fairly or that retribution may result, the student may submit the grievance directly to the BYU Independent Study Educational Services Manager at is_petitions@byu.edu.
4. The Educational Services Manager will review the case and make a decision. If deemed necessary by the Educational Services Manager, a review committee will be convened to further investigate the petition. The committee will present their findings to the Educational Services Manager and provide a recommendation for a resolution to the petition.
5. The Educational Services Manager will determine the resolution of the grievance and give the decision in writing to the student and faculty member within 10 business days. The decision is final and not subject to further appeal, except that the Dean of the BYU Division of Continuing Education may at his or her sole discretion choose to review and alter any determination of the Educational Services Manager with regard to a grievance.

Notes

1. Academic evaluations subject to this policy include grading, disciplinary actions arising from violations of the BYU Independent Study Student Code of Conduct, the withholding and/or revocation of a grade for academic reasons, and the withholding of transcripts or special notation on transcripts for academic reasons.
2. For purposes of this policy, “instructor” means any teacher or other individual who is authorized by BYU Independent Study to academically evaluate students, or who has a legitimate need to know about the processing and disposition of an academic grievance.