Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: My name is Kristin MacDonald, and I am writing to express my concerns regarding the grades I received on two recent assignments in Introduction to Epidemiology HLTH 323 taught by Professor Eun-Young Lee. After careful review, I found the grading process needed to be revised and significantly deviated from the Assignment outlines and syllabus provided at the beginning of the semester.

The Assignment in question is Assignment 9, Infographic.

Upon reviewing the Assignment outlines and the syllabus, I noticed several instances where the professor's grading diverged from the criteria and expectations clearly outlined in these documents. The deviations had a substantial impact on my final grades for these assignments.

I have already discussed my concerns with Professor Eun-Young Lee in an attempt to gain clarity on the grading decisions. However, the explanation did not sufficiently address my concerns. The grades do not accurately reflect the effort and adherence to the assignment guidelines.

Assignment 9

For Assignment 9, I was tasked to create an Infographic based on the findings of an epidemiology research study. After completing the Assignment, I received a 48.39 %, which does not reflect my submitted work.

I received a fail in the content section of the rubric, but I put in all of the required section headings and the correct corresponding information from the paper. One comment expresses confusion on my use of the word multiple births; however, this is a common phrase referring to women who deliver more than one baby in a single pregnancy. To have points taken off for this is not acceptable.

A large majority of the comments say not eligible; however, it was required that the infographic be put on a page instead of simply downloading a PDF version and submitting that. The outline says the image can be portrait or landscape if it fits on a page. My infographic does precisely that, and it can be easily read by simply zooming in; I can easily read it without zooming in. However, this is a ridiculous reason to receive a 0 in content when this has nothing to do with my writing content.

I also received a fail in the layout category because the infographic must fit on a page, although mine does. The comment again says my infographic is complex to read; however, this has nothing to do with the layout. Based on the Assignment rubric, the layout is characterized by font, colour, graphics, and if they enhance the presentation. The marking on this section was completely unjust, and when looking at my infographic, it is eye-catching. I made it a point to make it pleasing to look out through bold colours and different fonts.

Furthermore, I received a C in graphics because I did not cite an image used. However, references are not a part of the rubric and count for no marks. The only mention of a reference is of the paper used and is to be put at the bottom of the infographic, which I did. The rubric describes the graphic criteria as graphics that relate to the topic and help understand the infographic. I only used graphics related to the topic, including silhouettes of pregnant women and diabetes-related images. The one graphic with a comment was an indigenous medicine wheel that I incorporated as one of my takeaways to add culturally sensitive approaches to health issues.

I am profoundly disappointed with the marks I received, finding them unjust and not reflective of the effort and dedication I invested in the assignments. The feedback needs to align with the content of my work, leaving me perplexed about the evaluation process. My submission adhered closely to the outlined instructions, and the discrepancies highlighted in the feedback are misinterpretations or oversights. This situation is disheartening as it undermines the integrity of the grading system and fails to recognize the genuine effort I put forth.

In light of the above, I formally request an appeal for the grade received on Assignment 9. A thorough review of my work and the assignment outlines and syllabus will demonstrate the misalignment between the grading and the established criteria.

I am willing to provide any additional information, evidence, or clarification that may aid in the review process. I appreciate your attention to this matter and trust that the university's commitment to fairness and academic integrity will be upheld during the appeal process.