Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 12632
Submitted: January 19, 2025 at 4:05:18 PM
First Name: William
Last Name: Bruce-Robertson
Pronoun: He/Him
Preferred Name: William
Student Number: 20263971
Email: 20wtbr@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: PPE
Level of Study: 4
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request a review of instructors' decisions on grading of final examination and/or term work
Code: Pols 384
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Petition Category: Request a review of instructors' decisions on grading of final examination and/or term work
Instructor's Name: Dr. Quinn Albaugh
Section/Class Number: 5894
Component: Final Exam
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Stephenson,
I am writing to petition for a review of the exam grade I received in Pols 384: Introduction to Political Research in the 2024 fall term. On this exam I received a failing mark of 49.25%. I believe that I was not graded fairly because I wrote the whole exam and only a portion of the exam was graded. I received my mark on January 7, 2025, and that afternoon I emailed Dr. Albaugh about the grade. Dr. Albaugh responded, stating “I genuinely believe you tried to write as legibly as you can…However, we can only give you grades on answers we can read.” This demonstrates that Dr. Albaugh graded the portion of my exam which they deemed legible but did not grade the whole exam. I therefore received a failing grade based on an evaluation of my handwriting rather than the content of my exam.
I believe that this is unreasonable. I acknowledge that my handwriting is more difficult to read than many students. Notwithstanding this difficulty, for three and a half years I have handwritten midterms and finals at Queen’s and my professors have always managed to find a way to read what I have written. There is no reason to believe that my handwriting was any worse on this exam than on any of those past exams. Therefore I believe that Dr. Albaugh’s non-grading of my exam based on legibility of handwriting rather than content is unfair.
Furthermore I believe that Dr. Albaugh did not act reasonably in response to a second email from me suggesting a solution to this issue. In an email on January 8, 2025, I asked Dr. Albaugh whether I could read the exam with them and then type the exam, having them use the typed version to decipher what I had written on exam day. Another professor in the department suggested this solution to me. Later that day, Dr. Albaugh responded saying that they did not feel comfortable with this solution, stating “I could have done other things if you had raised the issue before the exam or even before it was graded.” I do not believe that this argument is reasonable. Although I have worried about my handwriting in the past, all my former professors have read my exams. Therefore I could not have been expected to foresee in advance of the grade release date that I would be marked on only a portion of the exam.
I therefore ask that you grant my petition for a review of my final exam grade in Pols 384: Introduction to Political Research for the fall term, 2024.
Yours sincerely,
William Bruce-Robertson
I am writing to petition for a review of the exam grade I received in Pols 384: Introduction to Political Research in the 2024 fall term. On this exam I received a failing mark of 49.25%. I believe that I was not graded fairly because I wrote the whole exam and only a portion of the exam was graded. I received my mark on January 7, 2025, and that afternoon I emailed Dr. Albaugh about the grade. Dr. Albaugh responded, stating “I genuinely believe you tried to write as legibly as you can…However, we can only give you grades on answers we can read.” This demonstrates that Dr. Albaugh graded the portion of my exam which they deemed legible but did not grade the whole exam. I therefore received a failing grade based on an evaluation of my handwriting rather than the content of my exam.
I believe that this is unreasonable. I acknowledge that my handwriting is more difficult to read than many students. Notwithstanding this difficulty, for three and a half years I have handwritten midterms and finals at Queen’s and my professors have always managed to find a way to read what I have written. There is no reason to believe that my handwriting was any worse on this exam than on any of those past exams. Therefore I believe that Dr. Albaugh’s non-grading of my exam based on legibility of handwriting rather than content is unfair.
Furthermore I believe that Dr. Albaugh did not act reasonably in response to a second email from me suggesting a solution to this issue. In an email on January 8, 2025, I asked Dr. Albaugh whether I could read the exam with them and then type the exam, having them use the typed version to decipher what I had written on exam day. Another professor in the department suggested this solution to me. Later that day, Dr. Albaugh responded saying that they did not feel comfortable with this solution, stating “I could have done other things if you had raised the issue before the exam or even before it was graded.” I do not believe that this argument is reasonable. Although I have worried about my handwriting in the past, all my former professors have read my exams. Therefore I could not have been expected to foresee in advance of the grade release date that I would be marked on only a portion of the exam.
I therefore ask that you grant my petition for a review of my final exam grade in Pols 384: Introduction to Political Research for the fall term, 2024.
Yours sincerely,
William Bruce-Robertson
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: NO DOC
Document: POLS 284 Fall 2024 Syllabus.pdf
History
Originally submitted January 19, 2025 at 4:05:18 PM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | Withdrawn | Kerri Andrews | 2025-01-20 11:02:35 AM |