Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing to respectfully request a Credit Standing (CR) for KNPE 254: Biomechanical Analysis, due to significant disruptions and instructional shortcomings that severely impacted my academic performance and mental well-being.

Prior to the Teaching Assistant strike, I was on track to earn a B or higher in the course. I had completed the early assessments with confidence and felt engaged in the material. However, following the strike, the course underwent sudden and harmful changes. Multiple assignments were removed—assignments that would have helped bolster my grade and, more importantly, provided feedback critical to preparing for the midterm and final exams.

The absence of TA support meant we had limited to no access to guidance, clarification, or feedback. In this situation, many of us were forced to rely on external sources such as Google, YouTube, or third-party educational websites just to understand the material and confirm whether our answers were valid. Alarmingly, roughly 50% of the homework questions provided by our instructor, Pat Costigan, were incorrect, which led to ongoing confusion and uncertainty. We were constantly second-guessing what we had learned, which undermined our ability to study effectively.

Adding to the pressure, Professor Costigan increased the weighting of the final exam from 40% to 65% without prior notice or consultation, despite the clearly diminished instructional support. He also made no changes to reduce the difficulty of the exam. The format was switched to entirely multiple choice, which is especially inappropriate for a math-intensive course like biomechanics, as it eliminates the possibility of earning partial marks and punishes small calculation errors.

On top of this, serious grading inconsistencies were discovered after midterm marks were released online. Many students were shocked by unexpectedly low grades. One classmate was listed as having received a 60%, but upon voluntarily meeting with Professor Costigan to review his exam in person, it was revealed that he had actually scored 85%. This was not an isolated case and reveals a troubling lack of care and attention to detail in the marking process—errors that could have gone uncorrected for many students who didn't question their grades.

Despite my initial strong standing in the course, these disruptions and inconsistencies led to a final grade of D+, a result I firmly believe does not reflect my effort, ability, or understanding.

For these reasons—academic disruption from the TA strike, the removal of key learning opportunities, increased exam weight without support, flawed instructional materials, grading errors, and the overall impact on student well-being—I respectfully request to be granted a Credit Standing (CR) for KNPE 254. I believe this would be a fair and compassionate resolution given the extraordinary and inequitable challenges we faced.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I would be happy to discuss this further or provide any additional documentation.