Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: October 3, 2016



Dear Dr. Johanne Bénard,

I am appealing the 21-day period in which I am able to submit an appeal and additionally appealing my final exam grade for CISC 260 (Winter, 2016).

Due to my distance from the university when the final grades were released (I had returned to Vancouver following the end of the semester), and the policy on how final examinations can be handled, I was unable to submit this appeal earlier (in the 21-day period). My concerns were brought to the professor of the course, and she agreed that, in this case, the appeal should be exempted from the policy (see attached email conversation).

My final exam grade was 22, which was unexpected given the grades I received throughout the semester up to that point. The final grade for this course was comprised of two 50 minute in-class quizzes and six assignments (with the lowest three marks dropped). My top three assignments marks were 89, 67, and 53. For the latter two of my assignment marks, my grade was reduced by 10 due to an administrative policy, which was applied if, for example, the submitted assignment was named incorrectly. The first test went relatively well with a mark of 74, whereas I faltered a bit with the second test, obtaining only a 55. I recognized right away that this drop was not acceptable and thus, for the final, I emphasized more time on the second half of the course.

While tests are not my strong suit, I believe, especially after reviewing my exam that I warranted some part marks on the majority of questions. There were questions on the exam where, although I did not have the correct answer, it was obvious that there was knowledge of the answer.

Going forward, I have registered for the next available session of CISC 260, commencing in the Winter semester of 2017. In the event that this appeal does affect my grade in the course, registering in the next session will allow me retake the course and achieve success. I will also make a significant attempt to change the way I study for this course. My second in-class quiz did prompt me to put more effort into that section of the course, but it was not enough. In the future, I will use more of the resources available to me, in an attempt to better understand the course content.

Thank you for taking the time to read my appeal. I greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Adam Gough