Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies):

RE: Academic Appeal

I am appealing my final grade of A in LLCU 432: Field Research Practicum at Fudan University (Fall, 2014) as my grade on SOLUS does not match what should be my final mark in the course. This fall, I had the opportunity to participate in the LLCU Semester in Shanghai program. This program, unlike other exchange opportunities, includes a mandatory 6 unit course, LLCU 432, which is provided a Queen's University grade rather than a Pass/Fail credit. Fudan University has a system in which only 30 percent of any given class is awarded an A, and if more than 30 percent of the class obtains this, a curve would be used to lower their grades. However, coming from Queen's University, where this policy does not exist, my classmates and I were assured by both our Fudan University professor and Professor James Miller that our grades on our Queen's University transcripts would reflect our true marks, rather than any mark negatively impacted by the curve.

However, this is not the case. While Professor Miller has in fact raised my grade above the curve, the mark given to me on my SOLUS transcript still does not reflect the true mark awarded to me when combining each aspect of the course, as shown below:

Collaboration: 5
Proposal: 19
Journal: 20
Final presentation: 21
Final report: 27.6
Total: 72.6

This breakdown of marks was sent to me by email, which I will attach to my appeal, via James Miller upon requesting an explanation of my mark. As noted in the syllabus, which I will also attach, each point awarded represents a corresponding percentage gained in the course. Thus, upon adding the points, my final grade should be equal to 92.6 percent. Yet, due to the limit on A's within the Fudan University grading system, my mark has been lowered to 72.6 percent. However, this should be irrelevant. Based on the Queen's University grading system, my grade should remain at 92.6 percent, which is the equivalent of an A plus - not an A. The lowering of my grade to an A by - while a professor involved in the course - someone who did not teach the course and who was not present throughout each evaluation, seems to me arbitrary at best.

I am deeply upset that my grade does not reflect, what I feel, is the grade I have earned through my dedication and hard work within this course. Therefore, I genuinely appreciate the time taken to read my appeal and re-evaluate my final Queen's University mark within LLCU 432.

Sincerely,

Kaitlyn Bouvier