Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Hello,

I am a student in PSYC 301, and I am requesting this appeal because I believe that the course is not being taught in a sufficient way to satisfy my learning needs.

In class, visually demanding concepts are described using lengthy paragraphs of writing, and the PowerPoint slides used are vague and lack critical visuals needed to explain the material.
The course midterm was worth 34%, covered strange selection of course content, and included both a 25- and 35-point question - neither of which were we given warning of prior to the examination. Further, the 35-point question was not similar to any material we cover either in class or in labs. I was even informed by another student in the class that one individual emailed asking for an outline of the exam format prior to the exam, but the professor refused to provide this.

The class average of the midterm without the bell curve was a 49%. This is not a passing grade and is very alarming to me. This said, while the grade is very poor, I am also aware that a great number of students in the class are also deeply struggling to understand the course content based on how it is being explained. All students I have talked to in the class state how they find it extremely challenging to comprehend the teaching and often skip class because they feel that their attendance is unlikely to benefit their learning.

I am a hardworking, committed student, and I put a great amount of effort into this course because I care about the importance of statistics in psychology. I would also like to mention that I have a love for learning and strive to excel in my courses. I took both PSYC 202 and 203 last year and enjoyed the content of both because it was taught in a matter that I could comprehend. This year, however, I am having immense challenges following the teaching of the content in PSYC 301, and subsequently, am currently not in a position to pass the course with my midterm result.

I pay a great amount of money to attend Queen's University and it is a shame that I feel I learn more from online videos than from the classes I pay for. I am hoping to be able to drop this class despite the deadline for dropping without academic penalty having passed, so that I can continue my future in psychology with the knowledge I need to succeed, and not be dragged down by this grade. I intend to retake this course at a later time at a different institution.

Thank you for your time.