Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

My name is Maxwell and I am a 3rd year English Literature Major and Political Studies Minor. With an particular interest in Canadian Political Studies, I decided to enroll in Canadian Constitution, POLS310. Though my program (Political Studies Minor) only requires 200-level courses, last term I decided to pursue 300 level courses out of interest in the subjects (POLS354: Democratic Theory & POLS310: Canadian Constitution). While the material in POLS 310 was compelling, I was disappointed with the way in which the course panned out throughout the academic term.

The course was composed of three evaluations: a midterm exam (20), an essay (30), and a final exam (50). Leading up to the midterm (of which we had no prior evaluations), I found Professor Hiebert's lectures difficult to follow, however, I was becoming accustomed to her teaching style and felt prepared for the midterm. Professor Hiebert then left directly before the midterm and Professor Hulme took her place. Though her lectures were more organized and used visuals, I found it challenging to transition between professors mid-way through the term as I have never had to adjust to different teaching styles at Queens before.

The midterm class average was a 52 and my grade was also 52. Having received student complaints, Professor Hulme re-evaluated the exam and accepted an alternate answer on two questions. I achieved both of these points and raised by grade to a 56. Though I was dissatisfied with grade, I decided against dropping the course since the midterm was only worth 20 of our final grade.

Essay grades were not distributed until 2-3 days before the exam (I am unable to locate the exact date since the course is now closed) and began to panic since it was then far too late to drop the course. I immediately called academic grievance who suggested I appeal my grade to you. The academic grievance office informed me that (should be appeal be approved) I would be able to achieve the course credit without impacting my GPA.

This course credit would complete the required credits needed to earn my Minor in Political Studies and I am now enrolled solely in courses that pertain to my major this term (200 and 300 level English Literature courses). Though I learned a great deal of valuable knowledge in this course, I have plans to drastically improve my GPA throughout 3rd and 4th year and possibly attend a graduate program. Should you refer to my transcript, you will see that I achieved a B in my other 300-level poltics course (POLS354) and my grades (so far) in my full year English courses (ENGL389, ENGL312, ENGL351) are in the A - B range.

If there is any missing information or documentation please let me know. Thank you for your consideration regarding my appeal.

Sincerely,

Maxwell Johnston
20025786