Student Academic Appeals and Complaints

Academic Appeals (Taught)

This information on academic appeals only applies to undergraduate and postgraduate taught students.  There are separate procedures for postgraduate research academic appeals.

WHAT IS AN ACADEMIC APPEAL?

It lets you to request a review of a range of academic-related decisions made by an Extenuating Circumstances Panel, a Progression & Award Board (PAB) or an Assessment Offences Panels.

WHAT YOU CAN APPEAL

An Extenuating Circumstances claim outcome if:

• you were unable to provide evidence by the deadline.
• you think that evidence and/or information provided in support of your claim was not properly considered.
• inadequate explanation was given for the decision.

A Progression and Award Board decision (your results) if:

• you feel you had extenuating circumstances but you were unable to submit an claim by the deadline.
• the assessment procedure was not applied or was applied incorrectly, and this had a significant negative impact on the decision.

Assessment Offences Panel outcome if:

• the assessment misconduct procedure was not applied correctly, and this had a significant negative impact on the outcome.
• substantial new evidence has come to light.
• the decision reached was unfair based on the available evidence.
• the penalty imposed was excessive.

WHAT CAN'T I APPEAL?

You disagree with a grade you have been given

You can’t appeal against what is known as 'academic judgement', for example if you feel the grade that you received was not high enough even though you did your best or believe that you met all the criteria.

You are unhappy with the teaching or supervision on your programme

If you are unhappy with the teaching, feedback, supervision or support you have received, you need to use the Student Complaints Procedure.

Provisional grades

Your grades are not final until the Progression and Award Board (PAB) have approved them. You can’t submit an appeal until your results have been published under the 'Student Results' heading on the portal.

You cannot appeal an academic decision that you have already appealed

We are unable to consider an appeal if you are essentially appealing a decision that you have already appealed and received an outcome for.

You cannot appeal against an Assessment Offences Investigative Interview outcome

If you’re unhappy with the outcome of your investigative interview, you can request that your case is escalated to an Assessment Offence Panel. Further information can be found in the Assessment Misconduct Procedure.

CAN A SUCESSFUL APPEAL INCREASE MY GRADE?

No. Even if your appeal is successful, the outcome can never uplift or change your grade. You may be offered an opportunity to improve your grade through reassessment.

WHEN SHOULD I SUBMIT MY APPEAL?

You must submit your appeal no later than 14 calendar days after you have received the decision that you are appealing against:

• The publication of your results on the portal (the deadline for submission of an appeal will be confirmed on your results); or
• The date of the outcome email after an Assessment offences Panel

HOW DO I SUBMIT AN APPEAL?

You need to submit your appeal using the Academic Appeals Form. The form and further guidance on submitting an appeal including filling out the form can be found on the Academic Appeals Procedure page.

HELP AND ADVICE

If you are considering submitting an appeal, we advise you to contact the Greenwich Students' Union  Advice Team or your Personal Tutor or Programme Leader.  They will be able to help you decide if you have valid grounds for an appeal and discuss your options and next steps.

Further help and advice can be found in the Guidance Notes and Academic Appeals Policy & Procedure.

Student Complaints

We aim to provide a supportive environment for you, and to be responsive to your concerns when they are raised. We view the Student Complaints Procedure as an opportunity to monitor and make improvements to our services.

WHO CAN MAKE A COMPLAINT

• Undergraduate, postgraduate taught, postgraduate research and apprenticeship students currently registered on a University of Greenwich programme.
• Students on an approved leave of absence (for instance, interruption of studies)
• Graduates or former students (only if you make your complaint within three months of completing or ending your studies).

If you are studying for an award at a partner institution, you should initially follow your college’s complaints procedure.

WHO CAN'T MAKE A COMPLAINT

• Graduates or former students that did not make a complaint within three months of completing or ending their studies.
• Postgraduate research students complaining about a role as an employee of the University - these are dealt with by Human Resources.
• Anonymous complaints - it's not usually practical for us to investigate anonymous complaints.

WHAT YOU CAN COMPLAINT ABOUT

You can complaint about any academic or non-academic service provided by the University, such as:

• Misleading or incorrect information provided by us.
• Aspects of your learning and teaching experience including PGR supervision.
• Facilities, learning resources or other services provided by us.
• Other organisations or contactors providing a service on our behalf.
• Issues with University managed accommodation.
• Complaints about behaviour by members of staff that come under the remit of the Student Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy.

WHAT YOU CAN'T COMPLAINT ABOUT

• Your results - you can ask for a review of the decision by using the Academic Appeals Procedure (Taught) or Academic Appeals Procedure (Research (more information on this can be found on the above pages).
• Other students’ behaviour – contact to your faculty or if it’s about something that took place in the University’s halls contact Accommodation Services.
• The Greenwich Students’ Union, which has its own policy and procedures.
• An application to the University, which must be made through the Admissions Policy and Procedure.
• Issues that have already been considered as an academic appeal, fitness to practise or as a disciplinary matter – although you can complain about how we have handled any of these procedures.
• Issues that are currently under consideration by the police.

WHEN SHOULD I MAKE MY COMPLAINT AND HOW DO I DO IT?

You need to raise your complaint within 4 weeks of the issue or incident that you are complaining about.

Raising a complaint with staff in the area where the issue occurred is usually the quickest and most effective way to resolve an issue, which is why we expect you try to resolve your issues at the Stage 0: Informal Stage first.

You can do this with any relevant member of staff who works in the area the issue arose. If your complaint is about academic-related issues, this may be the Module Tutor or Programme Leader, or your Research Supervisor. If your complaint is about a University service, then you should talk to an appropriate member of staff from that service.

Further guidance and all the forms that you may need can be found here  https://docs.gre.ac.uk/rep/sas/student-complaints-procedure.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM THE COMPLAINTS PROCESS?

There are three stages:

Stage 0 - Informal Resolution

We aim to resolve complaints quickly and locally by encouraging early resolution within the department that provides the service. Sometimes a matter will have to be referred to more than one member of staff to find the right answer, or receive approval for an outcome, but we will keep you informed as we go along. If you are not satisfied with the response we give at this stage, you can take your complaint to Stage 1 of the procedure.

Stage 1 - Formal Investigation

Stage 1 deals with complaints that have not been resolved at Stage 0 and those that are complex and require detailed investigation. We will tell you who is dealing with your complaint and provide you with an outcome as soon as possible, normally within 28 calendar days. If our investigation will take longer, we will tell you.

Stage 2 - Review including Review Panel

Stage 2 is the review stage and looks at complaints that have not been resolved at Stage 1. There are a range of reasons why you can ask for a review. We will consider your request and either let you know that we will not be considering your complaint any further (and you will be told how to take it to external review) or your complaint will be passed to a Review Panel for further consideration.

Full details of all stages can be found in the Student Complaints Procedure.

HOW WILL YOU RESOLVE MY COMPLAINT?

Complaint outcomes may include an apology, alterations to a process or to a service that we provide and, exceptionally, compensation for loss or damage suffered. We aim to ensure that proposed outcomes are reasonable and appropriate to the nature and circumstances of the complaint. Financial compensation is usually only considered when a practical outcome is not available or is inappropriate or insufficient.

HELP AND ADVICE

Students’ Union

Free independent advice and advocacy is available from the Greenwich Students’ Union at any stage of your complaint:

Email: suadvice@gre.ac.uk

Web: www.greenwichsu.co.uk/advice

Online contact form: www.greenwichsu.co.uk/advice/triageform

Listening Ears

Listening Ears provide confidential support to students across the University. They provide point of contact, informal and confidential support services, and referrals to relevant services as appropriate. To make an appointment email listening@greenwich.ac.uk.

University Chaplaincy

Faith communities appoint our University Chaplains to work at the University to care for students and staff of all religions and beliefs, and also for those who do not have a faith background. You can contact the chaplains by dropping in to one of their regular events, or by emailing them on chaplaincy@gre.ac.uk.