Undergraduate Appeals Guidance Document

YOU SHOULD READ THIS DOCUMENT BEFORE SUBMITTING AN ACADEMIC APPEAL

This document should be read alongside the Request for Undergraduate Informal Appeal form and

Request for Formal Appeal form and is intended to aid students who are submitting an academic

appeal in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. Please read this document carefully.

Section A is for Faculty of Nursing Undergraduate Informal Stage appeals related to:

All Reappraisal/Review of marks for assessments

Academic standing decisions including:

o Probation and Continuation in a program requirements

o Graduation/Degree Classification

o Requirement to withdraw from a program in the Faculty of Nursing

Section B is for Faculty of Nursing Formal Stage appeals related to:

Academic standing decisions

Practicum Intervention

Decision arising from Code of Student Behaviour procedures

Section C is for University of Alberta Formal Stage appeals once all Faculty of Nursing Level appeals

have been completed.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE APPEAL PROCESS

Timeline Requirements for Appeal applications 3

Required Appeal Application 4

Decision Makers 5

SECTION A: INFORMAL APPEAL

STAGE - FACULTY OF NURSING (FoN)

General overview: Informal Appeal 6

What can be appealed? 6

The Informal Appeal Summary 7

Grounds for Informal Appeal:

General guidance 8

Procedural Irregularity 8

Mitigating Circumstances

Bias or Discrimination

9

11

Informal Appeal outcomes 12

Additional Information 13

Signature of Appellant 13

What happens once your appeal is received 13

The outcome of your Informal Appeal 14

SECTION B: FORMAL APPEAL STAGE - FACULTY OF NURSING (FoN) ACADEMIC APPEALS COMMITTEE or PRACTICE REVIEW COMMITTEE

General overview: Formal Appeal to Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeals Committee

15

What can be appealed? 15

New Evidence 16

Completing the form 16

What happens once your Review Stage Appeal is received 17

Appeal outcomes 17

SECTION C: FORMAL APPEAL

STAGE: UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA GFC ACC

OR GFC PRB

General overview: Formal Appeal to University of Alberta General Faculties Council Appeals Committee (GFC or PRB)

18

What can be appealed against? 18

Request for a University Appeal Board, GFC AAC or GFC PRB Formal Appeal

18

Appeal Outcome 19

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THE APPEAL PROCESS

TIMELINES REQUIREMENTS FOR APPEAL APPLICATIONS

FoN Informal Appeal: Submission Requirements

Final Examination Reappraisals

Students must submit reappraisals by:

Fall Term courses: February 1

Full Year (Fall/Winter) courses, Winter Term courses: June 22

Spring/Summer courses: thirty (30) days following publication of

results

Final examination reappraisal fee must be paid to the University of Alberta.

Please see Schedule of Fees for Special Services.

Grade Appeals (includes Clinical Nursing Practice Mark Review)

Students clinical nursing practice mark reviews by:

Fall Term first 7 weeks (6W1): December 1

Fall Term last 7 weeks (6W2) and 13 week courses: February 1

Winter Term first 7 weeks (6W1): April 1

Winter Term last 7 weeks (6W2) & 13 week courses: June 25

Spring/Summer: fifteen (15) working days following posting of

course results on Bear Tracks

Academic Standing: Students have fifteen (15) days to appeal their academic standing after receiving official notice of the recommendation or decision letter.

FoN Formal Appeal: Submission Requirements

Grade Appeals

Academic Standing

Students have fifteen (15) working days from date of informal appeal decision letter from the Associate Dean (or delegate), Undergraduate Programs to submit a FoN formal appeal.

Practicum Intervention Students have fifteen (15) working days from date of Practicum Intervention decision letter from the Associate Dean (or delegate), Undergraduate Programs to submit a formal appeal to FoN Practice Review Committee.

Code of Student Behavior Decision (Academic Misconduct)

Students have fifteen (15) working days from date of Code of Student Behaviour decision letter from the Associate Dean (or delegate), Undergraduate Programs (or letter from Discipline Officer) to submit a University Appeal Board (UAB) formal appeal.

UofA Formal Appeal: Submission Requirements

GFC Practice Review Board (PRB)

GFC Academic Appeals Committee (AAC)

University Appeal Board (UAB)

Students have fifteen (15) working days from receiving Formal Appeal decision letter from the appropriate FoN Appeal Committee to submit the formal appeal form to the appropriate University of Alberta GFC committee.

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REQUIRED APPEAL APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

Faculty of Nursing Informal Appeal: Appeal Document Required

Final Examination Reappraisals Request for Reappraisal of a Final Exam

Grade Appeals Request for Grade Appeal

Academic Standing Request for Undergraduate Informal Appeal Please Note: Form for all appeals must be emailed to the Office of Undergraduate Programs at nuappeal@ualberta.ca from your University of Alberta (or collaborative institute) email

Faculty of Nursing Formal Appeal: Appeal Document Required

Grade Appeals

Academic Standing

Request for Formal Appeal

Practicum Intervention Request for Formal Appeal

Please Note: Formal Appeals form must be emailed to Vice Dean, Faculty of Nursing at nuappeal@ualberta.ca from your University of Alberta (or collaborative institute) email

University of Alberta Formal Appeal: Appeal Document Required

General Facilities Council Academic Appeals Committee (GFC AAC)

For more information see 1.2.1 Initiation of Appeals Contact: Appeal and Compliance Officer Email: michael.peterson@ualberta.ca Phone: 780-492-2655

Practicum Intervention

General Facilities Council Practice Review Board (GFC PRB)

For more information see 87.5 Appeals to the GFC PRB

Contact: Appeal and Compliance Officer Email: michael.peterson@ualberta.ca

Phone: 780-492-2655

Violation Code of Student Behavior

University Appeal Board (UAB)

For more information see 30.6 Procedures for Appeal of Decision to the University Appeal Board Contact: Appeal and Compliance Officer Email: michael.peterson@ualberta.ca

Phone: 780-492-2655

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DECISION MAKERS

Faculty of Nursing Informal Appeal: Decision Maker

Final Examination Reappraisals Associate Dean (or delegate), Undergraduate Programs *.

Clinical Nursing Practice Mark Review

Associate Dean (or delegate), Undergraduate Programs *

*Please Note: Decisions are final and cannot be appealed to Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeals Committee or the University of Alberta GFC AAC

Grade Appeals Associate Dean (or delegate), Undergraduate Programs

Academic Standing Associate Dean (or delegate), Undergraduate Programs

Practicum Intervention Associate Dean (or delegate), Undergraduate Programs

Code of Student Behaviour Associate Dean (or delegate), Undergraduate Programs* *Please Note: Decisions regarding Code Of Student Behaviors (Academic Misconduct) are appealed directly to University Appeal Board but if the Associate Dean recommends a severe sanction for a Code of Student Behavior Decision then the Discipline Officer, University Governance reviews the recommendation before it can go to the University Appeal Board (UAB) for formal appeal

Faculty of Nursing Formal Appeal: Decision Makers

Grade Appeals Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeals Committee*

Academic Standing Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeals Committee

Practicum Intervention Faculty of Nursing Practice Review Committee *Please Note: Grade Appeal decisions are final and cannot be appealed to the University of Alberta GFC AAC

University of Alberta Formal Appeal Type of Formal Appeal

GFC Practice Review Board (PRB) Practicum Intervention

GFC Academic Appeals Committee (AAC) Academic Standing

University Appeal Board Code of Student Behavior

Students cannot appeal:

Faculty of Nursing decision and requirements regarding admission and re-admission

Decision related to granting credit for courses taken or to be taken outside of the University of

Alberta,

Standards of student academic performance, including foundational minimum pass, for promotion

and graduation,

Specified consequence (e.g. required to withdraw) for failure to meet Probation or Continuation in

program requirements.

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SECTION A – UNDERGRADUATE INFORMAL STAGE APPEAL

SECTION A: UNDERGRADUATE INFORMAL APPEAL

STAGE - FACULTY OF NURSING (FoN)

General overview: Informal Appeal 6

What can be appealed? 6

The Informal Appeal Summary 7

Grounds for Informal Appeal:

General guidance 7

Procedural Irregularity 8

Mitigating Circumstances

Bias or Discrimination

9

11

Informal Appeal outcomes 12

Additional Information 13

Signature of Appellant 13

What happens once your appeal is received 14

The outcome of your Informal Appeal 14

Completing the Request for Informal Appeal Form

The informal appeal application is not used for Reappraisal (Review of marks) of assessment appeals.

Please ensure that you complete the correct form listed below for reappraisals and see the

Undergraduate Academic Appeal Step by Step Guide for more information:

o Final examination

o Clinical nursing practice mark (informal appeal only)

o Final course grade

This Section of the Guidance document takes you step by step through the Undergraduate Informal

Appeal Form, to assist you in understanding it and completing it. Students are required to exhaust all

the provisions for appeal at the Faculty level before taking an appeal to University of Alberta Appeal

Committee.

Please Note: Some Academic Standing decisions will automatically be considered by the Associate

Dean (or designate), Undergraduate Programs and therefore do not need an informal appeal

application form. These include, but are not limited to:

Clinical Failures and Withdrawals

Practicum Intervention

Code of Student Behaviour

The Undergraduate informal appeal form should be typed rather than hand-written. If you have a

specific reason for hand-writing the form and you are unable to fit the writing into the text boxes, you

should attach an additional sheet, but clearly label each section you are responding to when you do

so. You should ensure you have read this guidance document before completing the form, and are

strongly advised to consult with Office of the Student Ombuds for assistance.

Section 1: What can be appealed and not appealed?

Decisions you may appeal are listed on page 2 of the Informal Stage Appeal form. Whilst most are self-

explanatory, you should bear in mind the following points:

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Admission and Re-Admission to program: Admission and readmission decisions are final. Students

may NOT appeal decisions regarding admission or readmission into an Undergraduate Nursing

Program, including any conditions and requirements set out by Faculty of Nursing if (re)admitted to a

program.

Transfer Credit: Decision related to granting credit for courses taken or to be taken outside of the

University of Alberta.

Standards of student academic performance, including foundational minimum pass, for promotion

and graduation. You cannot progress in an undergraduate program until you have successfully met

the foundational courses minimum pass (C+/70%) requirements. (As of Fall 2017: See Faculty of

Nursing Calendar). A grade appeal can be submitted if appropriate but if you have not met the

academic standard (C+) in any foundational course you cannot appeal to progress in the program on

that basis.

If you fail or withdraw from a course that is a prerequisite for another course, you cannot progress

until all the required prerequisites for that course have been met.

Probation or Continuation in program requirements: The Associate Dean (or designate),

Undergraduate Programs may impose probation requirements or certain conditions, including

completing remedial work and/or repeating previous coursework, that students must meet to

continue in the program. Students have the right to formally appeal the probation requirements or

conditions within 15 (fifteen) days of when the decision letter is received. Conditions set by Faculty of

Nursing Academic Appeal Committee are final and binding and no further appeals can be made. If the

student does not appeal the conditions and the specified consequences within the specified time

frame, any further appeal rights are waived. If probation requirements or conditions are not met, then

students do not have the right to appeal the specified consequences which is normally the

requirement to withdraw from the Faculty of Nursing.

Your disagreement with a mark you have been awarded does not, in itself, constitute a procedural

error.

Section 2: The Informal Appeal Summary

This summary should set out, as concisely as possible, the key points of your appeal. The summary

must not exceed 250 words. The summary, along with other information in your appeal, may be

forwarded to relevant individuals or groups to enable them to respond to your appeal. The summary

should identify the key points of your appeal and the rationale for your appeal should be clearly stated

in the remainder of the form. You are encouraged to complete this summary after completing every

other section on the form, as Sections 4A, B and C will guide you to provide the most relevant

information.

Section 3: Grounds for Informal Appeal

You can only appeal on the basis of one or more of the following:

Procedural irregularity;

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Mitigating circumstances (factors not considered at the time) which for a good reason could

not reasonably have been declared sooner;

Bias or discrimination.

You may appeal on the basis of one or more of the above grounds within a single appeal. You do not

need to complete a separate appeal form for each ground.

Section 4A: Procedural Irregularity

If you are appealing on this basis, complete Section 4A of the form. A procedural irregularity or

unfair/improper conduct of an assessment refers to an error or mistake made in the way that an

assessment has been carried out.

Questions on the form:

What is the nature of the Procedural Irregularity?

When setting out the nature of the irregularity, try as clearly and concisely as you can to

explain what you believe went wrong and why this affected you. For example, ‘I was given

only two hours to complete a three-hour exam paper’.

When

Set out dates here as clearly and precisely as possible.

Which assessments were affected?

Please ensure you list all affected assessments and the date they were taken/submitted. For

example ‘I was not granted enough time for the ‘NURS 201, Nursing Assessment, taken on 22

May 2017’. Make sure you are clear as to which attempt at the assessment you are referring

to, i.e. the first attempt, or a deferred exam, or both, and provide dates for each. If you exclude

an assessment, it may not be considered for a remedy if your appeal is upheld.

Regulation of procedure that has not been followed

If you are able to, it may be helpful to quote the relevant sections of the University’s

Regulations or Procedures, indicating which you believe have been breached. Otherwise, you

should simply explain the issue which you are appealing clearly as possible. Please see the

University of Alberta Regulations and Faculty of Nursing Regulations.

Evidence

Evidence to support a procedural irregularity will vary depending on the nature of the alleged

irregularity. However, appropriate evidence to support a procedural irregularity claim might

include copies of email correspondence between yourself and the faculty demonstrating your

efforts to clarify whether an error has occurred.

If you are unsure what evidence might be appropriate you can email nuappeal@ualberta.ca or the

Office of the Student Ombuds.

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Section 4B: Mitigating Circumstances (factors not considered at the time)

Academic studies are challenging and everyday life is full of ups and downs. We expect you to use

the appropriate support services to help you develop strategies for managing normal difficulties.

Your instructors, Faculty staff or other members of the academic community can help you access

these or please see All U of A Student Services.

If you are appealing on this basis, complete Section 4B of the form. If you are appealing on the basis

of mitigating circumstances, you must show that:

1. You had mitigating circumstances (and you have evidence of this) AND;

2. That you had good reason for not providing your mitigating circumstances at the

appropriate time, AND

3. That those circumstances had an impact on the decision against which you are appealing.

Circumstances that may fall into this category are:

Exceptional medical circumstances e.g. hospitalization or incapacitation through injury,

illness, or mental health crisis,

Close bereavement e.g. partner, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, and grandchild.

Housemates or very close friends may also be considered as ‘close’, though evidence of the

relationship may be required,

Victim of a serious crime,

Disabilities for which reasonable adjustments are not yet in place and where the delay is

not due to the student,

Exceptional and unforeseeable transport difficulties e.g. major transport incidents,

cancelled flights. This does not include every-day issues e.g. traffic congestion, missed buses

or trains,

Legal proceedings requiring attendance,

Exceptional personal circumstances e.g. events that result in a serious impact on a student’s

ability to engage with academic work during the assessment period in question.

The following never qualify as exceptional circumstances:

Loss of work that has not backed up or printing problems,

Accidental submission of an incorrect document (e.g. an assignment from another module

or an incomplete earlier draft of the assignment),

In the event of electronic submission, the following will not be accepted as exceptional

circumstances:

o submitting the wrong file type or a corrupted file,

o starting the upload after the deadline has passed,

o claim of technical issues on behalf of the University with no proof of an error

message/system failure on the University network.

Misreading of the examination timetable,

English not being a first language,

Deadlines for work or exams being set close together.

The following may only be regarded as exceptional if there is evidence that they are unforeseeable,

unavoidable and had an impact on the assessment:

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Relationship breakdown,

Disabilities for which reasonable adjustments have not been made,

Financial difficulties,

For an electronic submission of an assessment, a delay of up to 30 minutes between

starting and completing the file upload process.

Questions on the form:

What are your mitigating circumstances?

Set out here the nature of the circumstances, e.g. your illness and symptoms and how these

affected your ability to work, or the loss of a close relative, or a difficult family situation and

how it affected you.

When did these affect you?

Explain how each circumstance affected you and you a single event or a number of events or

incidents which led to poor academic performance. For example, the date you became ill and

when you were fully recovered, or the date of death of a relative. For example, ‘I was admitted

to hospital on 14 May 2017, was discharged on 26 May 2017, and declared fit to study by my

doctor on 18 June 2017’.

Which assessments were affected by each circumstance?

You should make clear which assessments were affected, for example, ‘I was unable to take

the Nursing Assessment Exam on 25 May 2017, because I was in hospital’. Make sure you are

clear which attempt at the assessment you are referring to, i.e. the first attempt, or a deferred

examination or both, and provide dates for each. If you miss listing an assessment, it may not

be considered for a remedy if your appeal is upheld.

Why did you not raise these at the time? This is a very important question. If you do not

have good reason for failing to disclose your circumstances at the time, your appeal may

not be upheld on the basis of mitigating circumstances.

What is a ‘good reason’ for not submitting your mitigating circumstances earlier?

Examples of ‘good reasons’ (which must also be clearly evidenced):

o A genuine medical emergency, such as hospitalization;

o Severe issues outside your control.

Examples of reasons which are not considered to be ‘good reasons:

o A belief that the University would not take your concerns seriously;

o Believing or hoping that you would do well enough in the assessments;

o General embarrassment / a reluctance to disclose your circumstances;

o Deciding not to disclose your circumstances because you wanted to demonstrate that you

could succeed without help;

o That you belong to or grew up in a culture in which problems are not openly discussed or

disclosed to others. This is not accepted as a good reason for non-disclosure of mitigating

circumstances because it would be unjust to accept claims from some students but not

others on the basis of assumptions about cultural norms based on a student’s nationality,

ethnicity or religious faith. The University does not discriminate against students on the

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basis of nationality, ethnicity, faith or any other protected characteristic under the Alberta

Human Rights Act and the Discrimination, Harassment and Duty to Accommodate Policy.

If you make a conscious decision not to disclose your mitigating circumstances at the appropriate time,

you have chosen to accept the risk of failure or poorer performance. The Faculty of Nursing will expect

you to accept responsibility for having taken that risk and to accept the consequences, as

demonstrated by the examples outlined above.

Many appeals are not upheld on the basis that the student does not have a good reason for failing

to disclose mitigating circumstances at the time of the assessment they now believe has been

affected. If you do not have good reason for failing to disclose your mitigating circumstances at the

appropriate time, it is highly unlikely that your appeal will be upheld. You may therefore wish to

consider whether or not you still wish to continue with the appeal process.

Evidence

It is not possible to anticipate every circumstance that may affect a student or every kind of

relevant evidence, but broadly speaking you should provide evidence which is:

o Relevant to the circumstance e.g. bereavement should be supported by a death certificate,

illness supported by a letter from a doctor, and crime against you by a police report &

incident number.

o Concurrent with the circumstances, e.g. evidence from a doctor which is either written at

the time of your circumstances or which indicates that the doctor saw you at the time of

your circumstances.

o From an official source such as a hospital, doctor’s office, therapist, employer.

o From an independent source (i.e. not from a relative or a friend). Whilst you can submit

evidence from friends or relatives if you wish, this is useful only to provide context, and is

not considered to be independent third-party evidence, given the close links between the

author of the evidence and you.

o Clear that the circumstances resulted in medical, psychological or other difficulties, which

had a serious impact on your ability to study. This is most relevant where you cite

circumstances which would not normally be accepted, such as a relationship breakdown, or

where the circumstances relate to someone else, such as the illness of a relative or friend.

Please note: It is your responsibility to obtain the evidence – this will not be done for you by the

University.

Section 4C: Bias or Discrimination

If you are appealing on the basis of bias or discrimination against you on the part of the Nursing

Faculty, complete Section 4C of the form.

The University does not discriminate against students on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, faith or

any other protected characteristic under the Alberta Human Rights Act and the University of Alberta

Discrimination, Harassment and Duty to Accommodate Policy. If you believe that you have

experienced bias or discrimination during any academic or non-academic service, you should initially

raise these concerns with your course coordinator, teaching team lead or program chairperson

(collaborative sites). If you are still dissatisfied, you can request the course coordinator, teaching

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team lead or program chairperson escalate your issue to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate

Programs.

Questions on the form:

What is the nature of the alleged bias or discrimination?

When setting out the nature of the bias or discrimination, try as clearly and concisely as you

can to explain what you believe occurred, and why this affected you.

When

Set out dates here as clearly and precisely as possible.

Which assessments were affected?

Please ensure you list all affected assessments and set out the date they were

taken/submitted. Make sure you are clear which attempt at the assessment you are referring

to, i.e. the first attempt, or a deferred exam, or both, and provide dates for each. If you miss

out an assessment, it may not be considered for a remedy if your appeal is upheld.

Why did you not raise these at the time? This is a very important question. If you do not

have good reason for failing to discuss your concerns at the time, your appeal may not be

upheld.

The Faculty of Nursing expects you to disclose the alleged bias or discrimination at the time

you feel it occurred. Many appeals are not upheld on the basis that the student does not

have good reason for failing to disclose an alleged bias or discrimination at the time of the

assessment they now believe has been affected. If you do not have good reason for failing

to disclose the alleged bias or discrimination at the appropriate time, it is highly unlikely

that your appeal will be upheld. You may therefore wish to consider whether or not you still

wish to continue with the appeal process.

Evidence

Evidence to support an alleged bias or discrimination will vary depending on the nature of the

alleged concern. However, appropriate evidence to support an alleged bias or discrimination

claim might include copies of email correspondence between yourself and the Faculty

demonstrating your efforts to discuss your concerns when the incident occurred.

If you are unsure what evidence might be appropriate you can email nuappeal@ualberta.ca or the

Office of the Student Ombuds.

Section 5: Informal Appeal Outcomes request

Section 5 of the appeals form is where you should explain if you have any particular request for your

appeal outcome. The student can state their preference for relief from most desirable to least

desirable. For example, the student could request that they rewrite an examination; request an

opportunity to demonstrate a satisfactory level of knowledge or performance; repeat a course that

you withdrew from or failed; or that you would like to repeat foundational courses in order to

strengthen your knowledge base in those areas.

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However, you should be aware that there are a number of rules surrounding student progression

which limit the options available in deciding your appeal outcome. In particular you should note:

If you fail or withdraw from a course that is a prerequisite for another course, you cannot

progress until all the required prerequisites for that course have been met.

You cannot progress in an undergraduate program until you have successfully met the

foundational courses minimum pass (C+/70%) requirements. (As of Fall 2017: See Faculty of

Nursing Calendar). A grade appeal can be submitted if appropriate but if you have not met the

academic standard (C+) in any foundational course you cannot appeal to progress in the program

on that basis.

The Associate Dean (or designate), Undergraduate Programs may impose probation requirements

or certain conditions, including completing remedial work and/or repeating previous coursework,

that students must meet to continue in the program. Students have the right to formally appeal

the probation requirements or conditions within 15 (fifteen) days of when the decision letter is

received. Conditions set by Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeal Committee are final and binding

and no further appeals can be made. If the student does not appeal the conditions and the

specified consequences within the specified time frame, any further appeal rights are waived. If

probation requirements or conditions are not met, then students do not have the right to appeal

the specified consequences which is normally the requirement to withdraw from the Faculty of

Nursing.

If you have failed your program, or failed to progress to the next stage, and are appealing that

failure, submitting an academic appeal does not in itself permit you to continue as a student. You

may be permitted temporary registration but you are not permitted to progress unless the outcome

of the appeal process results in a change in your status.

Section 6: Additional Information

Enter here anything important that you cannot fit into the other sections. If you are submitting your

appeal out of time (more than fifteen (15) working days after the decision), you must set out your

reasons for appealing late in this section.

Section 7. Signature of Appellant

You should then enter your full name, date and signature (typing your name will suffice). Finally, you

should go through the provided checklist and ensure you haven’t missed anything. If you have left

your Appeal Summary to the end, you should check that you have completed it before submitting the

form with your supporting evidence from your University of Alberta (or collaborative institution)

email to nuappeal@ualberta.ca.

If you leave a relevant section of the form blank, your appeal will be considered on the basis of what

you have submitted. You should not assume that the Undergraduate Office, Faculty of Nursing is

familiar with the all details of every interaction you have had with the University of Alberta. It is

therefore very important that you fully complete the form since Undergraduate Office, Faculty of

Nursing will not be able to infer information that you have not provided.

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What happens once your Informal Appeal is received?

Submission criteria

When your appeal it is first assessed whether it meets the submission criteria. These criteria are set

out on the front of the appeal form and are:

a) That the form has been completed;

b) That you have provided evidence OR explained clearly why not and set an estimated date for

providing it;

c) That the form is submitted within the fifteen (15) working days deadline or, if not, that you

have provided an explanation as to why it is late;

d) That your appeal falls within the permissible appeal grounds (see Sections 1 and 3 of the

Formal Stage appeal form);

e) That the issues you raise are eligible for consideration under the appeals procedure.

Once your appeal has been investigated, all appeal documentation and information from the Faculty

will then be considered by the Associate Dean (or designate), Undergraduate Programs and decide

whether or not to uphold your appeal. The Associate Dean (or designate), Undergraduate Programs

may request a meeting with you to discuss the circumstances and/or grounds of your informal appeal

application. Students are entitled to bring a Student Ombudsperson to the meeting but it is the

student’s choice whether or not to bring an ombudsperson.

The Outcome of your Informal Appeal

You will be informed of the outcome of your Informal Appeal in writing, in an Informal Appeal

Decision Letter from the Office of Undergraduate Programs, which will be emailed to your University

of Alberta (or collaborative institute) email. This letter will set out the reasons for decision, any

conditions in order for you to continue and explain your right of appeal to the Formal Stage.

Academic Standing decisions: You have fifteen (15) working days from the date of your decision

letter from the Office of Undergraduate Services to submit the Formal appeal form.

Practicum Intervention and Code of Student Behaviour Decisions: You have fifteen (15) working

days* from the date of your decision letter from the Office of the Associate Dean, Undergraduate

Services to submit the Formal appeal form.

You can find further information on procedure in the Faculty of Nursing Appeals Policies and

Procedures for Undergraduate Programs

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SECTION B – FORMAL STAGE

SECTION B: FORMAL APPEAL STAGE - FACULTY OF NURSING (FoN) ACADEMIC APPEALS COMMITTEE

General overview: Formal Appeal to Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeals Committee

15

What can be appealed? 15

New Evidence 16

Completing the form 16

What happens once your Review Stage Appeal is received 17

Appeal outcomes 17

Overview – Formal Appeal to Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeals Committee

Students can only make a formal appeal to the Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeals or Practice

Review Committee if they have exhausted all informal procedures and received an Informal Appeal

Decision Letter from the Office of Undergraduate Services.

Academic Standing decisions: You have fifteen (15) working days from the date of your decision

letter from the Office of Undergraduate Services to submit the Formal Appeal form.

Practicum Intervention and Code of Student Behaviour Decisions: You have fifteen (15) working

days* from the date of your decision letter from the Office of Undergraduate Services to submit the

Formal Appeal form.

You will need to complete the Request for Formal Appeal. The Formal Appeal form should be typed

rather than hand-written. If you have a specific reason for hand-writing the form and you are unable

to fit the writing into the text boxes, you should attach an additional sheet, but clearly label each

section you are responding to when you do so. You are strongly advised to consult with Office of

the Student Ombuds for assistance

What can be appealed against?

The formal appeal to the Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeals or Practice Review Committee

process is only used to request a review of a decision reached at the Informal Appeal Stage. This

means that you may only request a review on the basis that:

1) Your Informal Appeal was investigated but it was decided that it should not be upheld:

The Committee will examine the appellant’s original written grounds for appeal and the

response in denying that appeal. The Committee will confine itself to the question of

whether the grounds stated in the original appeal were given adequate consideration.

2) Your Informal Appeal was upheld but you are dissatisfied with the appeal remedy (e.g.

probation requirements or conditions) offered.

Informal Stage Appeal decision was manifestly unreasonable in the circumstances:

In order for a Formal Appeal to be successful on this basis, you will need to demonstrate that

the decision made at the Informal Stage was an entirely unreasonable one. Simply

disagreeing with the decision does not mean that it was manifestly unreasonable in the

circumstances.

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You should follow these points when drafting a request on this ground:

a. When setting out an appeal on this basis, you should write your appeal as clearly

and concisely as possible, focussing very specifically on the aspect of the Informal

Stage Appeal decision that you feel was unreasonable.

b. You should focus on the Informal Stage decision itself, rather than repeating issues

you previously covered in your Informal Stage Appeal.

c. You should quote your Informal Stage Appeal outcome letter when writing your

statement, but you do not need to respond to every point made in your outcome

letter. It is better to focus on that part of the decision which you feel was

unreasonable.

New Evidence: If you have come into the possession of new evidence which was not available at the

time of your Informal Stage Appeal. The Chair of the Committee shall have sole discretion in deciding

if new evidence will be accepted or considered. Therefore you should set out:

o What the item(s) of evidence is/are and which circumstance or matter they specifically

relate to. You should be as specific as possible here. Do not assume that Faculty of Nursing

Academic Appeals Committee will always be able to surmise why the evidence is relevant.

You should be as clear as possible in explaining what it relates to;

o Explain why you think the evidence should change the decision made at the Informal Stage

of your appeal. Be clear here on why the Informal Stage decision would not have been

reached if this new evidence had been available with your Informal Stage Appeal;

o Explain why you could not have provided this evidence at the time of the Informal Stage

Appeal.

Please Note: If you have not received an Informal Appeal Decision letter by email, setting out your

right to submit a Formal Appeal, you will not be eligible to submit a Formal Appeal.

Completing the FoN Request for Formal Appeal Form

You will need to complete the Request for Formal Appeal and the request for a formal appeal must

include:

1. Name, Student ID#, and email;

2. Program of study, year of study, and Site;

3. A description of the steps already taken by the student to seek resolution;

4. Set out the substance of the decision being appealed, including the grounds for an appeal,

the nature of the relief being requested and, if applicable, the conditions being appealed;

5. Indicate whether the intervention will result in any adverse effect to the student’s academic

standing in the case of a practicum intervention;

6. Student’s signature.

The Appellant is permitted only one (1) appeal on the same issue.

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You will need to submit Request for Formal Appeal form and email it from your University of

Alberta (or collaborative institution) email to the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Nursing at

nuappeal@ualberta.ca.

What happens once your FoN Request for Formal Appeal Application is received?

The Faculty of Nursing Appeal Committee hears individual appeals regarding grades and adverse

academic standing decisions. The Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeals Committee will schedule

hearings following the end of Fall and Winter terms. If an appellant has not asked to appear in

person before the Committee, the hearing will held on the first available scheduled date and time. If

the appellant has asked to appear in person at the hearing (with, or without an advisor), the

appellant will be given at least 14 Calendar Days notice of the date and time at which his/her appeal

hearing has been scheduled. The 14 day notice can be waived if agreeable to all parties involved

At the appeal hearing, you have the right to the following:

Be accompanied by an advisor (e.g. Student Ombudsperson),

Call a witness or witnesses to give evidence.

Make an oral statement

Have your advisor make an oral statement.

Please note: The Formal Appeal process can take several months and if you have failed or been

withdrawn from your program, or failed to progress to the next level, and are appealing against

that failure or withdrawal, submitting an academic appeal does not in itself permit you to continue

as a student. You are not permitted to progress unless the outcome of the appeals process results

in a change in your status.

Appeal Outcome

The Committee’s decision on your Formal Appeal will be communicated to the Vice Dean within ten

(10) working days of the Appeal Hearing and the Vice Dean will convey the outcome of the Formal

Appeal hearing to you in writing as soon as possible. You will be informed in writing in a Formal

Appeal Decision letter, which will be emailed to your University of Alberta (or collaborative institute)

email. This letter will set out the reasons for decision of the Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeals

Committee. You will have 15 (fifteen) working days from date of the letter to formally appeal

against this decision to the University of Alberta GFC Committee if you are dissatisfied with it.

For more information, please see: Faculty of Nursing Appeal Policies and Procedures for

Undergraduate Programs Procedure. If you have questions regarding the appeals procedures, please

email the Office of the Dean at nuappeal@ualberta.ca

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SECTION C: FORMAL APPEAL

STAGE: UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA GFC ACC

OR GFC PRB

General overview: Formal Appeal to University of Alberta General Faculties Council Appeals Committee (GFC or PRB)

18

What can be appealed against? 18

Request for a University Appeal Board, GFC AAC or GFC PRB Formal Appeal

18

Appeal Outcome 19

Overview: Formal Appeal to University of Alberta General Faculties Council Appeal Committees

You have fifteen (15) working days from the date of the Formal notice of decision letter from the

Vice Dean, Faculty of Nursing to make a formal appeal to the University of Alberta General Faculties

Council Committees:

Academic Standing Decision: GFC AAC (General Faculties Council Academic Appeal

Committee),

Practicum Intervention: GFC PRB (General Faculties Council Practice Review Board).

Code of Student Behaviour: University Appeal Board

What can be appealed?

An appeal may be made only on the basis that there has been a Miscarriage of Justice in the case of

the Student’s appeal at the Faculty level.

All known grounds must be listed and explained in the appeal. The grounds to establish a

Miscarriage of Justice for an appeal shall include, but not be restricted to, the following:

a. Procedural errors on the part of a Faculty provided that a defect in procedures shall not

warrant the quashing of the decision being appealed, unless the defect can reasonably be

said to have deprived the student of a fair hearing;

b. Failure of a Faculty to consider all factors relevant to the decision being appealed;

c. Bias or discrimination against the Student on the part of a Faculty.

Request for a GFC AAC, GFC PRB or UAB Formal Appeal

To submit a Formal Appeal to the University of Alberta General Faculties Council Committees AAC or

GFC you must include the following information in writing:

1. be signed by the Student;

2. set forth the decision being appealed;

3. provide the name of the person or body who made the decision;

4. state the full grounds of appeal;

5. state the nature of the Miscarriage of Justice (e.g. “The Miscarriage of Justice in my case is

…”)

6. state the relief requested.

19 Academic Appeal Guidance document version 1– last updated: JF – 26 January 2017

For more information and steps required please see the Academic Appeals Policy or GFC AAC regulations are available at 3-04 South Academic Building (SAB) (492-2655). GFC appeals are lodged directly with the University Appeals Coordinator in the Secretariat at the above address.

Appeal Outcome

The Chair of the GFC AAC, PRB or UAB Committee’s decision on your Formal Appeal will be

communicated to the Appeals Coordinator within ten (10) working days of the Appeal Hearing and

the Appeals Coordinator will convey the outcome of the Formal Appeal Hearing to you in writing as

soon as possible.

The decision of the University Appeal Board, GFC AAC, PRB or UAB is final and binding.