Grade Appeals

The awarding of grades is the prerogative of the classroom instructor. Faculty members are responsible for informing students of their grading policy. Grades become official when they are reported to the Registrar. If a faculty member discovers incorrectly reported grades, the error should be reported to the Registrar immediately. The appropriate department chair/program director must approve any adjustment of grades.

A student who disagrees with an assigned grade will take the following steps:

Approach the professor and explain the problem.
If the professor and student do not come to an agreement, the student should write a letter to the department chair/program director.
If the department chair/program director mediation does not resolve the issue, the student should file a written appeal to the appropriate academic dean.

If the dean mediation does not resolve the issue, the student should file a written appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA). The appeal should set forth in detail the basis for the review and should be done by the midterm of the first regular term following the Trine University assignment of the grades. The student is responsible for presenting evidence to support his/her position. The ensuing decision of the VPAA is final. Records of each case shall be maintained in the office of the VPAA.

Student Grievance Procedure

Students are encouraged to voice concerns they have and should attempt, in the first instance, to resolve a concern by using a direct and informal approach. Concerns may be addressed with the support, involvement or intervention of university faculty and / or staff members. It is advisable to voice concerns as soon as possible and to seek informal resolution, if possible.

If, however, a student feels that a complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily he/she should use the appropriate process to have the issue addressed and are encouraged to submit a Formal Complaint Form.

Step One: Complete a Notice of Complaint form found on the Trine University myPortal – Student Page, under Miscellaneous Student Forms - Formal Complaint Form. The student will need to provide the date of the incident and a thorough explanation of what happened. The student complaint must be submitted within 30 business days of the incident.

Step Two: The vice president for academic affairs (or designee) will review the complaint and forward the complaint to the appropriate University administrator who will be responsible for meeting with the concerned student and investigating the complaint. Action must be taken within 10 business days.

Step Three: After completing the investigation of the incident, the University administrator will render a decision in writing to all entities involved in the grievance process within 5 business days. That decision is considered final. A summary of the findings will be submitted to the office of the VPAA for archiving purposes.

Students who are not satisfied with the results of the complaint process can contact the following entities:

Indiana Commission for Higher Education
101 W. Ohio Street, Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 888.528.4719
Website: https://www.in.gov/che/student-complaints/

Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 800.621.7440
Website: https://www.hlcommission.org/Student-Resources/complaints.html

For students at the Arizona location: If the student complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the Institution’s grievance procedure, the student may file a complaint with the Arizona State Board for Private Post-Secondary Education. The student must Contact the State Board for further details.

The State Board address is:
1740 W. Adams Street, #3008
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602/542-5709
Website: www.azppse.gov

Assessment

The academic assessment process at Trine University is designed to measure the abilities and knowledge of students graduating from all degree programs. It also measures student satisfaction with the program. Sometimes students will be asked to reply to surveys or questionnaires that rate the quality of instruction, the level of satisfaction with career preparation, and the overall satisfaction of the Trine experience. Occasionally, anonymous samples of student coursework will be used in an assessment process.

Trine University is committed to providing quality educational experiences for our students. The information gathered through the assessment process provides information for continual improvement of our programs.