Policy 002: Academic Appeals Policy

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Policy 002: ACADEMIC APPEALS

1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE

1.1.  This Policy aims to explain in an open, transparent and accessible way how ACM approaches an appeal against the decision of an ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board.

1.2.  This Policy outlines the provisions in place for a student appeal of an Academic outcome.

1.3.  This Policy applies to all students and is designed to ensure that students are treated in a fair and equitable manner.

1.4 This Policy applies to ACM students on HE programmes, including Foundation programmes.

FE students

1.5 ACM applies RSL’s Academic Appeals Policy and Procedure to its RSL-validated Level 3 diploma programmes. FE students on RSL-validated programmes should follow RSL’s Academic Appeals Policy and Procedure and pay close attention to Section 2 in the RSL Policy in order to determine whether they have grounds to appeal. FE students on RSL-validated programmes should refer to POL_002A ACM-RSL Further Education Internal Academic Appeals Policy available at acm.ac.uk/policies  

All appeals from all ACM FE students should be sent to diplomaleadership@acm.ac.uk 

2. ACADEMIC APPEALS

Definition of an academic appeal

2.1 An academic appeal is a request from a student for a decision of an ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board to be reviewed because it is believed that an injustice has occurred. 

2.2 If an academic appeal has valid grounds (see relevant section below), the relevant decision of the ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board will be reviewed in the light of any new information provided by the student by following ACM’s Academic Appeals Procedure. If the appeal is upheld in full or in part, the decision of the relevant body may be rescinded, ACM may take other suitable actions, or some combination of the two.

2.3.  An academic appeal may only be lodged against a formal assessment result that has been officially published to the student on Canvas. The publication of these results on Canvas officially opens the 21-working-day appeal submission window, prior to formal ratification by the Assessment Board or Final Exam Board. In-year or formative provisional marks released during a module are ineligible for formal appeal. Students wishing to query an unconfirmed in-year mark must follow the informal resolution process outlined in Section 2.4.

2.4 Students wishing to understand a grade which has not yet been approved by an ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board should first do so informally through assessment@acm.ac.uk  If the issue cannot be resolved at this level, the programme team , who can be contacted at assessment@acm.ac.uk can assign an appropriate tutor to discuss the issue in full.

2.5 Students who have a complaint or grievance concerning the provision of a programme of study or academic service which they believe has affected the quality of their academic performance, should, before submitting an academic appeal, follow ACM’s Student Complaints and Grievance Procedure (POL 003).

Grounds for lodging an Academic Appeal

2.6 Academic Appeals against ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board decisions may be made on any of the following grounds:

• That a student’s performance in an assessment suffered through illness or other factors which the student was unable or for valid reasons unwilling to inform the ACM Assessment Board or Finalist Exam Board (FEB) through the extenuating circumstances procedures before it reached its decision.
• That there has been an administrative or procedural error in the management of the assessment.
• That the assessment was not run in accordance with the programme regulations.
• That the ACM Assessment Board  or Final Exam Board has failed to consider material circumstances relating to the delivery of a module, which adversely affected a student’s performance in assessment. This ground will only be considered acceptable if the circumstances have been the subject of a Student Complaints and Grievance procedure, and the case of the complaint has been upheld, and steps have not been taken to mitigate the effects of the circumstances.
• An Academic Appeal against a penalty imposed for academic misconduct on grounds listed in the Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy.
• That some other identified irregularity has occurred. 

Invalid grounds for an Academic Appeal

2.7 An appeal may be rejected for any of the following reasons, or if it is judged to be vexatious or frivolous, without further recourse to the Academic Appeals procedures:

2.8 The Academic Appeal is a disagreement with the academic judgement of an ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board in assessing the merits of academic work, or in reaching a decision on progression, or on the final classification of a qualification, which has been reached in accordance with the regulations. (This is sometimes referred to as a challenge of academic judgement.) 

2.9 The student did not understand or was not aware of the published assessment regulations and procedures for an assessment, module or programme. 

2.10 The appeal is on the grounds that poor teaching, supervision or guidance affected academic performance. In such circumstances a student should submit a complaint in accordance with the Student Complaints and Grievance Procedure. An academic appeal on such grounds will only be considered if a complaint has been upheld, wholly or in part. 

2.11 No contemporaneous, independent, medical or other evidence has been submitted to support an application that academic performance was adversely affected by factors such as ill health as per the Extenuating Circumstance Policy and Procedure.

2.12 The student was not aware of the procedures for presenting extenuating circumstances to the ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board. 

2.13 No valid reason has been submitted as explanation for not submitting evidence of extenuating circumstances at the appropriate time before the ACM Assessment Board  or Final Exam Board.

2.14 The academic appeal concerns a medical condition which pre-dates the relevant assessment(s), and which the student has not raised with ACM without good reason; or which has been raised with ACM as a matter for educational adjustments and has been duly considered.

2.15 The student was subject to a disturbance or illness during an assessment and that there is no valid reason for this not to have been brought to the attention of the ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board before it met. 

2.16 The student had changed address or other contact details without informing ACM, resulting in assessment information being sent to an out-of-date address.

2.17 ACM receives the appeal later than the time limit, which is 21 working days from the date the student is notified of the decision of the ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board. The only exceptions to this deadline are as outlined below. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the appeal is submitted to ACM on time.

Before making an Academic Appeal

2.18 There is a time limit of 21 working days for the submission of a formal appeal to appeals@acm.ac.uk from the date of ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board results being communicated.

2.19 If an academic appeal arises following due process of the Student Complaints and Grievance Procedure, the time limit is 21 working days from the date the student receives the written result of this procedure.

2.20 If an appeal arises following due process of the Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy, the time limit is 21 working days from the date the student receives the written result of that procedure. 

2.21 An appeal investigation should normally be completed within 28 working days of the appeal being acknowledged after submission to appeals@acm.ac.uk. If an appeal investigation cannot be completed within this standard timeframe, ACM will notify the student in writing before the 28 working days expire. This notification will provide a clear explanation for the delay and a realistic revised date for the outcome. In all circumstances, ACM aims to conclude all stages of its internal appeals process within a maximum of 90 calendar days, in line with sector good practice guidance.

2.22 The staff team assigned to the appeal will consider the case and may advise the student:

• That the ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board will reconsider its decision taking account of this new information;
• That the ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board’s decision was based on a fair evaluation of the student’s assessment performance and will not be reconsidered; 
• In any other way deemed appropriate, including that the student may consider requesting a review of the appeal outcome. 

2.23 Students should only make a formal appeal if:

• They have been unable to receive an early resolution outcome from relevant members of staff;
• They are dissatisfied with the outcome of these informal early resolution discussions.

Progression of an appellant while an appeal is being considered

2.24 The decision of the ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board remains in force until it is formally notified by the Secretary or nominee of the ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board to have been rescinded. Therefore, the student remains responsible for:

1. Conforming to the requirements of the existing Board decision, which includes the need to continue preparation for any scheduled reassessments, resubmissions, or repetition of curriculum;
2. The consequence of not complying with these requirements should the subsequent decision of the appeal process not be in the student’s favour.

2.25 While the appeal is being processed, the appellant:

1. Shall normally be permitted to continue to the next stage of their studies unless there are exceptional circumstances or the student is appealing a termination of studies (also known as deregistration). This will not prejudice the outcome of the appeal. 
2. If the appeal concerns a termination of enrolment (deregistration) following an investigation into academic misconduct, the appellant will normally be suspended while the appeal is under consideration. Appellants in this position must obtain written permission from a member of the Academic Leadership Team or an appropriate nominee to continue studies or use ACM facilities during this period. Permission should be sought by writing to appeals@acm.ac.uk 

2.26 The provision under 2.25(a) above is designed solely to ensure that a student whose appeal is upheld is not academically disadvantaged, and it should not be interpreted as acceptance of the appeal. Satisfactory progress during the consideration of an appeal will not be admissible as evidence at any stage in the appeal procedure. During any such interim period of attendance, tuition fees will only accrue in the event of the appeal ultimately being resolved in the appellant’s favour.

2.27 If a final qualification has been awarded, ACM staff will upon request provide confirmation for potential employers that an outcome is under appeal.

2.28 If a final qualification has been awarded, ACM staff will upon request provide confirmation that a finalist may attend the graduation ceremony.

2.29 Appellants may normally proceed with their studies (subject to 2.25(a)) until the date of the letter formally notifying the appellant of the final outcome of their appeal (i.e., dismissal of the appeal or the ACM Assessment Board or Final Exam Board’s reviewed decision). This letter will inform the appellant whether they are entitled to continue on the programme. 

Confidentiality

2.30 Academic appeals will be kept as confidential as possible within ACM. Appellants who notify ACM that information has been included of a highly confidential and personal nature will, if requested, be informed in advance of the staff members to whom the information will be disclosed.

2.31 Documents pertaining to an appeal will be kept in confidence for six years. After this period, apart from a copy of the notification to a student of the final decision, they will be destroyed.

3. RESPONSIBLE PARTIES

3.1 The policy lead is responsible for the cyclical monitoring and review of the policy in liaison with the Institutional Quality and Compliance Committee. The Academic Appeals Policy lead is: 

• Quality Assurance and Enhancement Manager

3.2 Decisions and appropriate actions in support of the implementation of this Policy will be authorised by any or all of the following designated staff:

• Academic Registrar
• Quality Assurance and Enhancement Manager
• Executive Dean of Education
• Dean of Academic Practice and Enhancement
• Head of Assessments
• Chair and Secretariat of the ACM Assessment Board / Final Exam Board

4. SUPPORTING INFORMATION

4.1 Internal

• Academic Appeals Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Policy
• Fitness to Study Policy
• Complaints and Grievances Policy
• Student Conduct and Discipline Policy
• Safeguarding Policy
• Equality and Diversity Policy
• Data Protection Policy

4.2 External

• Office for Students (OfS) Regulatory Framework (Conditions B1 – B6)
• Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIAHE) Good Practice Framework
• Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR
• Middlesex University (MDX) Regulations 
• Middlesex University (MDX) Learning and Quality Enhancement Handbook (LQEH), Section 1: An Overview of Quality Assurance and Enhancement Activity at Middlesex University
• The UK Quality Code for Higher Education (2024 Framework and Sector-Agreed Principles)

5. DOCUMENT HISTORY AND NEXT REVIEW

Download here: POL_002_Academic Appeals Policy