Academic Appeal Policy
As a graduate student registered in SGS, you may appeal substantive or procedural academic matters, including grades, internships and other program requirements; decisions about your continuation in any program; or concerning any other decision with respect to the application of academic regulations and requirements to you (SGS General Regulations 11.1). Review this process and carefully note the timelines for each of the four steps in the process. The first two steps, which occur at the departmental level, are outlined below. If you wish to take an appeal to step three, you should refer to the SGS Calendar or website.
Step One: Informal Stage
In the case of dispute at the course level, you must attempt to resolve the matter with the Academic Lead(s), instructor, or other person whose ruling is in question. You have five business days to request an Informal Review after the grade on an assessment or a final grade has been made available.
Please submit Informal Review requests directly to the Academic Lead(s) in writing (including by e‐mail).
If a request for an Informal Review of an examination, evaluation, or component grade is submitted, the Academic Lead(s) will determine the process by which the Review will take place. As a result of an Informal Review, the score on that assessment may be raised, be lowered, or remain unchanged. In all cases, the Academic Lead(s) will provide a written decision to you regarding the outcome of the Review (i.e., whether any changes have been made and why).
The entire test or assignment will be re-graded at the discretion of the Academic Lead and a fee for re-marking may apply.
After five days, you have not requested an Informal Review of a provisional grade or assessment, that grade or assessment can be considered part of your student record, that is, it is no longer provisional and is instead deemed final (pending customary approval by the Evaluation and Awards Committee). If the grade or decision has been made by the EAC, you are outside the five-day deadline and should proceed to step two.
Step Two: Departmental Level Appeal
If you do not agree outcome of the Informal Review, or the five-day deadline has passed, the student may pursue the matter with the Department Chair.
Step Three: Sector-Level Appeal
Should discussions with the Department Chair fail to resolve the matter, the student may make a formal appeal in writing to the RSS Academic Appeals Committee (RSSAAC). Further details about this appeal process should be requested from the Graduate Coordinator or SLO.
To initiate an email, student should contact the Graduate Coordinator, or the Rehabilitation Sciences Sector Academic Appeals Committee Secretary.
Rehabilitation Sciences Sector Academic Appeals Committee
Members and Quorum: The Committee shall have a total membership of five: four graduate faculty members and one graduate student; in addition, there will be alternate graduate student members, as set out below. One of the faculty members will serve as Chair of the Joint Committee. The Joint Committee Chair may assign a Secretary to the RSSAAC, as required. Quorum for the Joint Committee is three members, including the Joint Committee Chair. For the purposes of an individual appeal, the Joint RSSAAC would report to the Chair of the Department in which the appeal is being launched.
Members
There shall be four graduate faculty members, one representative from each of the four rehabilitation departments (Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy (OS&OT), Department of Physical Therapy (PT), Rehabilitation Sciences Institute (RSI) and Graduate Department of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP). There shall also be four graduate student members, one representative from each of the four rehabilitation departments listed above. Neither the Chair nor the Graduate Coordinator of the Department within the Rehabilitation Sciences Sector should be a member of the RSSAAC.
Chair of the Committee
The Rehabilitation Council of Chairs will nominate and appoint a Chair of the Joint Committee from amongst the faculty membership of RSSAAC.
Student Member
There will be four graduate student members, one representative from each of the four rehabilitation departments in OS&OT, PT, RSI and SLP. The graduate students in each Department normally will choose the student member to serve on the Joint Committee. The four graduate student members will then rotate amongst themselves to have one student representative on the Joint Committee. The student representative will not be in the same department in which the individual appeal is being launched and will continue to hear the same appeal until it is resolved.
Alternate Members
Alternate Committee members shall be appointed by the Chair of the Department every year, renewable once to serve on the Joint Committee. The alternate Chair of the Joint Committee will be rotated every year, renewable once between the four graduate faculty members. The graduate students in each Department should choose an alternate student member to serve on the Joint Committee every year, renewable once. Once an alternate member is involved in an appeal, that alternate member shall continue to hear that same appeal until it is resolved.
Secretary
The Chair of the Joint Committee will assign a Secretary to the RSSAAC as required. The Secretary should be a non-academic who comes from the Sector pool of talents.
Step Four: School of Graduate Studies Level Appeal
Graduate Academic Appeals Board
If the issue is still unresolved, you may initiate an appeal in writing to the SGS. Please refer to University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies Appeals process. Appeals related to Termination of Registration are initiated directly to the Graduate Academic Appeal Board.