Appeals Concerning School of Education Policy, Practices and Programs.

There are three different types of academic appeals available to undergraduate students through the School of Education.

Type 1: Appeals Regarding Criteria for Admission, Program Requirements and Retention must be submitted in writing as specified in on the School of Education Web site: http://education.indiana.edu/asc in the following sequence:

1. Submit a written appeal to the Academic Standards Committee, if that appeal is denied.
2. Submit a written appeal to the Associate Dean for Teacher Education, if that appeal is denied.
3. Submit a written appeal to the University Dean of Education.
4. To ensure due process, all appeals must be made in this order. Contact the Office of Teacher Education for information on preparing an appeal or see the SOE Web site.
5. Appeals based on disabilities: Unlike public school elementary and secondary programs, institutions of higher education are not required to actively seek out and accommodate students with disabilities in academic programs. Institutions are not obligated to accommodate students in meeting any essential program requirement. Students on the Bloomington campus seeking waivers or substitutions to a School of Education or Indiana University academic program or course requirements based on individual disabilities should contact the Office of Disabled Student Services (DSS). The staff of DSS will assist students in documenting recognized disabilities and exploring alternative remedies. Disabled Student Services is located in Franklin Hall 096 (phone 855-7578).

Type 2: Appeals Regarding Teaching Activities; If a student has concerns about the quality of teaching in a course in which he or she is enrolled, the student should follow this process:

1. Discuss those concerns with the course instructor. If that discussion does not resolve the student’s concerns, the student should:
2. Schedule a meeting with the appropriate coordinator of that course. If that discussion does not resolve the student’s concerns, the student should:
3. Schedule a meeting with the chair of the department through which the course is offered. If that meeting does not resolve the student’s concerns, the student should:
4. Schedule a meeting with the Associate Dean for Teacher Education.
5. Submit an appeal to the School of Education’s Grievance Hearing Committee. (For more information, see below.)

To ensure due process, all appeals must be made in this order. Contact the Office of Teacher Education for information on preparing an appeal or see the SOE Web site: site.educ.indiana.edu/AcademicStandards/tabid/5509/Default.aspx

Type 3: Appeals Concerning IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct are heard by the Student Grievance Hearing Committee. The purpose of the Grievance Hearing Committee is to provide a five-member hearing board for any student who believes that his/her rights as defined in Part One of the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct have been violated by a member of the faculty or administration. After considering the appeal during a formal hearing, the hearing board votes in private and forwards its recommendation for action to the dean of the School of Education, who makes final disposition of the appeal in the School of Education. If the student wants to appeal further, the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct provides an avenue through the dean of faculties.

Violations of individual rights and rights related to academic affairs—as defined in Parts I.A., I.B., and I.C. of the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct—include citizenship, discrimination, sexual harassment, harassment based on sexual orientation, and racial harassment.

Violations of academic affairs include provisions of advising for academic planning, classes conducted in accordance with the IU Code of Academic Ethics, freedom to raise issues and express ideas or opinions relevant to classroom work, sensitivity by faculty to student personal or political beliefs, and protection of privacy of student information, ethical behavior of faculty in relationships with students.

Academic misconduct, as defined in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (Part III), includes cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, interference, violation of course rules, facilitating academic dishonesty, and issues related to grades in a course and the terms and conditions of associate instructor and graduate assistant appointments.

The Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct distinguishes between personal misconduct and academic misconduct. Appeals regarding personal misconduct are not within the jurisdiction of the Grievance Hearing Committee and are handled by the IU Dean of Students. Additional information is available on the IU Web site: profile.educ.indiana.edu/Portals/28/Policy%20Council/Committees/IUBSoE_appeal_policy_revision.pdf

Sexual Harassment Policy

Harassment on the basis of sex is a violation of Title VII. Indiana University does not tolerate sexual harassment of students and responds to every complaint. Individuals who believe that they have been sexually harassed should notify their supervisor and/or the Associate Dean for Teacher Education.