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Academic Complaints

Last updated on 2023/01/11

If you are in a situation where you are facing unfair grading, a professor breaking by-laws, or any other kind of academic issue there are a number of resources available to you and steps you can take.

Who Can I Go To?​

Depending on your situation, you may choose to reach out to one or more of the contacts below. These are roughly organized by authority / escalation, so you should start near the top of the list (unless the situation is more severe). When in doubt, reach out to CSS.

  1. If your issue is with a specific course and/or instructor, it is often best to start by reaching out to the professor with your concerns. Keep your communication formal and try to leave any unhelpful emotion out of it as much as possible; an insulting email will not help your case, especially if you need to bring it to a higher authority. You can encourage peers to do the same, but again, keep it formal and try not to exaggerate.

  2. Reach out the Computer Science Society (CSS). You can email us at css@uwindsor.ca, or reach out to a Board Member directly (ideally the Head of Student Affairs or Vice President -- see this contact list). We are here to advocate for you, and we have done so for many students in the past. We can help you remain anonymous, coordinate with other students, and escalate the issue to the proper authority.
    You can also reach out to your School of Computer Science Student Representatives (different from the Computer Science Society). These are students that are elected at the start of each school year to have a voice at the monthly computer science faculty meetings -- these meetings are used to decide on things like which professors get hired, course descriptions / contents, and more. You can find the list of current representatives online.

  3. Reach out to the Department Head / Director (as of January 2023, this is Dr. Imran Ahmad -- Dr. Kobti will return in 2024). Be sure to include a specific description of the issue, what you have tried, and what changes you would like to see.

  4. Reach out to the UWSA's VP of Student Advocacy at vpsauwsa@uwindsor.ca. In legitimate cases, the UWSA does have the authority necessary to seriously advocate for students, academically or otherwise. For example, they may meet with a faculty member to discuss concerns on your behalf, before taking further action.

  5. Reach out to the Dean of Science (or the appropriate Associate Dean). The contact list can be found here. Again, be sure to include a specific description of the issue, what you have tried, and what changes you would like to see.

  6. Reach out to one of the higher level offices or figures at the university. Note that this stage of escalation is only going to be effective / necessary in very serious circumstances.

I'm Frustrated that Nothing is Changing​

As fellow students, we hear you. For example, a class of students may have a poor experience with a professor's teaching style. Since teaching style can be justified by Academic Freedom, it can be difficult to get things to change, even though the line between Academic Freedom and teaching effectiveness can be blurred. Often times it feels like there is nothing you can do about it. However, complacency -- doing nothing -- is not the answer (and neither is sending angry emails with wild exaggerations).

In these kinds of situations -- when there is no clear violation of a by-law, but you still want to advocate for change -- the best solution CSS can suggest is to document what was done poorly and how you would want it improved, get fellow students to do the same (using Microsoft Forms, for example), and bring it to CSS and / or the Director of Computer Science. SET's can also be considered, especially for non-tenured faculty.