Assessment Policies

Applied Bachelor, Applied MSc
All study modes & rhythms

Article #1

The programme curriculum is composed of “Teaching Units” called “Unité d’Enseignement” (UE), which can be delivered in the form of modules of lectures, practicals or a mix thereof. All modules are evaluated.

Article #2

Class attendance is mandatory. Except for specific arrangements granted by the Direction of Studies & the Dean, who may be advised by its Scientific Advisory Board, all students must attend all courses in each Teaching Units.

SPOC student assiduity is controlled by monthly progress meetings organised by the Direction of Studies, who also checks the activity report logs on DSTI Online Learning Management System.

Article #3

One Teaching Unit (TU) is composed of one or several modules (courses). A programme is composed of multiple Teaching Units.

In all Applied MSc programmes, and with respect to RNCP level 7 accreditation “Expert en Sciences des Données”, a mandatory internship of six month must be done by students. The evaluation of this internship constitutes a whole Teaching Unit.

Article #4

The assessment is organised by final examination, which may include intermediate examination(s). There are usually no weights applied on examination within the same module, but Professors are free to set weights.

The nature of examination is freely set by Professors and may be coursework. Attendance and/or participation may be part of the evaluation.

Professors are in charge to announce, by the end of their modules, the nature of assignments and their evaluation.

The final grade of a module is expressed in a base “out of a hundred” and rounded up towards the nearest divider of five.

Article #5

A module is acquired if the minimum pass grade of 50% is obtained. Whenever a module is evaluated by multiple examinations (intermediate and final), the module average is computed according to the method described in article #4.

Article #6

A Teaching Unit is acquired if the minimum pass grade of 50% is obtained. No weighing is applied on modules composing a UE.

Article #7

There is NO system of grade compensation within modules. There is NO system of grade compensation within Teaching Units, nor within terms.

Example: given that “Teaching Unit (TU) A” is composed of “Module 1” and “Module 2”.

If the student gets 40% in Module 1 and 60% in Module 2, the Unit average will be 50%, then TU A is passed.

If the student gets 45% in Module 1 and 50% in Module 2, the Unit average will be 47.5%, rounded up to 50%, then TU A is passed.

If the student gets 40% in Module 1 and 50% in Module 2, the Unit average will be 45%, then TU A is failed.

Article #8

A degree for a programme can be granted only if the global average of all teaching units is greater or equal to 50% and no teaching unit is below 40%.

Example: Given a programme composed of “Teaching Unit 1” and “Teaching Unit 2”.

If the student gets 50% in Teaching Unit 1 and 60% in Teaching Unit 2, the programme average will be 50%, then graduation is acquired. *

If the student gets 35% in Teaching Unit 1 and 65% in Teaching Unit 2, the programme average will be 50%, then graduation is failed.

*Except for blocking para-curricular elements such as disciplinary sanctions, financial arrears or any other suspensive decision of the graduation committee, which is sovereign.

Article #9

During the time of the studies and in case of failure to pass a module, students can request the Direction of Studies for a retake. The said Direction of Studies and the concerned Professor(s) are sovereign in their decision whether to grant a retake examination.

Article #10

The Graduation Committee is sovereign in all its decisions, irrespectively of everything stated above. In case of failure to graduate, the Committee may decide to confirm and pronounce failure or grant a retake process, partial or total (repeating the programme).

Article #11

Students are responsible of verifying that every paper, report, document, assignment etc. that they submit does not contain any form of plagiarism. Sources must be quoted and included in the bibliography. In case of plagiarism, the student can be reprimanded or incur disciplinary sanctions (graded zero, excluded from the programme, referred to the Scientific Advisory Board Disciplinary Commission, etc.). Plagiarism may be legally recognised as fraud under French Law.

Article #12

Students who have mobility limitations or other disabilities must contact a registered medical doctor for their disability to be acknowledged and for them to be authorised to benefit from appropriate test accommodations, following the doctor’s specifications. Each case will be subject to individual review.

EXAMINATION – RULES OF PROCEDURE

DURING THE EXAM

All candidates must show to the invigilator their student ID card. Candidates who cannot show proof of their identity and of their student status will not be allowed to sit the exam. Every candidate admitted to the test must submit a copy, even a blank one.
Candidates entering the classroom after the exam has begun can be exceptionally admitted by the invigilator, only if the lateness does not exceed thirty (30) minutes. Late candidates will not have additional time to complete the exam.
Every candidate must take place as indicated by the invigilator. Bags, computers, and other materials not allowed shall be placed in a safe place in the room, as indicated by the invigilator.
Mobile phones must be switched off and put away (no silence mode).
Candidates cannot temporarily or permanently leave the examination room (even if they submit a blank copy) before the end of the first hour of test (or the first half an hour for one-hour tests). The candidate leaving the room must give the copy to the invigilator, who will keep it until the candidate is back.
Off-campus students are subject to the same terms and must also have their video and microphone switched on during the whole examination time. The camera must be set to the widest angle possible so that invigilators can see the student and her/his surroundings. Failure to do so will result in their examination participation being null and void.

CHEATING, FRAUD & PLAGIARISM

Cheating, fraud, plagiarism or attempted cheating, fraud, plagiarism during the test will be subject to the Decree No. 92.657 of July 13th, 1992 concerning disciplinary procedure in higher education institutions.
Communication between candidates or with people outside the examination room is strictly forbidden, as well as using unauthorised documents, materials or equipment.
In case of substitution or theft of identity, or if the candidate disturbs the exam attendants, the invigilator may expel the candidate from the room.
The invigilator submits the official minutes of examination fraud to the programme director and the Dean, who may defer the candidate to the Disciplinary Committee.
No grade reports, transcripts nor diploma will be issued before the Disciplinary Committee decides.
Disciplinary sanctions may be (from lowest to highest):
- Admonition.
- Reprimand.
- Expulsion from the Institute for 5 years.
- Permanent expulsion from the Institute.
All sanction automatically implies a grade zero for the test. A grade zero for the course or the unit may also be decided.

LEGAL REMEDIES AND DEADLINES

For all decisions, candidates may ask for remedy within two (2) months starting from publication: either by addressing a request for equitable relief to the President of the Degree Committee, or to the Director of the Institute; or by appealing before the Rector’s Office according to the campus location (Rectorat de Paris or Rectorat de Nice) and before the Rector’s Office in Nice for off-campus students.

EXTENSIONS

This policy provides a framework to professors and students, to ensure consistent application of assessment Deadline Extensions, Deferrals of Assessments and Retakes of Assessments are applied across DSTI.

Note that where a Deadline Extension has been granted, but the student is unable to meet the agreed extension owing to extenuating circumstances, the student may subsequently apply for a Deferral of Assessment.

1. Deadline extensions

This only applies to full-time students (not SPOC students)

Students are expected to monitor their workload, be aware of all submission deadlines, and be able to organise themselves accordingly. However, it is recognised that there may be occasional, exceptional circumstances, which may genuinely affect the ability of a student to complete an assessment on time. In such circumstances, which arise owing to exceptional, serious and acute problems or events, a student may request an extension to an assessment submission deadline.

Note that extension requests must be submitted before the submission deadline. Extensions will not be permitted after a deadline has passed although a student may request to have a late submission penalty removed.

The authority to grant a deadline extension for submission of an assessment rests with the course professor and the Director of Studies, who will keep a record of any extension granted.
A request for an extension should be made using the assessment deadline extension request form (DE1), which must be submitted to the Director of Studies via a support ticket for approval by the professor: https://support.dsti.institute
Any extension granted to a student will be confirmed by the Director of Studies via the support ticket platform, giving details of the new submission date.
The length of any extension granted is at the discretion of the professor and should take into account the circumstances and work required. Normally, this would be a maximum of 10 working days beyond the original deadline.
For extensions up to 10 working days, no third-party evidence is required and the professor and Director of Studies should use their discretion to determine whether an acceptable reason has been given.
If a student is unable to meet the new extended deadline, the student should then use the Deferral of Assessment
Information on whether a student has been granted a deadline extension will be recorded on the documentation available to subsequent Programme Graduation Juries.

Guidelines for reasonable grounds for granting an extension

Please note that the following lists are not exhaustive, and all student requests should be considered in a holistic manner.

Acceptable reasons for granting an extension could include:

Serious personal problems such as relationship problems; illness/death of close relatives including attendance at funerals; victims of crime; accommodation crises; court cases; accident or sports injury; or acknowledged failure of DSTI IT services.
Serious illness.
Jury service.
Where students have been identified as requiring reasonable adjustments and their difficulties or delays in accessing support are a factor.
An internship or Prefecture interview which takes place at the time of an exam.
Computer or internet failure at home.

Non-acceptable reasons could include:

Minor colds and coughs.
Difficulties in accessing resources.
Lost assignments.
Unverifiable travel difficulties.
Not realising deadline imminent.
Poor time management.
Wanting ‘to get it perfect’.
Any event that could have reasonably been expected or any anticipated commitments (holidays, weddings, moving house, etc.) interfering with completion of an assessment.
Extensions will not normally be granted to individuals who voluntarily absent themselves to participate in other activities, such as sports or employment.
Ignorance of the deadline, or pressure of other work resulting from poor personal organisation, will not constitute good causes for an extension.
Problems caused by English not being a student’s principal language. Students should seek advice and support in good time.

Penalties for the late submission of assessments

There should be a consistent approach so that a student is clear as to the penalty which will be imposed for the late submission of assessments – and that that penalty will be the same wherever and whatever they are studying.

In accordance with DSTI regulations, all assessments, both at first attempt and reassessment, submitted after the agreed extended deadline will be marked at a maximum of 50% or C- on the grading scale. Assessments submitted over five working days after the agreed extended deadline will be given 0% or F on the grading scale.

There are no additional fees incurred for late submissions within the agreed deadline.

2. Deferral of Assessment

This only applies to full-time students (not SPOC students)

Students who feel that they are unable to attend, submit or participate in any form of assessment, or that their preparation for assessment has been compromised as a result of extenuating circumstances, are permitted to defer that assessment to the subsequent cohort, subject to approval of an application for Deferral of Assessment. Deferral of Assessment may have an impact on progression (graduation date) or award decisions.

Any longer deferral requests must be discussed and agreed at the graduation jury for the matriculated cohort.

Acceptable reasons for requesting to defer an assessment.

The following are examples of extenuating circumstances that may adversely affect preparation, attendance or performance in an assessment or examination that may be considered as grounds for deferral of assessment.

This is an illustrative but not exhaustive list:

serious illness or injury
the death or chronic illness of a family member, dependant and/or friend
domestic, financial and/or personal crises
unplanned absence arising from circumstances such as jury service, territorial army deployment, pregnancy, maternity, paternity or adoption leave, or caring responsibilities
circumstances arising as a consequence, or subsequent to, suspension or temporary exclusion from the University, which were not intended as a penalty
significant adverse weather or travel disruption
major disruption whilst under examination or assessment conditions.

Non-acceptable reasons for requesting to defer an assessment.

Examples of circumstances or events that would not normally be considered as valid reasons for deferring assessment include the following:

Planned events, such as holidays, house moves, or planned activities such as extracurricular commitments that could reasonably have been expected.
Assessments scheduled close together or on the same day.
Misreading timetables, misunderstanding the requirements for assessment, and/or inadequate planning or time management
Technical failure, loss, breakage, or theft of an individual computer, scanner or storage device preventing submission of work on time.
Minor disruption whilst under examination or assessment conditions
Last-minute or careless travel arrangements
Circumstances caused by the withdrawal of information technology services, learning resources or facilities due to debt or non-payment of fees due to the University.
The impact of widespread disruption caused by weather, viral pandemics, social/political unrest, acts of terrorism or other events out with DSTI’s control where DSTI has already taken or will be taking action to mitigate for the impact on students’ studies, assessment marks and/or award classifications.

Application for Deferral of Assessment

Applications for Deferral of Assessment can be made any time up to the assessment due date.

Applications for deferral should be made using the Deferral of Assessment request form (DA1), which must be submitted to the Director of Studies via a support ticket for approval by the professor: https://support.dsti.institute

Any deferral granted to a student will be confirmed by the Director of Studies via the support ticket platform, giving details of the new submission date.

Submission of Applications for Deferral

Students are expected to support their applications for deferral with medical justification or other evidence, identifying the impact of particular difficulties on the completion of coursework, assessments or attendance at an examination. Documentary evidence can be uploaded to the support ticket along with the completed Deferral of Assessment form.

Where a student is looking to defer assessment, applications must normally be submitted prior to the assessment point for which deferral is being requested. Applications for deferral and submission of supporting evidence may be accepted up to five working days after the assessment point (including any previously permitted extension authorised via the Assessment Deadline Extension Policy).

Retrospective Applications for Extenuating Circumstances

In exceptional circumstances, where it has not been possible to submit an application for deferral prior to or within five working days of the assessment point, students may submit an application for Retrospective Extenuating Circumstances by completing the relevant sections on the DA1 form. For the purposes of requesting extenuating circumstances to be considered retrospectively, the form should be submitted no later than five working days after the last scheduled assessment date during the cohort in which the assessment was due. In such cases the student will be expected to detail how their extenuating circumstances prevented them from meeting the original application deadline. Failure to explain/provide evidence for this may result in the application being rejected.

Supporting evidence

All submissions must be accompanied by suitable, relevant third-party evidence which must name, or be directly relevant to, the person submitting the deferral form. Letters of support must be the original, signed and submitted on headed paper. Documentary evidence should be uploaded to the support ticket along with the completed Deferral of Assessment form. Applicants are reminded that they must not only explain/evidence the extenuating circumstance impacting them but also why/how the extenuating circumstances prevented them from requesting an extension or a deferral of the assessment at the requisite times.

The following are illustrative examples of suitable supporting evidence:

a General Practitioner’s letter containing details of extenuating circumstances and the period covered
another medical practitioner letter, e.g. from a hospital, private surgery, or clinic
Court Order covering the relevant period
a notice of summons to attend court, with relevant dates
a legal notice or other verifiable letter from a solicitor
a notice of Jury Duty
a notice of deployment from armed forces or other government agency
a police report, incident log, or formal caution notice where accompanied by a formal report
a death certificate
a notification of death from a recognised and verifiable media source (for example a newspaper) may be acceptable in lieu of other documentary evidence
visa documents or documents relating to revocation, tribunal or other visa issues.
graduation jury committee authorisation to defer

Advice and guidance

Students are strongly encouraged to seek advice and guidance on these regulations, and on the preparation of their submission from the Director of Studies and Student Care staff.

Procedure and decision-making process

Applications will be considered by the Director of Studies in the first instance. Where the application is uncontentious and well supported by appropriate evidence the Director of Studies is empowered to make an immediate decision approving the application for deferral.

In cases where there is doubt about the validity of the claim or the supporting evidence, the Director of Studies will consult with The Dean.

Three categories of decision can be made:

The Director of Studies considers that extenuating circumstances significantly have or will affect the student’s performance and records such submissions as Valid and approves the Deferral of Assessment.
The Director of Studies considers that extenuating circumstances did not significantly affect the student’s performance, have been submitted too late for consideration or they fall out-with the definition of extenuating circumstances. The Director of Studies records such submissions as Not Valid and rejects the Deferral of Assessment.
There was insufficient information provided on which the Director of Studies could make a decision and therefore the decision has been deferred, pending receipt of further evidence.

There is no right of appeal against the decision of the Director of Studies but students whose application for deferral was rejected may subsequently apply using the Retrospective Extenuating Circumstances process, if new information or evidence has become available.

In the case where a student has passed a module (minimum grade 50%) for which Retrospective Extenuating Circumstances were approved, the Director of Studies will consider these in the context of the student’s academic profile. Once passed, a candidate cannot demand to retake an assessment or repeat a module in order to improve their result, irrespective of extenuating circumstances.

If extenuating circumstances that were presented to the Director of Studies are deemed not valid, any assessment not submitted or examination or test not attended, will be treated as failed (graded zero or F on the grading scale) for the purposes of graduation or award decisions.

Following the decision of the Director of Studies, the student’s module record will be updated to indicate if extenuating circumstances were valid and deferral was granted. Information on whether extenuating circumstances have been considered in previous sessions will be flagged on the documentation available to subsequent Programme Graduation Juries.

Administration Fees

All assessment deferrals will be subject to additional administration fees. See table below.

3. Retaking an assessment

This applies to full-time and SPOC students

During the period of matriculation, in case of failure to pass a module, students can request the Director of Studies for a retake. The Director of Studies and the concerned Professor(s) are sovereign in their decision whether to grant a retake examination.

If authorised, students are entitled to one reassessment opportunity in each module if your grade is below 50%.

If you believe that your ability to complete an assessment of any type has been adversely affected by extenuating circumstances that have had a detrimental effect on you academic studies or progression, you are entitled to apply for an additional attempt citing and providing evidence for retrospective extenuating circumstances.

Applications for retakes should be made within 5 working days after the grade is made available using the Retake of Assessment request form (RA1). The form plus any evidence of extenuating circumstances must be submitted to the Director of Studies via a support ticket for approval by the professor: https://support.dsti.institute

Time of Retake

Multiple choice quiz retakes are authorised and scheduled at the discretion of the Director of Studies. All exams, assignments and projects must be retaken with the next available cohort.

Administration Fees

All assessment retakes will be subject to additional administration fees. See table below.

	Form	Timing	Evidence required	Deadline for applying	Fees
Deadline Extension	DE1	Max 10 days	Optional	Before submission date	No fees
Deferral of Assessment	DA1	With next cohort	Mandatory	5 working days after submission date or before final exam of cohort if extenuating circumstances	60/110 EUR
Retake of assessment	RA1	With next cohort	Optional for 1^st retake, Mandatory for 2^nd retake	5 working days after grade is made available	60/110 EUR