Grade Changes and Disputes

I. Grade Change Request and Academic Disputes

Informal Appeals Process for Academic Disputes: The College provides an informal procedure to assist faculty and students in resolving grade disputes. The teaching faculty is authorized to issue grades based on their assessment of the student's level of performance, participation, quality and quantity of work. However, students who believe a faculty member has issued an incorrect grade(s) based on written documentation may seek recourse through the Informal Appeals Process, as outlined below: It is the student's responsibility to request a conference with the instructor(s) involved within 30 calendar days after the end of the term in which the grade was issued. If the student and the instructor agree on the terms and conditions of a grade change or grade dispute, the matter will be resolved. If the matter is not resolved at this step,  the student's next step is to contact the appropriate School/Department Chair. The School/Department Chair may arrange a meeting with the student and/or the instructor in an effort to resolve the grade dispute. If the issue remains unresolved, the matter moves to the Formal Appeals Process.

II. Formal Appeals Process for Academic Grade Disputes

If the grade dispute is not resolved at the level of the School/Department Chair, the student must submit a formal appeal form with supporting documentation in writing to the Question & Answer Center. The Question & Answer Center is located on all Daytona State College campuses. The Question and Answer Center staff will forward the appeal to the appropriate Associate Vice President for review and decision. The student will be notified of the decision via their FalconMail.  If the matter is resolved at this step, the matter is closed. If the matter is not resolved at this level,  it moves to the administrative review process. Reasonable accommodations will be made for distance learning students who are not able to attend meetings on one of the college's campuses.

Administrative Review Process for Academic Grade Disputes

If the matter is not resolved  with the  Associate Vice President, the matter may be resolved by  an administrative review process to the  Provost of Academic Affairs and/or the Vice President of Student Development. The student must submit a written request and explain the reason for the administrative review. The administrators will review the written request and make an appropriate decision. The student will be notified of the final decision via their FalconMail.  Please see the most recent student handbook for detailed information.

Academic Integrity Code

Daytona State College is committed to providing students with quality instruction, guidance, and opportunities for academic and career success by fostering academic excellence in a supportive and personalized learning environment.

Maintaining high standards of academic honesty and integrity in higher education is a shared responsibility and an excellent foundation for assisting you in making honorable and ethical contributions to the profession for which you are preparing.

To preserve academic excellence and integrity, the College expects you to know, understand and comply with the Academic Integrity Policy, which prohibits academic dishonesty in any form, including, but not limited to, cheating and plagiarism. Grades conferred by instructors are intended to be accurate and true reflections of the coursework produced and submitted by you. 
Unless otherwise explicitly instructed, students are not allowed to use any alternative/Artificial Intelligence (AI) generation tool (including, but not limited to, Chat GPT) for any type of submission or assessment.

Faculty reserve the right to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection software to find instances of AI-generated writing in student submissions. 

Suspected violations of the student academic dishonesty code will be handled by individual instructors as outlined in their course syllabus. An instructor who finds that a student has violated Academic Integrity may apply an academic consequence ranging from a zero for the assignment, up to and including failure for the entire course.

Instructors are encouraged to report cases of academic integrity violations to their academic department chairperson and to the Office of Judicial Affairs to help track habitual violations of academic integrity and for review and possible additional academic consequences.

In addition, some students may be referred to the student disciplinary process for appropriate disciplinary resolution.

The Resolution Process for Academic Dishonesty

1. The instructor conducting the course may notify the student verbally or in writing that the student is suspected of academic dishonesty and offer an appropriate resolution or academic consequence.
2. If the matter is not resolved with the instructor, the student has the option of scheduling a meeting with the appropriate school/department chairperson, who will review the matter and offer an appropriate resolution or academic consequence.
3. If the matter is not resolved  by the school/department chairperson, the student may request a meeting with the appropriate Associate Vice President for review and/or resolution. This ends the formal process for resolving grade disputes and suspected cases of academic dishonesty. The student may request an administrative review to the Provost of Academic Affairs and/or the Vice President of Student Development. The student must submit a written request and explain the reason for the administrative review. The Senior Administrators may uphold the  decision of the Associate Vice President or make an alternate decision. The student will be notified of the decision.

Student's Grade Pending Appeal Decision

Until a decision is rendered, the student's grade for the exam, assignment or project in question may be placed on hold pending an appeal decision. If a decision has not been made by the end of the semester in which the incident occurred, a grade of "Incomplete" may be assigned until the matter is resolved. If the student is found in violation of any form of academic dishonesty, the exam, assignment or project will be graded and an appropriate grade will be assigned by the instructor. The instructor is authorized to issue an "F" failing grade for the course in question. Additional discipline sanctions may also be administered by the college's Judicial Affairs Office.