Policies

Student Attendance Policy

Policy Statement

Approved At Governance, April 5, 2019

Faculty are required to maintain a complete record of student attendance in their classes in order to:

o Submit an accurate Non-Attendance Roster as required by federal financial aid regulations.
o Enter the date of last attendance when a student officially withdraws from the course, is assigned a UW because of failure to remain in the course, or is assigned an F because of failure to pass the course.
o Assign a grade in those classes in which the student’s active participation is a requirement. 

Student attendance is defined as being present in a timely manner for the duration of a face-to-face class meeting, or the equivalent level of participation in an online class. Such attendance is a reasonable and customary expectation for success in any course; however, grading policies that deduct points or letter grades for attendance issues alone are not allowed.

Students cannot be prohibited from entering a class during the scheduled meeting time unless this behavior creates a repetitive disruption, is considered hazardous, or compromises a classroom activity in progress such as an exam. Conversely, a student cannot be prevented from leaving a class at any time.

Attendance can be made a condition for earning full credit in any course in which participation is an integral part of the learning experience. The course syllabus must explain the basis for the participation requirement including the proportion of the grade that is based on participation as well as the specific student activities that are evaluated during that participation. The syllabus must also explain the provisions for making up an assignment related to attendance in those cases when the student cannot attend because of religious observances, a documented emergency, documented disabling conditions (medical, psychiatric, learning, etc.) or approved team sport obligations (such as a tournament or game).

Given the specific attendance requirements that are associated with various categories of courses offered by the college, guidelines for some of the more common categories are offered below:

o Clinical Experiences: Attendance policies that relate to clinical experiences are mandated by the standards of the programs in the School of Health Sciences; therefore, those policies would apply in addition to all other attendance policies of the college.

o Laboratory Courses – Attendance in laboratory courses other than clinical experiences is an integral part of the learning experience in such courses. Because lab courses are participatory, points can be appropriately deducted from the full credit for a student’s grade in such a course for absences, separately from any grades earned on written or practical tests or exams in that course.

o Studio/Design Courses – The fundamental nature of most studio and design courses relies on student participation as an essential method for learning through both practical activity and critique. Students develop skills and techniques through significant applied experience under the guidance of an instructor and each class can build on the experience of the one before it. Therefore, points can be appropriately deducted from the full credit for a student’s grade in such a course for absences, separately from any grades earned on submitted assignments or exams.

o Online/Hybrid Courses – Maintaining the required level of participation in an online or hybrid course is an integral part of the learning experience. Grading points can appropriately be deducted from the full credit for a student’s grade in such a course for failure to maintain that required level of participation, separately from any grades earned on tests or for submission of assignments in the online format.

o Courses with In-Class Collaborative Activities and Student Presentations – These are lecture/theory courses in which active participation, including completing in-class projects or presentations, is an integral part of the learning experience and course requirements of the course. If such requirements are made clear in the syllabus, grading points can be appropriately deducted from the full credit for a student’s grade in such a course for absences, separately from any grades earned on submitted assignments or tests or exams in that course.