Attendance and participation are two of the most significant factors that promote student success. Students are responsible for completion of all work assigned in class, whether they are present or not.
The following will not be counted as absences if the student notifies the instructor and provides appropriate documentation before the absence:
- Required military duty
- Court-mandated appearances, including jury duty
- College-sponsored activities approved by the College president
- Religious holidays
- Documented medical emergency/injury
The instructor must receive prior notification of absences caused by such situations to assure the absence will not be counted. Regardless of the reason for an absence, it is the student's responsibility to follow the instructor's policies regarding making up missed assignments and providing any required documentation related to the absence. Students who feel they have been unreasonably denied an educational benefit due to required military duty, court-mandated appearances including jury duty, College-sponsored activities approved by the College president, or religious holidays should contact the appropriate dean/director.
Students may be administratively withdrawn by their instructor for excessive absences if students are absent for more hours than the credit hours of the course. For example, a student who misses more than three hours of class in a three-credit-hour class for any reason except those above is subject to the instructor's withdrawal policy. If a student registers after the first day of class, official class attendance begins on that day rather than the first day of class. Instructors' syllabi for web-based classes explains how this requirement is applied in the online environment.
Other than the situations described above, faculty requirements for attendance vary but must be clearly stated in the instructor's syllabus. Each instructor's syllabus describes his or her attendance policy and course requirements and indicates how an administrative withdrawal (AW) will be applied in the class. Students should refer to their syllabi for specific information on the application of the AW policy.