6.600 Class Attendance

Policy Number: 6.600

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BACKGROUND/HISTORY

In the 2018-19 academic year, the Faculty Senate was charged with reviewing and updating the attendance policy to match current financial aid rules. In coordination with the Office of Financial Aid and other Student Affairs officers, the Faculty Senate adopted a new attendance policy in Spring 2019. The following policy is based upon the Faculty Senate’s recommended policy and the public comments made during the policy adoption process.

SCOPE

This policy affects all students and faculty.

POLICY DECLARATION

Instructions to Students regarding attendance:

1. Students are responsible to know and comply with syllabus attendance and coursework guidelines in each of their courses.
2. Students are expected to meet all attendance requirements and engage in coursework as outlined in the course syllabus. Failure to maintain satisfactory course participation is the equivalent of excessive absenteeism and may result in the student being dropped. To maintain good-standing in online courses, students are expected to submit assigned coursework in a timely manner per instructor requirements.
3. Students participating in athletics or a college-sponsored extracurricular activity are required to communicate scheduled absences ahead of time and to make arrangements with their instructors regarding missed coursework, including exams. The instructor determines how academic work associated with a college-sponsored absence(s) can be completed by the student.
4. Failure to meet a course’s attendance policy does not mean a student will be automatically withdrawn from a course. Students seeking to withdraw from a course should do so either online through the student’s account or in person by visiting Student Affairs.
5. Students who do not withdraw from a course by the published Academic College Calendar withdraw date will receive an earned grade.
6. A faculty member may administratively withdraw a student from a course, including online courses, any time during the semester up to the published Academic College Calendar withdraw date if attendance does not meet syllabus guidelines.
7. Students will not be administratively withdrawn by faculty after the published Academic College Calendar withdraw date except in life-changing circumstances or as a result of military orders.
8. The withdrawal of a student from all courses may require the student to repay all or a portion of the financial aid received as calculated by the Financial Aid Office in accordance with government grant guidelines.
9. Only in extraordinary circumstances may a student earn a grade of IP (In Progress) to defer course completion. Please see the Incomplete Grades policy in the Student Handbook located at www.np.edu.

Instructions to Faculty regarding attendance:

1. Faculty are required to record attendance for all courses in the Learning Management System.
2. Faculty members will communicate specific attendance guidelines via their course syllabus at the beginning of each semester after receiving approval from their division chair or dean.
3. At their discretion, faculty members may provide a make-up work policy in the syllabus.
4. Faculty are required to administratively withdraw a student who has never attended by the eleventh class day (census date), including online courses.
5. A faculty member may administratively withdraw a student from a course, including online courses, any time during the semester up to the published Academic College Calendar withdraw date if attendance does not meet syllabus guidelines.
6. Withdrawing a student after the published withdraw date requires Dean approval.
7. Students participating in athletics or a college-sponsored extracurricular activity are required to communicate scheduled absences ahead of time and to make arrangements with their instructors regarding missed coursework, including exams. The instructor determines how academic work associated with a college-sponsored absence(s) can be completed by the student.
8. An IP (In Progress) grade may be assigned to a student in extraordinary circumstances to defer course completion. Please see the Incomplete Grades policy in the Student Handbook located at www.np.edu.

RESPONSIBILITIES

It is the responsibility of the academic deans and the Vice President for Academic Affairs to ensure the integrity of this policy in classroom instruction.