Attendance Policies

Introduction

The heart of Loras College is its academic program. Our Mission and Values recognize the unique contribution of each individual to our community of learning and call upon each student to engage fully in their academic experiences. Class attendance and engagement is expected to take priority over other activities. Any absence, regardless of reason, will prevent the student from gaining the full benefit of the course and from contributing to the learning community.

Missed Class

Students are expected to be engaged participants in scheduled course activities, regardless of the mode of delivery (e.g. in-person, synchronous online, asynchronous online, hybrid). Specific course policies and penalties related to absenteeism and missed coursework are at the discretion of course instructors and identified in course syllabi. Penalties for absenteeism may include, but are not limited to, loss of points, inability to make up missed work, or failure of a course. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the course policies included in the syllabus.

When a student is absent from class it is the responsibility of the student to communicate with the professor and to follow the requirements of the professor regarding the coursework missed. These requirements should be clearly stated in the course syllabus.

Medical Verification

Written documentation from a physician verifying a student missed class due to illness, injury, or hospitalization may be required. This document can be brought or faxed to the Health Center (fax 563-588-7659). The Health Center will relay this information via email to the Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students, the student’s professors, and coaches if the student has verification of a medical absence resulting in missed classes on three or more consecutive days.

Professors wishing to verify other cases of student absence due to illness, injury, or hospitalization may call the Health Center at extension 7142. Dates on which the student receives care can be verified if permission has been granted by the student; other health information is confidential.

In some cases, a physician may indicate that a student has been instructed to attend classes as tolerated. In these instances, the student is required to contact the Health Center either by stopping in, telephoning, or sending an e-mail on the days they are not able to attend class with a report on their condition. In addition, it is the responsibility of the student to communicate with course professors regarding such absences.

Verification of illness, injury or hospitalization does not exempt the student from the policies and penalties for absenteeism identified in course syllabi.

Attendance by Individuals Not Enrolled in a Course

Due to insurance policy and Homeland Security requirements, any individual who is attending a course section must be properly registered no later than the end of the “add” period for the term (5th day of the term for fall or spring courses, the 2nd day of the term for summer courses, and the end of the 1st day for January term courses). Individuals not properly registered for a course should not be permitted to attend and their name should be reported immediately to the Office of the Registrar. Exceptions to the section attendance policy are: 1) college-approved guests, such as prospective students who are officially scheduled through the Office of Admission, 2) college employees approved in advance by the instructor, and 3) other non-student guests not in regular class attendance as approved in advance by the Registrar, instructor and Division Chair.

Policy on Class Attendance and College Sponsored Events

Occasionally during a semester, other College-sponsored events conflict with scheduled classes or required course activities. College-sponsored events covered by this policy include: intercollegiate athletic competitions, theater and music performances, academic competitions in which the student is representing the College, curricular and co-curricular conferences in which the student is presenting work and/or been invited to attend the event on behalf of the college. This policy does not cover the following types of activities: course field trips, practice for any college-sponsored event, or learning opportunities that the student opts to pursue without college affiliation or sponsorship. Teacher Education students enrolled in Student Teaching courses will follow the policy outlined in the Student Teaching Handbook.

This policy is intended to alleviate potential conflict that may place the student in the middle of choosing between attending two required events. The policy is clear about responsibilities and the processes to be followed. However, should a situation arise in which any student, instructor, coach or moderator believes that this policy is being violated, he/she should contact any one of the following individuals: the Athletic Director, the Dean of Students, or the Faculty Chairperson. These three individuals will meet as necessary to hear and rule on all alleged violations.

Students

1. Submit a copy of team/organization’s schedule to instructors no later than the first week of class with all specific course conflicts highlighted.
2. Through oral and email notification, communicate with instructor(s) at least one class prior to each class scheduled to be missed to coordinate how work will be made up and turned in. The course syllabus may require greater advance notice of a pending absence. Students are expected to make up coursework missed (or an appropriate equivalent) by the original due date.
3. Forward all relevant changes to the schedule to instructors as soon as possible.
4. Submit all course syllabi and schedule of course commitments to coach/moderator as soon as possible.
5. It is a privilege to participate in college-sponsored events. Students found to be intentionally abusing this policy will lose the opportunity to participate in college-sponsored events.

Instructors

1. Distribute or post a course syllabus by the end of the second day of class that includes:
   1. Dates for all required course events (both in and out of classroom)
   2. Attendance policy and consequences for missed classes when they are not due to a college-sponsored event
   3. Policy on work, quizzes, exams, labs or presentations missed due to participation in a college-sponsored event
   4. Due dates for major assignments, exams and presentations
2. Review course conflicts submitted by students. When a student submits more absences than the instructor deems acceptable, the instructor must communicate with the student and his/her moderator/coach within the first two weeks of class that it is not advisable for the student to take the course that semester. If the student must take the course at this time, then the student, instructor and moderator/coach should meet to identify whether a schedule of commitments can be determined that can support the student’s success in both endeavors.

In some courses it is possible that there are days when students simply cannot make up the work and their success in the course demands that they be in class on these days. These nonreplicable, high-stakes course activities must be clearly articulated in the syllabus and verbalized to students during the first week of classes. In these few instances, students can be penalized for missing class due to a college-sponsored event.

Moderators/Coaches

1. Distribute and post to the portal the schedule for the semester that includes:
   1. Days, times (start and departure), locations of event
   2. Post-season and tournament dates (roughly) in the event that group qualifies
   3. Contact person information
   4. An official roster
2. Highlight and post any changes to the original schedule and to the roster as soon as they are known. Email schedule changes to students with as much prior notice as possible.
3. Schedule all contests/events so that there are limited conflicts during the week.
4. Seek prior approval from your area Vice President when any single college- sponsored event will require students to miss three class days.

Policy on Class Attendance During January Term

Students enrolled in a January term course are expected to attend each class meeting and participate fully in the January term experience. Students who do not attend class or who are not actively involved in the course may be administratively dropped from the class by the instructor at any time. Students who are administratively dropped after the second day will receive a grade of “F” and will forfeit all tuition and fees for the course.

Last Date of Attendance Policy

Purpose

Loras College does not require that instructors take attendance; however, the US Department of Education requires verification that a student who receives financial aid and fails to earn a passing grade in a course has attended the course (34 CFR 668.22).  The purpose of this policy is to outline the responsibilities for documenting a student’s last date of attendance.

Key Terminology

Last Date of Attendance

Defined as the last verifiable date of academic engagement.  For the purposes of this policy, the last date of attendance is one of the following:

• The last date the student attended a synchronous class activity in courses where attendance is recorded by the instructor
• In courses taught either synchronously or asynchronously, where attendance is not regularly taken, the last date the student submitted an exam, assignment, quiz, or engaged in another academic-related activity included in the definition of academic engagement.

Academic Engagement

Defined as “active participation by a student in an instructional activity related to the student’s course of study” as defined by the institution in accordance with any applicable State or accrediting agency. The following activities are identified by federal regulation as included or excluded from the definition of academic engagement:

Instructor Responsibility

Because the instructor of record is the only person who can document whether a student has demonstrated academic engagement, it is the responsibility of the instructor to report the last date of attendance for any student in a particular course.  Any instructor entering a final grade of “F” (fail) must also enter the date of last attendance for the student receiving the failing grade.

Documenting Last Date of Attendance

Course instructors should maintain educational records, including student work and grade records, in accordance with Loras policy 1.4.1-A: Retention & Disposal of Student Work & Grade Records.

In courses where attendance is taken regularly, documentation of the last date of attendance may be provided in the form of semester/term attendance records. In all other courses, because electronic records provide easily accessible information about student engagement, instructors are strongly encouraged to use the Learning Management System (LMS) to record academic engagement (e.g. assignment submission, posting assignment grades and instructor feedback and utilizing the electronic gradebook)

According to federal regulations, in instances where the instructor is unable to document academic engagement, the student should be reported as never having attending the class.