Class Attendance - CAPS

Attendance and Online Participation Policy

The model of learning practiced in the College of Adult & Professional Studies and in the Graduate School relies on active, self-directed students who enhance each other’s learning interactively. Students are accountable not only for completing individual work, but also for participating in all interactive learning activities designed by course faculty in the following ways:

• Online interaction as directed by faculty.

• Energetic participation in classroom sessions.

• Participation in clinicals, field tours, etc.

A student is considered to have participated in an online course by participating in measurable activities as assigned such as graded work, synchronous, interactive, and collaborative activities. 

The attendance and participation policy emphasizes faculty and student responsibility for interactive adult learning in the following ways:

• In course syllabi, faculty will designate the value of participation in interactive learning activities in the classroom, in the field, and online.

• Students are responsible to participate in and complete all interactive learning activities and to master their content.

• Full (100%) course participation is defined by completion of all activities as assigned.

• Course syllabi will indicate whether make-up work is or is not appropriate for non-attendance in the classroom or lack of participation in designated learning activities.

• Absence or non-participation due to illness or other emergency may be excused at the discretion of the faculty.

• Students should expect that non-participation in interactive activities associated with more than 20% of the schedule of the course will reduce a course grade or risk course failure.  For face-to-face and hybrid courses, this includes attending at least 80% of scheduled face-to-face time.

• At the discretion of the institution, lack of participation during the first two weeks of a course may result in course registration being dropped; this may affect financial aid awards. Multiple instances of course registrations being dropped for non-participation may result in all registration being dropped for the student.

Program-specific Attendance Requirements 

In addition to the general admission requirements, specific programs may require additional attendance requirements stated within the program’s catalog page, handbook, and/or in individual course syllabi.