STU 030 - Attendance Policy

Policy

CWI recognizes that regular attendance is the student’s responsibility. Regular attendance and active participation not only contribute to a student's academic success but may have a significant impact on eligibility to receive federal financial aid and/or Veteran Affairs (VA) educational benefits.

Guidelines

Beginning of the Course

Instructors are required to verify attendance by the drop/refund deadline (census date) for the course.  Refer to the academic calendar for specific dates based on course start date and length. To avoid being administratively dropped from a class, a student must establish a record of attendance and participation by the course census date.

A record of attendance is established by students doing any one of the following (20 U.S.C. § 1070g, 1091b; 34 CFR 668.22 and 600.2)

Academic engagement: Active participation by a student in an instructional activity related to the student's course of study that—

• Is defined by the institution in accordance with any applicable requirements of its State or accrediting agency;
• Includes, but is not limited to—
  • Attending a synchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field or laboratory activity, physically or online, where there is an opportunity for interaction between the instructor and students;
  • Submitting an academic assignment;
  • Taking an assessment or an exam;
  • Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;
  • Participating in a study group, group project, or an online discussion that is assigned by the institution; or
  • Interacting with an instructor about academic matters; and
• Does not include, for example—
  • Logging into an online class or tutorial without any further participation; or
  • Participating in academic counseling or advisement.

The Registrar shall monitor the attendance verification process, and, as reported by instructors, shall administratively drop students by the census date of the course when attendance cannot be verified.

If the student’s attendance is verified by the course census date, the student will not be administratively dropped for nonattendance.  If a student stops attending after attendance has been verified, the instructor should address the attendance concerns with the student. The instructor may also submit a Care Report to request an advising referral. 

Individuals not enrolled in a particular class may not attend sessions of that class.

End of the Course

Instructors are required to enter the last date of attendance at the end of the semester when submitting any of the following failing/incomplete grades:

• F – Fail
• NP – No Pass
• NC – No Credit
• I - Incomplete

A grade of X – Fail (stopped attending) will be administratively assigned by the Registrar based on the last date of attendance reported by the instructor for any F – Fail grades where the student stopped attending before the end of the course. 

Attendance Policy Related to Grades

The instructor has the responsibility to determine the attendance guidelines that best promote learning in a particular course. On or before the first meeting of each class, the instructor is expected to articulate and inform students in writing via a course syllabus about specific class attendance requirements. In general, instructors should exercise fair and consistent standards in determining when to excuse an absence and/or when to provide opportunities to make up for missed exams and assessments. An excused absence or make up opportunity must be provided to students who miss class to observe a recognized religious day, to fulfill a civic responsibility (e.g., jury duty or military service), or to represent the College of Western Idaho in an official capacity (e.g., Speech & Debate Tournament in which you are competing).