Class Attendance
Trevecca Nazarene University is committed to the idea that regular class attendance is necessary for student success; consequently, students are expected to attend all class sessions of courses for which they are registered. When absent, the student is personally responsible for all class work assigned in a course, even during the absence, and should take the initiative to contact the instructor and discuss an appropriate course of action. Attendance counts from the first day of a course whether students are registered or not.
The total number of excused and unexcused absences for a student should not exceed 20% of the total class time, and students who exceed this threshold will automatically fail the course unless they officially withdraw from the course or an appeal, initiated by the student, is approved (see procedures below). Discretion is granted to faculty to make exceptions, within reason, for students whose excused absences cause them to exceed the 20% threshold above, especially when a student has a significant number of university-related excused absences (e.g., intercollegiate athletics, field trips, official university travel). Exceptions granted by faculty, however, are generally reserved for students who otherwise regularly attend class and are actively engaged in the course (e.g., prepared for class, attentive and participatory in class discussions, consistent in communication with instructor, submits quality work, and meets assignment deadlines).
Traditional Undergraduate Program Students
A course attendance policy is included on each University traditional undergraduate course syllabus. The maximum number of allowed absences in full semester traditional face-to-face courses (the 20% threshold) are documented in the following table:
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Weekly class meetings
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Allowed absences
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|
1
|
3
|
|
2
|
6
|
|
3
|
9
|
|
4
|
12
|
A traditional undergraduate student enrolled in an online course must meet the course attendance policy for an online course as stated in the following section on “Students in Online Courses.”
Excused absences for traditional students are determined by the instructor and generally limited to an illness verified by a licensed medical professional or for participation in an approved university-related event. University-related events for which these students may be excused include, but are not limited to, prearranged class-related field trips, official assignments by the University, and participation in scheduled intercollegiate athletic events. Absences for any other reason may be excused only upon approval by both the course instructor and her/his immediate supervisor. Faculty are not required to allow students to complete make up work for absences that are unexcused.
The Office of Academic Affairs sends out notification to the faculty for university-related events, and the Center for Student Development and/or Clinic will provide notification to faculty only if a student has an extended illness requiring multiple absences. The Clinic will provide a receipt of service to students who request one as documentation of an excused absence, but these will not be automatically provided to the student or faculty member. Students with chronic illnesses that may impact class attendance should communicate with the Coordinator of Disability Services at the beginning of the semester. In all cases, it is the student’s responsibility to communicate every absence due to illness to the instructor and provide appropriate documentation. It is also the student’s responsibility to contact professors to make up work, even in the case of a university-related excused absence.
Medical Leave of Absence
In those instances that a student must be hospitalized, a medical leave of absence may be granted (generally 1-2 weeks). However, the total number of absences (those before and after the hospitalization) should not exceed 20% of the total number of classes for the semester as outlined in the attendance policy. A medical leave of absence can be obtained through the Coordinator of Disability Services. Additionally, students can seek a medical withdrawal (see below) if their hospitalization extends their absences beyond 20% of the total number of classes for the semester.
Medical Withdrawal
A medical withdrawal is reserved for situations where a medical or mental health emergency requires a student to miss an extended amount of class time and/or forces a student to miss beyond 20% of the total number of classes. In those cases, students can take a medical withdrawal, resulting in “W’s” for the semester. This process can be initiated by contacting the Coordinator of Disability Services. Additionally, students returning from a medical withdrawal must be granted clearance by the Coordinator of Disability Services.
Non-traditional Undergraduate and Graduate Students
A course attendance policy for each course in a non-traditional face-to-face undergraduate or graduate program is included in the course syllabus, program catalog, or program handbook. Students are allowed one absence in courses that are five class sessions or more in length and no absences in a course that has four class sessions or fewer. There are no excused absences in these courses.
A non-traditional undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in an online course must meet the course attendance policy for an online course as stated in the following section on “Students in Online Courses.”
Students in Online Courses
Students enrolled in online courses are allowed one absence in courses that are five class sessions or more in length and no absences in a course that has four class sessions or fewer. There are no excused absences in these courses.
In an online course, a student is reported absent for a week if there is no participation during that week in an academically-related activity specific to the course, such as attending a synchronous course activity, submitting an academic assignment, taking an assessment or exam, participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or computer-assisted instruction, participating in a study group or group project, participating in an online discussion assigned by the instructor, or interacting with the instructor about academic matters.
Failure, Withdrawal, and Appeal
If a student has missed more than the allowed number of absences in a given course for any reason, the student automatically fails the course unless the student officially withdraws from the course or an appeal, initiated by the student, is approved.
To appeal, the student should follow the guidelines outlined in the Final Grade Appeal Policy and Procedures section of the Catalog.
To officially withdraw from all courses for which a student is registered, the student must complete the appropriate forms in the Center for Student Development. This withdrawal process is necessary in order to clear the appropriate financial and academic records. Protracted absences or failure to attend classes does not constitute withdrawal from courses and will be treated as failure unless the withdrawal process is appropriately followed.