Attendance

Course Attendance and Engagement Policy

Attendance and full engagement is required at every course session. Our academic program schedule and learning experiences have been carefully curated to support rigorous, fast-paced and successful resident/student development and timely program completion. One absence or lack of regular course engagement may result in missing essential learning and can make it difficult to keep pace. If you have an unavoidable conflict, emergency, or need for accommodations related to attendance or course engagement, please email your course instructor(s), (for residents) your program director, and student services at studentservices@aldergse.edu as soon as possible.

Anticipated Course Attendance Conflicts

If you have an unavoidable conflict, e-mail your course instructor(s), and for residents, your program director, at least one week ahead of time (or as soon as you know) to describe your need. If you need extended support or accommodations, email student services at studentservices@aldergse.edu.

Unanticipated Course Attendance Issues

If you experience an unexpected situation (e.g., illness, emergency), e-mail your course instructor(s), and (for residents) your program director, as soon as you know you are going to be absent. If you are experiencing an emergency and/or need extended support or accommodations, email student services at studentservices@aldergse.edu.

Implications of Course Attendance Issues

Given Alder’s course instruction delivery model (a combination of in-person, synchronous virtual, and hybrid), and the limited number of in-person and synchronous online class sessions required of students throughout the summer, fall, and spring terms, attending all course sessions and ongoing course engagement is critical to course content mastery. Depending on the nature of the course and time/material missed, course attendance and engagement issues will be reviewed by a committee and may result in the following:

Attendance Implication Notice: Students with a recorded absence from a required course session will receive an Attendance Implication Notice.
Make-up work: There may be some course content that cannot be “made-up,” but when possible students may need to do extensive make-up work following an absence or lack of regular course engagement.
Re-taking the course: Some absences may result in not passing a course; any student with more than one absence will be reviewed by a committee and subject to re-taking the course.
Financial aid in/eligibility: Students with persistent absences in courses and/or placement without notification or approval may have an impact on your eligibility for federal Financial Aid.
Committee Review: An Alder attendance committee will review any attendance and engagement issues including course absences in excess of one per course, ten absences from placement, or three consecutive Alder-related commitments.

Persistent Absences

Persistent absences are defined as failure to attend three consecutive Alder-related commitments (including but not limited to in-person classes, online classes, and/or in-classroom co-teaching with mentor teacher) and may impact enrollment status and financial aid eligibility. An enrollment status notice will be sent to students who demonstrate persistent challenges with course attendance or engagement via the Learning Management System. Students unresponsive within 7 business days from the date of the notification risk a forced withdrawal.

Placement Absences

For placement absences, please refer to Residents Days Missed and Substitute Teaching Policy.

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