Recording Attendance

Understanding Attendance in Online Learning

For 100% online sections, student attendance is based on their completion of weekly assignments or activities—not just logging in. 

The U.S. Department of Education defines attendance as:

• Submitting an academic assignment

• Taking an exam, an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction

• Attending a study group assigned by the instructor

• Participating in an online discussion about academic matters

• Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course

• Physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students

Guidelines for Absences and Drops

Per the Student Handbook (page 39), "it is the responsibility of students to discuss absences with their instructors. When an absence occurs, students are responsible for making up any missed work".

• If a student is enrolled in a course that is longer than eight (8) weeks and does not participate in the first two (2) weeks, the college will drop the student from the class. 

• If the student is not able to attend in the first two (2) weeks of class and did not contact their instructor, the college will drop the student from the class. If a student loses access to a course in Blackboard and has been absent for two (2) weeks, they may have been dropped. Students may appeal a drop using this form.