Purpose
The College recognizes the correlation between student participation in learning activities and student retention, achievement and success. Any class session or activity missed, regardless of cause, reduces the opportunity for learning and may adversely affect a student’s achievement. Accordingly, the College is an attendance-taking institution that requires student attendance in class meetings and participation in academic activities in order for students to remain enrolled in classes. The College requires that location staff and instructors take, and timely report, student attendance.
Scope
This policy applies to all College students.
Policy
Students are required to attend their courses in the course delivery modality for the section they registered, and participate in instructional activities. Location staff and instructors are required to record attendance by modality. Students are responsible for assuring accuracy. It is the students’ responsibility to contact their instructor or location staff should they find any discrepancy in their records. Non-attendance may negatively impact a student academically and financially. Attendance by modality requirements for F1 visa student, student utilizing VA housing benefits, and student athletes are detailed in the policies and procedures for those student populations.
Physical Attendance
Classroom-based course sections (On-site Virtual, In-seat, and Hybrid) have a physical attendance requirement. Student must be physically present in the classroom. Students needing certification for physical attendance (F1 visa, VA benefits, athletes, etc.) should ensure they register for the necessary classroom-based sections and physically attend all class meeting times.
Government and Regulatory Certification of Physical Attendance
Columbia College certifies eligible degree programs and physical attendance for numerous external regulatory agencies including the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, Department of Veterans Affairs, and National Association on Intercollegiate Athletics. Columbia College cannot certify students' physical attendance when they are enrolled in a distance education modality section of a course or are physically absent from their courses.
Columbia College Attendance Requirements by Modality
For purposes of this policy, attendance in online courses includes:
For purposes of this policy, attendance is defined as continuous visual presence in the virtual class meeting including synchronous interaction between the instructor and other students.
For purposes of this policy, attendance is defined as physical presence in the classroom with continuous visual presence in the virtual class meeting including synchronous interaction between the instructor and other students.
For purposes of this policy, attendance is defined as physical presence in the classroom with direct interaction between the instructor and other students.
For the purposes of this policy, attendance is defined as meeting physical presence requirements for classroom-based portion(s) of the course, meeting continuous virtual presence and interaction requirements for synchronous class meeting(s), and meeting attendance requirements for distance education component(s).
Instructors are primarily responsible for determining if an absence is excused. The instructor is the only individual who determines performance standards, evaluates student achievement and determines if and how student participation activities are calculated and accommodated. Instructors are expected to excuse absences due to participation in college-sponsored activities. Students must inform location staff and instructors if they are going to miss class for a college-sponsored activity. Even though the activity is college sponsored, class work is expected either before or after the activity, depending upon the course syllabus requirements. Makeup exams and late assignments policies are found in course syllabi.
Instructors cannot override physical presence requirements for certification purposes. When a physical attendance is being certified to an external agency, instructor approval of virtual attendance may not meet physical attendance requirement. Students should contact their certification official (F1, VA, Athletics or other) if they have questions about physical attendance and excused absences.
Instructor AbsenceStudents are notified if their instructor cannot meet with them during any regularly scheduled class period. If the instructor does not arrive at an appointed class within 15 minutes after the class regularly begins and after a student representative emailed academicaffairs@ccis.edu with the class information, students are excused from the class.
Impacts of Non-AttendanceColumbia College is an attendance-taking institution. Under the Withdrawal Policies, Columbia College reserves the right to drop or withdraw students from courses due to lack of attendance. This information may be reported to various government agencies or as required by law.
If non-attendance jeopardizes progress in a course, the student's instructor may submit an Early Alert to the student's advisor. An instructor may drop such a student from the course and any drop initiated past the drop date by an instructor for a student's lack of attendance is recorded on the student's permanent record with a grade of F or W at the discretion of the instructor.
Financial AidFinancial aid is awarded to a student with the expectation that the student attends classes and fully participates for the period for which the assistance is awarded. Students not following this policy for attending or participating in their enrolled courses are not eligible for financial aid. If a student does not begin attendance in all of their classes, aid must be recalculated based on actual attendance. Please refer to any Financial Aid Terms and Conditions regarding attendance requirements for financial aid purposes. Additional information can be found in the Return of Title IV Funds Policy.