Attendance Reporting and Grading
Delaware Tech's Attendance Expectations for Students
A student is more likely to succeed if they are engaged and attend class. Therefore, students are expected to attend all class sessions. At Delaware Tech attendance occurs when a student actively engages in class on campus or online, either synchronously or asynchronously.
Based on Delaware Tech’s attendance policy, students must actively participate in instructional activity. For instance, students must actively participate within the first two weeks of the 15-week semester or students will be removed from their course. This means students will be withdrawn without academic penalty but still owe all tuition and fees according to the College’s Tuition and Fee policy. Please note for shorter course durations, attendance requirements will be accelerated.
Excused Absences
In the event that participation in a scheduled course meeting is not possible, attendance may be fulfilled by contacting the instructor in advance of the missed class session and submitting missed work and/or other academic assignments as defined by the instructor.
Excessive Unexcused Absences
If a student does not notify the instructor when missing class and/or does not complete make-up work/assignments as directed by the instructor, the student will be counted with unexcused absence(s). If these absences become excessive, then further action will be taken.
Attendance in a Course
Attendance is met through any of the following forms of academic engagement:
- Physically attending class on campus or via Zoom
- Physically attending any course-related activity where there is direct interaction between the student and instructor
- Submitting an academic assignment (graded or ungraded)
- 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 online discussion that is assigned by the instructor
- Interacting with an instructor about academic matters (assistance with a course problem, reading, assignment, etc.)
Attendance DOES NOT include:
- Logging into the LMS or other educational technology without any further participation
- Participating in academic counseling or advisement not related to the academic content in the course (question about times/days of class, question related to bill, financial aid, registration)
- Notifying instructor of non-attendance
Attendance with Video Conferencing
Video conferencing is now a standard part of many work environments. For all online classes with meeting times, students should use class Zoom sessions to practice their professionalism by turning cameras on and actively participating. We understand students may have personal circumstances that, at times, prevent them from turning their video on during online sessions. Overall, the use of the video feature in Zoom will allow for more active participation during class and should be an expectation when taking class online. Students should be prepared to attend, be actively engaged, and available to focus on the content.
Students can prepare for online class sessions by:
- Reviewing technology resources for students at ccit.dtcc.edu/students/technolo…
- Muting their microphone when entering an online class session and being prepared to be on camera before turning on the video feature
- Turning on their camera is one way for students to participate
- Students can also actively participate in video conference courses through responses in chat, participation in polls, and active participation in breakout rooms
- Dressing appropriately to be seen on camera
- Eliminating/reducing other distractions
- If discussing confidential information, such as in a clinical or other experiential learning course, finding a private location to engage with the instructor and/or class
Remind students NOT to log into an online class meeting while driving! We want to keep students safe!
Reporting Attendance
Promoting attendance and academic engagement within the first week helps students understand expectations and provides a foundation for success. By promoting attendance the first week, instructors can follow-up by the second week with students who are not participating. Please note for shorter class sessions, proactive intervention needs to be conducted earlier.
Tips for promoting attendance:
- Provide a graded or ungraded academic activity within the first few days of the course
- Proactively reach out to students who do not complete this activity
- Offer individualized, substitute academic activities for students who are not attending
Available resources to aid in promoting engagement in course.
D2L communication resources
- Intelligent Agents
- Assignment Feedback
- Interactive learning tools
- EdPuzzle
- ThingLink
- Flipgrid
- Padlet
- Google Interactive Slides (Lunch and Learn and Coffee Talk)
Reporting Students Who Never Attend
Per federal regulations, colleges are required to identify students who do not attend a course. Instructors at Delaware Tech are required to report student of NEVER ATTENDED. This is a mandatory responsibility of all faculty.
Delaware Tech’s policy on students who never attend:
Students who do NOT ATTEND must be reported through the Student Information System (SIS).
| Non-Attendance Schedule | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance Must be Established Within: | Length of Course | ||||
| First two weeks | 15 Week courses | ||||
| First week | 4 to 14-week course | ||||
| First day | 2-week (or shorter) course | ||||
If a student has not attended/engaged as of the end of the first week
(or first day for courses less than 15 weeks):
- Schedule a meeting with the student to see if there are any issues that they are experiencing with the LMS or Course Content/Schedule.
- Check to see if the student is experiencing some major issue that is preventing them from participating in the course.
- Develop a plan for the student to demonstrate attendance through
- Existing assessments or activities
- Providing a summary of a reading or review of course material
- Meeting with instructor for academic support related to course content (assistance with a course problem, reading, assignment, etc.)
Next Steps:
- If a student is reported as NEVER ATTENDED, the student is withdrawn from the course and no longer has access to the course in D2L. The withdrawal does not affect the student’s GPA. The student is still responsible for tuition and fees because the student took a seat in the course.
- Students who are reported CANNOT be reinstated. In extenuating circumstances, students can re-add the course with permission from the instructor, department chair, and dean. An ADD FORM must be signed and submitted.