Attendance Reporting
Attendance
Class attendance is directly linked to success in the course. Therefore, students are expected to attend all class sessions. At Delaware Tech attendance is defined as:
- Physically attending an on-campus course.
- Engaging in an academic activity in a distance education course. Logging on to the learning management system or a tutorial without active participation does not demonstrate attendance.
The College will withdraw students who do not attend within the first two weeks of the course. For classes shorter than 15 weeks, the College will withdraw students who do not attend within the first week of the course. The withdrawal will not affect the student’s GPA, but the student is still financially responsible for all tuition and fees for the course. Financial aid will not be available for the course.
Students who have excessive unexcused absences or fail to maintain adequate academic engagement, as defined by the program/course policies, will receive a failing grade of a U (unofficial withdrawal) for the course, which will negatively affect the student’s GPA. The student is financially responsible for all tuition and fees for the course. Financial aid may be reduced, and financial aid eligibility may be affected.
After monitoring attendance in class, instructors may choose to notify students who are not attending; however, it is the student’s responsibility to attend class.
Promoting 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.
To encourage student attendance, consider doing the following:
- 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 via DTCC email, personal email, and phone
- Offer individualized, substitute academic activities for students who are not attending
The Attendance Reporting Communication Templates document provides suggestions regarding how to communicate with students who are not attending. You must be logged into a Google Account to make a copy of this document.
Tools for Promoting Attendance
D2L Brightspace Communication Resources
- Classlist: Article describing how to use the Classlist tool to communicate with learners
- Course Announcements: Article describing how to schedule and post course announcements to support regular communication
- Intelligent Agents: Article describing how to set up an intelligent agent to automate communication based on set criteria
D2L Brightspace Assignment Feedback
- Annotate Student Assignments: Article Section describing how to annotate student assignments
- Evaluate Assignments: Article describing how to evaluate assignments, including how to provide feedback
- Evaluate Using a Rubric: Article describing how to score an assignment and provide feedback using a rubric
Creating Engaging Course Content
- HTML Templates: Guide to creating and editing cohesive, interactive content using HTML templates on D2L Brightspace Pages
- Edpuzzle: Guide to using Edpuzzle to create interactive video content
- Thinglink: Guide to using Thinglink to create interactive learning content
Reporting Attendance
Per federal regulations, colleges are required to identify students who do not attend a course. Instructors at Delaware Tech are required to report student attendance. This is a mandatory responsibility of all faculty. Students who do NOT ATTEND must be reported through the Student Information System (SIS).
Use the link below to learn how to report attendance through the SIS.
What to Do if a Student Has Not Attended or Engaged
The following steps should be completed at the end of the first week of a 15‑week course when a student has not attended or engaged due to extenuating circumstances that limit their participation for a small number of class sessions. For courses shorter than 15 weeks, these steps should begin on the first day. Whenever possible, these steps should be taken only if the student contacts you in advance to communicate their situation.
- Develop a plan for the student to demonstrate attendance through existing assessments or activities.
- Provide a summary assignment, such as a reading or review of course material.
- Schedule a meeting to offer academic support related to course content (e.g., assistance with a problem, reading, assignment, or clarification of concepts).
The Attendance Reporting Communication Templates document provides suggestions regarding how to communicate with students.
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 Brightspace. 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.