Attendance Policy At Lebanon Valley College, the academic program is the centerpiece of the student’s experience. Regular attendance and participation in all courses is essential to academic success. Students are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions for the full class time and, for courses meeting partially or fully online, to participate in all activities throughout the course. It is the student’s responsibility to attend class and to be accountable for all work missed in the event of being absent from class. Faculty are not obligated in any way whatsoever to make special arrangements for any student who is absent from class. Specific class attendance policies are determined by individual faculty members. These may include regulations regarding tardiness. Faculty members have the right to reduce a student’s final course grade based on their attendance. Each faculty member’s attendance policy—and the consequences students face when exceeding the allotted number of absences—must be clearly stated in the course syllabus and explained to students on the first day of class. Academic departments may also have an attendance policy, particularly one regarding practicums, student teaching, or clinical experiences. For courses that meet in an accelerated format (fewer than 15 weeks), regular attendance and participation from the onset of the course is especially important. Initial participation is required for a student to remain enrolled in an accelerated course. Initial attendance and participation is defined as physical attendance (for face-toface and hybrid courses) or submitting academically inclined work within the first week of the course. Examples of academically inclined work include: • Submitting a graded assignment • Completing a graded discussion post, quiz, or activity • Attending a synchronous session Students who fail to attend or participate in the first week of an accelerated class will be contacted to determine their intentions. If they fail to participate in the second class (or, for online courses, during the second week), they will be dropped from the course without a notation on their transcript.
EXCUSED ABSENCES An excused absence from a course session that meets face-to-face is defined as an absence for which a student is not penalized. It is possible, but not guaranteed, for a student to be excused from class when participating in an authorized College activity, such as field trips, athletic competitions, performances, and departmental or College events. The faculty member of the academic class from which the student will be absent has discretionary authority to grant or not grant the excusal. In general, student attendance at academic classes has priority over other College functions. When faculty require attendance at class sessions or events outside of students’ regularly scheduled academic classes, the faculty member must provide alternative methods of fulfilling the assignment for students who are legitimately unable to participate.
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2021–2022 Catalog
