Student Attendance

Purpose:

To provide guidance on college attendance standards for students and reporting requirements by instructors.

Definitions:

• Attendance certification: The Enrollment Census Campaigns, through Navigate, will be our new tool for monitoring attendance. Learn more about attendance certification in Navigate.

• Last date of attendance: the last date documented by the instructor of an academically-related activity such as attendance in class or completion and submission of a class assignment, exam, tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction.

• Last day to drop with a refund: the fifteen percent (15%) point in the semester or session. The specific dates are published in the respective Registration Information Booklet for a given semester.

• Never-attended student: a student who enrolls in a class and does not attend at least one class or actively participate at least once in a distance education class within the first fifteen percent (15%) of the course.

• Official drop: when a student informs the college of his/her drop from classes, by completing JSRCC Form No. 11-0002, Add / Drop / Withdraw from Classes, and submitting it to the Registrar's Office on or before the published last day to drop a course for a refund or by dropping a course using the Student Information System at MyReynolds.

• Official withdrawal: when a student informs the college of his/her withdrawal from classes. The college's policy for official withdrawals can be found in Reynolds Policy No. 1-10, Student Initiated Withdrawal from a Course(s). Students provide notice of their withdrawal by completing JSRCC Form No. 11-0002, Add / Drop / Withdraw from Classes, and submitting it to the Registrar's Office on or before the published last day to withdraw.

• Unofficial drop: when an instructor informs college administration about a student who has not participated in or attended class during the first fifteen percent (15%) of the course. For the purpose of this policy and its procedures, students who have not attended or participated in classes during the first fifteen percent (15%) will be designated as having "never attended" or NVRA in the Student Information System.

• Unofficial withdrawal: a withdrawal that is initiated by the college when a student has stopped attending classes, or for the purpose of distance education/online courses, stopped participating in class assignments or class/online activities for twenty percent (20%) of the course between the last date to drop with a refund and the last date to withdraw from the course.

• Withdrawal date for official withdrawals: the date for calculating the return of Title IV funds portion of earned financial aid, and which is the date the Registrar's Office receives JSRCC Form No. 11-0002, Add / Drop / Withdraw from Classes.

• Withdrawal date for unofficial withdrawals: the date for calculating the return of Title IV funds portion of earned financial aid, and which is the last date of attendance.

Policy:

J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Reynolds) seeks to engage students in a dynamic learning environment. Part of establishing a dynamic learning environment is through regular class attendance. Students are expected to participate in class, and while individual courses may have different grading standards related to class attendance, Reynolds has set the following expectations related to student attendance and attendance reporting.

1. Expectations of students

   Students are responsible for their enrollment in a course and must comply with all institutional obligations and institutional deadlines before being enrolled in a course. Students wishing to drop from a course should complete JSRCC Form No. 11-0002, Add/Drop, and submit it to the Registrar's Office or complete the transaction using the Student Information System at MyReynolds by the published deadline. Students wishing to withdraw from a course or courses should complete JSRCC Form No. 11-0002, Add / Drop / Withdraw from Classes, and submit it to the Registrar's Office by the published deadline to report their withdrawal. Students at a distance may fax a signed request to the Registrar's Office at 804-371-3650, or email a signed request to registrar@reynolds.edu.

   Students who do not submit the appropriate forms or attend classes within the guidelines outlined in this policy may have an adverse transaction occur on their record, which may include removal from the course, or a grade of W, F, or U in the course. An exception to these actions would occur if the student has contacted the instructor and provided a reason that is accepted by the faculty member.

2. Expectations of faculty

   Faculty members are expected to provide students with both the institutional and classroom attendance requirements for the course on the course syllabus. This includes distance learning courses. Attendance requirements should be reviewed with students during the first class meeting for the term. Faculty members are also expected to keep a daily record of attendance and should reconcile their class roster weekly through the first fifteen percent (15%) of their course. In the case where a student is present in the class and not on an official class roster, the faculty member must ask the student to exit the class and refer that student to Advising Services for proper enrollment in the course.

3. Attendance certifications

   Faculty members are required to certify attendance of students in their courses two (2) times per semester - at the fifteen percent (15%) point and the sixty percent (60%) point. Students who do not attend any classes during the first fifteen percent (15%) of the semester shall be administratively dropped from the course(s) and issued a refund. Students who do not attend classes for an extended period during the withdrawal period shall be administratively withdrawn from the course and shall not receive a refund. Those students who are found to have not attended classes shall be reported to the Registrar's Office. For dynamic courses that are one week or less in length, faculty members are required to report attendance for the fifteen percent (15%) and sixty percent (60%) points at the same time.

   Attendance certification is not to be used to remove students from courses as a result of a lack of participation in class, nor is it intended to be used as a means of removing students from class as a result of poor performance.  It is for attendance purposes only.

4. Student requests to correct attendance reporting

   Students who have been inadvertently removed from a course or who have received a failing grade in a course, may request to have these actions corrected by providing the instructor documentation demonstrating that they did participate in class. In instances where students were administratively dropped from the course, the student shall have to initiate Reynolds Policy No. 1-37, Late Add. If the student is not at fault, the faculty member must initiate the late add request.

   In instances where the student was administratively withdrawn from the course, the instructor may email the Registrar's Office and the school dean documenting the student's last date of attendance or participation in an academically-related activity beyond the sixty percent (60%) point of the semester. Upon approval of the school dean, the student shall be reinstated to the course and the grade of W removed. The instructor shall maintain the documentation proving the student's last date of attendance for a period of three (3) years in the event of a federal audit.

5. Distance learning courses

   All attendance policies and criteria apply to distance learning students. It is the responsibility of the faculty to ensure the accurate and timely reporting of the attendance of students enrolled in their courses. For the purpose of meeting the reporting requirements outlined within this policy, faculty should use the following guidelines in developing and managing their distance courses:

   1. clearly outline the attendance criteria for each course in the course syllabus

   2. require students participate in a documented activity each week within a term

6. Sample syllabus statement

   Instructors may want to place information on their syllabus similar to the below statement:

   "In order to achieve the maximum benefit of this class, it is expected that you attend all classes. Per Reynolds Policy No. 1-3, Student Attendance, a record of your attendance shall be maintained by the instructor and reported to the Registrar's Office. If you do not attend class for a substantial amount of time, you may be subject to an adverse effect on your enrollment status in the class and/or your grade. It is your responsibility to inform the instructor of any anticipated absences. If you decide that you do not want to or cannot complete this course, it is recommended that you comply with the institution's drop or withdrawal policy by completing the appropriate forms located on the Reynolds' Community College website at https://www.reynolds.edu/student_services/forms.html by the appropriate deadline."

Procedures:

N/A

Other Information:

• Attendance Certification Procedures
• Reynolds Policy No. 1-10, Student Initiated Withdrawal from a Course(s)
• Reynolds Policy No. 1-37, Late Add
• JSRCC Form No. 11-0002, Add / Drop / Withdraw from Classes