Page 49 - Demo

ATTENDANCE POLICY
On-Ground Courses
A student is expected to be present for all scheduled classes. In general, a student who attends class as scheduled performs better academically. DEC may share attendance information with potential employers upon request and with student authorization.
A student who does not attend class for 21 consecutive calendar days will be dismissed. Scheduled breaks of 5 days or longer are excluded from this calculation. DEC will make three attempts to contact a student notifying him/her of the consequences of failing to return. If the student fails to resume attendance within 21 calendar days, DEC will make the withdrawal date of determination no later than 14 calendar days after the last date of attendance.
DEC faculty is encouraged to publish an Attendance Penalty Scale applicable to students enrolled in their courses. An Attendance Penalty Scale is based on the percentage of time missed and the corresponding reduction in the final grade. Faculty is not required to adopt such a policy, and may adopt additional attendance policies. A student should ensure he/she has a full understanding of the instructor’s attendance requirements for each course scheduled.
DEC excuses the following absences:
• Funerals: Three (3) days absence will be granted for death in the immediate family, which includes parents, siblings,
spouse, child, grandparent, mother-in-law, or father-in-law.
• Hospitalization: Up to five (5) days absence will be granted for any student admitted to the hospital or when a
student’s child is admitted to the hospital. • Scheduled court appearances.
Doctor’s appointments, emergency room, and urgent care visits are NOT considered excused absences and should be scheduled around class times.
A student must notify the Education Department immediately regarding any excused absence. The student should provide written documentation to have any absence excused in accordance with this policy. Documentation should be provided to the Education Department and the instructor(s).
Any student who misses a graded assignment, quiz, or test because of an absence must follow the instructor’s make up policy for each individual course. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor immediately regarding make-up work.
Online / Hybrid Courses
Students completing online or hybrid courses are expected to actively participate regularly in each course for which they are enrolled. Though students will not be required to connect or login at specific times or specific days, they will be expected to participate each week and complete assignments, lesson presentations, quizzes, and exams as instructed. Each weekly module includes an interactive lesson that is completed by the student. Some lessons include “test your knowledge activities, video clips, audio files, and links to external content to enrich the learning environment. In addition, each student participates in weekly discussion forums with the faculty and his or her peers. Attendance in online courses is recorded as it is in on-ground courses. In order to maintain continuous attendance and financial aid eligibility, students are required to submit two (2) academically related activities each week.
Academically related activities include, but are not limited to:
• Physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and the students
• Submitting an academic assignment
• Taking an exam / quiz, completing an interactive tutorial, or participating in computer-assisted instruction
• Participating in an online discussion about academic matters
For courses that are 100% online, an academic week will begin each semester on a predetermined day at 12 am EST and run until 11:59 pm EST the following week for the duration of the semester. If the student submits two (2) relevant activities during an academic week, he or she is in attendance for that week.
Online Attendance Grade Deductions
Students who do not fulfill the criteria for online attendance set forth shall be penalized as part of the attendance portion of their grades.
First-time DEC Students
Attendance is an extremely important part of the educational process, but it is also important as training for the workplace. First-time students are required to maintain a 75% or higher attendance percentage by the end of the tenth (10th) day of class.
Page 49 of 88 Catalog Volume 62 -Version 3 Effective June 5, 2020