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Attendance: Options and Considerations

At Montclair, instructors determine their attendance policies. Each instructor should assess what works best for their course’s learning objectives and clearly state these policies in the syllabus.

University Attendance Policy

The University attendance policy stresses the importance of attendance to student success:

Students who attend class regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. Instructors are responsible for developing specific policies and guidelines regarding attendance, and these must be explained in the syllabus, along with all other course requirements. Students are responsible for following these requirements and guidelines. Students are responsible for making class sessions a priority, and for managing absences effectively by communicating with instructors and completing assignments following the course syllabus.

The approach to student absences may vary between courses, depending on discipline, instructor pedagogy, and course design. Instructors have a great deal of autonomy in deciding how best to support student success and academic continuity.

The University Policy acknowledges this, noting:

Students in laboratory or studio courses must follow lab or studio session attendance requirements as described in the syllabus. Any makeup of lab or studio materials is at the discretion of the course instructor, and all non-permitted absences must be cleared with the course instructor ahead of time.

Attendance requirements may only apply to specific course modalities, such as in person or synchronous online classes. Asynchronous classes often have an engagement policy in place of an attendance policy.

Make the Value You Hold For Attendance Explicit

Instructors can minimize student absences through careful course design, adherence to their policies, and communication.

If attendance is important to learning in your course, require it, allowing for some limited number of absences without penalty (the equivalent of two weeks of class — 4 absences if class meets twice a week — is common), and penalties following an incremental schedule, for example, a half grade for each additional absence. It is helpful to make clear that managing attendance is students’ prerogative and responsibility — no doctor’s or other notes required or desired.

The point of expecting and requiring attendance is to maximize student learning, which students do not always realize. They need to know it’s not just another hoop they have to jump through.

With that said, demonstrating empathy while being clear about your expectations is important. Be strategic with developing the tone of your communication. That is, your communication can be compassionate and foster a rigorous academic experience.

Some instructors choose to track participation or engagement in lieu of attendance. For example, Emily Kline, a former doctoral student in psychology, addresses attendance through participation points, using the following policy:

Please note that attendance is expected….participation points (composing 10% of your final grade) can only be earned during the scheduled class session; thus, missing class equates to missing participation points for that day.

Participation and engagement policies are especially important for asynchronous online courses. Design your online course to include weekly required forms of engagement such as assignment submission or discussion board posts.

Despite a clear attendance policy, things happen – students get sick, struggle with transportation issues, or face family emergencies. Having plans and practices in place to deal with these issues can help both students and the instructor navigate the semester.

If you feel a student needs help beyond what you can provide, reach out to campus partners. Students experiencing prolonged absences due to extenuating circumstances should contact the Dean of Students (DOS). Extenuating circumstances include prolonged illness/chronic health issues, hospitalization, family emergencies (e.g., death of an immediate family member), fire and flood emergencies, and military deployment. Shorter absences due to non-extenuating circumstances, such as a brief illness, are addressed by faculty and the course attendance policy, not the DOS.

Last Modified: Saturday, December 21, 2024 1:27 pm

EJI


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