Attendance Policy | NorthWest Arkansas Community College

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Attendance


Class Attendance Policy

Registered students are expected to attend all classes. Some instructors may choose to use attendance as part of grading for a particular course. Instructors
have the authority to lower a grade or fail a student based on attendance. If an instructor chooses to use attendance as part of grading, then the specific
attendance policy will be distributed with other course information at the beginning of the semester. It is the student’s responsibility to know the policy and to comply. Students unable to continue attending class should drop online or complete a drop form at the Enrollment Support Center. Students who do not officially withdraw will likely receive a failing grade due to their absence. In compliance with federal regulations governing financial aid and veterans benefits, faculty is required to report students who stop attending or who have
never attended class. For students who have not participated by the census reporting date, faculty will initiate an administrative drop for these students. Please see the Administrative Drop by Census Reporting Date policy in the following section.

Class Participation

Class Participation Grades of FP – (failure to participate) will be issued to those students failing to participate in class activities and failing to officially withdraw from their course(s). Students will be assigned a grade of “FP” if they do not complete at least 50% of the assigned coursework. Students must demonstrate participation by submitting assignments, completing quizzes and assignments, and accessing course functions. Failure to participate in all courses attempted by a student is considered an unofficial withdrawal and the student may be required to repay all or a portion of the financial aid received for the semester. Federal regulations mandate that the Financial Aid Office determine the percentage of the semester the student completed. This calculation will establish the amount of financial aid funds that must be returned to the
Department of Education.

Administrative Drop by Census Reporting Date

In order to maintain College compliance with federal and state regulations and to report correct data to the state, instructors will complete an electronic form to initiate an administrative drop from a course if a student has not participated in at least one session of a class by the census reporting date, e.g. the end of the eleventh day of classes in a regular term and the end of the fifth day during each summer term. Instructors teaching online courses will complete the same electronic form to initiate an administrative drop if the student has not fulfilled the initial participation requirements established in the course syllabus. There will be no reinstatement of students dropped for non-attendance/participation.