2023-2024 Catalog and Student Handbook 
    
    Nov 27, 2024  
2023-2024 Catalog and Student Handbook [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Attendance Policy


 

Regular class attendance is expected of students. Faculty keep accurate records of class attendance and tardiness and these records become part of the official records of the institution. The College is committed to the principle that regular and punctual class attendance is essential to the student optimizing his/her scholastic achievement and that it is the responsibility of the student to attend class regularly without being tardy. As students are adults with many responsibilities, an occasional absence might be necessary. However, such absences in no way lessen the students’ responsibilities for meeting the requirements of the class. Distance education students are subject to the same attendance policy and procedures as traditional students.

1. When the College offers a class, the faculty and staff shall work together to develop an accurate electronic class roster listing all students enrolled in the class. Student names are on the electronic class roster once they have officially made payment for tuition and fees with the Business office.

2. Students who have not entered class by the census date will be dropped as “Never Attended”. Extenuating circumstances will be addressed by the Vice President of Instruction and Student Support Services.

3.Entrance into a face-to-face class is defined as attending at least one face-to-face meeting before the census date. Entrance into a Distance Education (online) class is defined as logging into the institution’s learning management system (LMS) and completing an enrollment activity before the census date. Entrance into a hybrid or blended class is defined as attending at least one face-to-face meeting or completing the required enrollment activity prior to the census date. Failure to attend class or complete the enrollment activity prior to the census date will result in the student being dropped as “Never Attended”.

4. Once a student is officially enrolled in a class, regular class attendance is expected. Absences are a serious deterrent to good scholarship. Arriving late for class or leaving a class early can be a disruption for both the faculty member and students, hence tardiness is strongly discouraged.

5. Inasmuch as the College’s students are adults, it is understood that absences may be required for a variety of reasons, but when these occur, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor when absent from class and make up missed class work or assignments as allowed by the instructor.

6. For the purpose of this policy, a Student Withdrawal shall occur when a student officially withdraws/ drops a class. The withdrawal/drop shall be effective as of the date the student takes his/her official action.

7. For the purpose of this policy, an Administrative Withdrawal may occur when:

a. The student fails to maintain class attendance as described in the instructor’s course syllabus.

b. Attendance records indicate there is a lack of participation by the student as evidenced by consecutive absences that exceed two full weeks of class.

c. An instructor is reasonably assured that the student does not intend to pursue the learning activities of the class.

8. Students who attend Robeson Community College must attend 75% of the required contact hours for a curriculum class or a RISE co-requisite class in order to receive credit in the class. Instructors may allow students to complete/submit assignments in a delivery mode other than the primary delivery mode of the class to demonstrate attendance, with the exception of the required enrollment activity for online courses.

9. Students who attend Robeson Community College must attend 85% of the required contact hours for a developmental class in order to receive credit in the class*. Instructors may allow students to complete/submit assignments in a delivery mode other than the primary delivery mode of the class to demonstrate attendance, with the exception of the required enrollment activity for online courses.

*Exception: Students (other than VA students) may exit the developmental class upon completing the tier required for their gateway course.

10. Students who attend Robeson Community College must attend 80% of the required contact hours each month for a College and Career Readiness class in order to receive credit in the class. Students who exceed the 20% absence point for a given month must attend the College and Career Readiness Learning Lab.

11. For curriculum and developmental classes, a tardy shall be defined as a student entering class late, leaving for a length of time during class, or leaving class early, regardless of reason, amounting to no more than 20% of the scheduled class meeting time. Thus, if a student is in class for 80% of the time but less than 100% of the meeting time, then that student shall be counted tardy. If a student is in class for less than 80% of the time, then that student shall be counted absent.

12.For the purpose of maintaining class attendance in curriculum classes, faculty shall count three tardies as one absence.

NOTE:

Absences begin with the first session a class is scheduled to meet even though the student may register late.

All syllabi for online, hybrid, and blended classes will specify the attendance procedures for the class. Examples of attendance requirements include weekly test/quiz, class assignments, and/or discussion forum participation.

Military: Students must provide prior official notification to instructors of duty-related military leave of absence(s). Responsibility for initiating such notice rests with the student. Military personnel must be able to attend/participate in the course prior to the course’s census date. Military leave of absence(s) that interferes with the student’s ability to attend/participate in the course before the census date will require that the student drop the course.

Religious Observance: It is the policy of Robeson Community College that any student of the institution must be granted two excused absences each academic year (July 1-June 30) for religious observances required by the faith of the student. The student must submit a written request to the Assistant Vice-President for Student Services or his/her designee for the excused absences at least ten days prior to the date the student intends to be absent for the religious observance. The Assistant Vice-President for Student Services or his/her designee may waive the ten school day requirement during the first ten school days of a student’s enrollment. For more information, please contact the Assistant Vice-President for Student Services or his or her designated representative.

 

Noncontinuous Enrollment

Noncontinuous enrollment is defined as not being enrolled for a period of one year or longer. Upon re-enrollment the student must comply with the requirements of the catalog and student handbook that is current at the time of reenrollment.