Attendance and Participation 

Hiram College recognizes that regular attendance at all classes is an essential part of its academic purpose. Class attendance is a student obligation, and a student is responsible for all the work of all class meetings. Student should notify the instructor in advance, if possible, of an absence, and initiate communication with the instructor to determine what, if any, credit can be obtained for missed classes. Absences in class will likely impact a student’s ability to fulfill course requirements and therefore, the student’s final grade.

Each instructor determines the attendance policy for their class. Because attendance is integral to course design, these policies may be set by departments or individual instructors. For example, students may be required to interact with others in the class, to demonstrate the ability to think and argue critically, or to participate in group projects. Instructors also determine whether make-up work is possible and if so, its parameters. Students are entitled to information about course procedures, attendance policy, content, and goals, especially in relation to the grading policy.  Faculty will provide this information on the course syllabus and review attendance and grading policies early in the course.

Attendance policies should reasonably accommodate short-term illness, family emergencies, and college-sponsored events. These events include athletic events and college sponsored activities led by faculty or staff, not including student organizations. Faculty, coaches, and staff who organize such events should make all efforts to minimize disruption of course attendance. Directors of college-sponsored events will provide notification to students well in advance of each event necessitating absence from class.  It is up to the student to communicate and work with their faculty regarding the absence.

Students who have a medical or psychological condition affecting their course attendance may contact the Counselling and Disability Services Office to request approval for an absence accommodation plan. Requests for medical accommodations should be sent with appropriate documentation for review to the Disability Services Office. Students receiving accommodations should work with faculty members to establish a clear accommodation agreement for each course. These medical absence accommodation agreements will be summarized in writing through email and copied to all parties—student, faculty member, and Health Center. In the case of sudden, unexpected, or emergency absences that require a student to leave campus and make it impossible for a student to contact professors, the Dean of Students Office will contact a student’s course faculty to make them aware of the absence. It remains the student’s responsibility to communicate as soon as possible to determine whether and how they can address any missed work.

On occasion, even if absences are due to documented medical or emergency situations, students may miss so many classes that they are not able to meet the learning objectives of the course. In these cases, students will be advised to withdraw from the course. Students who do not exercise this option risk receiving grades of SA (Stopped Attending), Incomplete, or Failure. 

Online Attendance Policy:

Student attendance in Hiram College online courses is defined as active participation in the course as described in the individual course syllabus. Online courses will have daily to weekly mechanisms for student participation which can be documented by any or all the following methods:

  • Completion of tests or quizzes
  • Discussion forums
  • Submission/completion of assignments
  • Communication with the instructor
  • Or other course participation

Students should log in initially to each online course by the end of the first week of that course.  However, it is highly recommended that students log into their online course on the first day of class or before, as there are frequently assignments due during the week, not only at the completion of each week’s module. For online courses, faculty will open courses within a week of the course beginning.  As a component of attendance, student emails, course announcements, and discussion forums should be checked frequently (daily is recommended). The student is solely responsible for checking updates related to the course.

Students who do not complete the course attendance requirements within the drop/add period for the course may be administratively dropped from the course. (Drop/add and withdrawal dates are listed in the published semester schedule and College Catalog). Students who fail to maintain active participation in an online course as defined in the course syllabus will be processed in accordance with the College’s current attendance policy.

NOTE: Students who determine that they do not plan to attend a class in which they are enrolled must initiate a withdrawal before the term begins to receive a full tuition refund, and during the drop/add period for that course to receive a partial tuition refund.

Non-attendance may affect financial aid. If a student fails to meet the attendance requirements, they may be recommended for withdrawal from the course. In the case of an anticipated absence, such as military deployment, the student should contact the instructor in advance and arrange to complete the required assignments. In case of an emergency (illness/accident or death in family), a student should contact the instructor as soon as possible providing documentation supporting the need for any late submission of a graded event.