Regular class attendance is required of all students. Promptness and dependability are qualities that are very important in all occupations. Students should begin to develop these qualities the day they begin their training.
Attendance is taken daily in class by the instructor and turned over to the Registrar before the end of the class day. Early departures, tardies, and class cuts will be recorded in quarter-hour increments. A period of less than 15 minutes will be counted as a quarter-hour of absence. Attendance records are maintained by the Registrar as part of the student’s permanent academic record.
Students with chronic absenteeism in excess of 20% of the scheduled hours for a course may receive a failing or reduced grade for the course.
A student attending the College will be withdrawn from any course he or she does not attend within a 14-day calendar period (excluding school holidays and breaks). The student will be withdrawn from his or her program immediately if he or she does not attend any course(s) within a 14-calendar day period (excluding school holidays and breaks). All students must complete 100% of the scheduled clinical or externship hours within the assigned grading period.
Students are responsible for making up assignments and work missed as a result of absence at the discretion of the instructor. The instructor may assign additional outside make-up work to be completed for each absence.
Attendance is reviewed by instructors, program directors, and the Dean of Education on a weekly basis with a focus on those who have been absent for 15% of the scheduled course. Students will be notified by phone, e-mail, or online in the student portal if their attendance is in danger of violating attendance requirements.
Students may appeal the College’s actions related to the attendance policy if the absence was due to extenuating or mitigating circumstances, for example, illness, military duty, death of a family member, court appearance, or jury duty. Appeals should follow the standard grievances/appeals escalation process. That is, the student should first discuss the issue with his or her instructor.
Attendance in Online General Education and Allied Health Courses
Students attend online General Education and Allied Health by completing the following activities in the course:
- Submitting an initial or peer response post to the discussion board (posting to the Course Café does not give a student attendance)
- Submitting a paper, project, or other assignment for grading
- Completing a quiz, mid-term, or final
Online General Education and Allied Health courses are asynchronous, meaning there are typically no weekly live lectures for students to attend.
Attendance in Online Nursing Courses
Attendance in online Nursing courses – those that start with an NUR or PNR – occurs when students attend the weekly live lecture. The days and times for live lectures are listed in the student’s schedule. Attendance in the weekly live lectures is mandatory. If a student is unable to attend a live session, the student must speak with their online Nursing instructor.
Additional Program Attendance Policies
Some programs of study may have specific attendance policies. Students should refer to the student handbooks for those programs for more details.
Additional Dental Hygiene Program Attendance Policies
Students are expected to attend all classes, labs, and clinical. Absences jeopardize a student’s ability to meet course or clinical objectives. Under extraordinary circumstances, an excused absence based on proper documentation may be awarded for circumstances such as a death in the immediate family, required court appearance, military leave, jury duty or a student’s hospitalization. By enforcing a strict attendance policy, Fortis College helps to assist the students in gaining valuable educational experiences and developing good work habits.
A dental hygiene student who accumulates four (4) unexcused absences in any combination of classes, labs, or clinical in a quarter will be placed on attendance probation for the duration of the quarter. During the probationary period if a student misses one more class, lab or clinical they may be dropped from the program and receive a failing grade for all current courses. Late arrivals (tardies) and early departures of 15 minutes or more from classes and labs will be documented. Any combination of three (3) late arrivals and/or early departures from class, lab or clinical will count as an absence and will be used in calculating overall absences. Students who miss half or more of any class or lab will be counted as absent for that particular class, lab or clinical. Even though 100% missed clinical time must be made up, a missed clinical still counts as an absence for determining if a student is placed on attendance probation.
The Fortis College Dental Hygiene Program does not guarantee clinical make-up experiences. Failure to complete 100% of clinical time, for any reason, will result in a failure for the course. Students are allowed ONE (1) clinical absence (of the four (4) defined unexcused absences mentioned above) per 12-week quarter. Additional clinical absences may result in dismissal from the dental hygiene program. Students must make up missed clinical time within two (2) weeks of the absence or will not receive credit for the make-up. Students must provide documentation to receive any excused absences. Specific clinical attendance policies are more stringent than the overall dental hygiene program attendance policies and are documented in detail in the Fortis College Dental Hygiene Program Student Handbook, and in the college catalog.
It is the student’s responsibility to monitor their own attendance status. Students should consult with the dental hygiene program administrator if they have any questions.
Dropped students will be considered for re-entry into the program on a space-available basis. Readmission policies apply. Students are not guaranteed readmission.
Students re-entering the program after being dropped for violation of the attendance policy will be dismissed permanently from the program if they violate the attendance policy a second time.
Lecture and lab classes: Students are responsible for reporting absences to their instructor prior to the beginning of class. A “no call, no show” is NOT acceptable. Call 801-713-0915. Students should follow up with an email to their instructor to notify them of their absence and request homework assignments.