ATTENDANCE POLICY Classification:
Academic
Responsible:
Director, Operations
Executive Sponsor:
Vice-President, Product & Operations
Approval Authority:
Robertson College Leadership Team
Date First Approved:
November 15, 2023
Date Last Reviewed:
N/A
Scheduled Review Date:
June 30, 2025 or as needed
A.
PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance to students, instructors and the Operations Team at Robertson on matters pertaining to student attendance. The policy applies to both course and practicum attendance requirements.
B.
SCOPE This policy applies to all students enrolled in domestic licenced diploma or certificate programs at Robertson College.
C.
DEFINITIONS Word/Term The College Licenced Program
Student
Definition Robertson College A program of study that has been submitted and approved by the private vocational institution regulatory bodies in Manitoba and/or Alberta. An individual who has applied for admission, is currently enrolled, or has previously been enrolled at Robertson College.
Enrolment Contract
Absence
Attendance Concern
Excused Absence
Unexcused Absence
Advanced Notification
D.
The enrolment contract is the formal legal document that indicates the start and end dates of the program of study and the conditions for the program of study. The enrolment contract is a legislated requirement for all students enrolled in private vocational institutions in Manitoba and Alberta. Non-attendance for any in-person or virtual class, lab, or practicum experience for any reason. When frequent absences occur by a student. Frequency leading to an attendance concern is program and/or course-specific but typically occurs when a student has missed 5 consecutive days of class without notifying the college in advance or is nearing 10% of classes missed overall in their program. An expected or unexpected absence due to a “reasonable excuse.” Reasonable excuses could include but are not limited to physical or mental health challenges or a family emergency. Excused absences may be approved in advance and could include an illness/injury of a dependant or a caregiver, a religious holiday, a career-related interview and attendance at a funeral. An unexcused absence is an absence for which a “reasonable excuse” is not provided. An unexcused absence could include but is not limited to work conflicts or personal vacation time. For the purpose of this policy, advanced notification is notice provided within 12 hours prior to the start of a class for which a student will be absent.
POLICY 1. GENERAL
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Class attendance and participation are part of the evaluation of the student and may have a bearing on the final grade for the course. The College tracks attendance for a number of reasons: ● ● ●
To monitor student progress and provide support and assistance if required; To ensure that students have taken the opportunity to learn the material needed to complete assignments; and, To meet government regulations for private vocational colleges and student loans that require attendance records for all students.
The College has adopted the following guidelines to define student, instructor and the College’s responsibilities related to attendance in order to improve student success rates. 1.1 Responsibilities of the Student ●
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Students are expected to attend all classes. Students are expected to maintain an absence rate of less than 10% overall in their program. This applies to coursework and the practicum experience. Please note that attendance requirements may differ for accredited programs as per the specifications of the accrediting body. Students are expected to schedule all vacations outside of the class and practicum time; students will be marked “Absent” if they are absent due to a personal vacation within the timeline specified on their enrolment contract. Students may be requested to provide medical documentation in relation to attendance. Details of this can be found in the Procedure Guide. Students are required to provide advance notification to the instructor for any absences to be authorized. The list of authorized absences is outlined in Section 3.1 of this policy. Students are responsible for reviewing class recordings and making arrangements to acquire class notes and assignment instructions missed due to their absence. Late Attendance: arriving late to class and/or leaving early will be documented in the attendance rating for that day. See Appendix A for more information.
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Students are responsible for making up missed time and coursework. Students are responsible for inquiring with their instructors about the possibility of make-up time scheduling. The opportunity to make up missed lab or practicum hours is the decision of the School Manager and is dependent on lab and site scheduling availability.
*Note: For HCA Alberta, make-up shifts must be approved by Alberta Health Services. Make-up time may also be specified by the accrediting body for accredited programs and may differ from the policy herein.
1.2 Responsibilities of the Instructor ● ● ● ●
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Instructors have a shared responsibility to work collectively with students and the Operations Team to effectively implement this policy. Instructors are required to record, monitor, and report the attendance of all students for each course they teach. Attendance and participation marks may be a component of overall course grades. This will be noted on each applicable course outline. Instructors are to inform students of their expectations and clarify the benefits of attendance at the beginning of the course and include applicable information in the course outline. Instructors are responsible for reporting all attendance concerns immediately to the College via the ticketing system or email. Attendance concerns include students who have gone five (5) days without accessing their course or are one (1) week behind in assessments.
1.3 Responsibilities of the College ● The College is responsible for ensuring attendance requirements are clearly communicated, fair and equitable among students. ● The College must ensure that all students with attendance-related concerns are brought forward to the Learner Review Committee for review and decision as per the Student Attendance Procedure Guide. ● In cases where the Learner Review Committee is unable to make a decision about an attendance-related matter, the decision is brought forth to the School Manager for decision who may consult with the Director of Operations to reach a decision. ● The Director of Operations is responsible for the execution of this policy and is the final decision-maker in all attendance-related matters at the College.
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2. COURSE ATTENDANCE Attendance is defined as active participation in the course (online components and/or in-person classes). Attendance is based on the following criteria: ● Student presence (online or in-person which encompasses coursework and practicum) ● Student interaction with course content ● Student interaction with instructor ● Student interaction with peers Attendance at in-person classes or labs will be recorded daily in Brightspace. Attendance related to online course components will be recorded at a minimum twice a week, on Thursdays and Mondays in Brightspace. Instructors will use the following scale to rate student attendance: ● P - Present/Proficient (100%) ● EX - Excused absence (100%) ● C - Competent (90%) ● S - Some (75%) ● H - Half (50%) ● M - Minimal (25%) ● A - Absent/None (0%) To determine the attendance rating, the instructor will refer to the criteria in Appendix A: Attendance Policy Information for Instructors. 3. MAKE-UP TIME Students who are absent in online instructor-guided courses are required to access the content in Brightspace in order to catch up on coursework missed throughout the duration of the course. Students are encouraged to consult with their instructors on an as-needed basis should they have questions about missed coursework or assessments. Students must adhere to the assessment due dates in their course and have access to a course two weeks after the course end date. After this time, students who require it may request a course extension. Course extensions are approved or denied by the Academic Support team.
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Students who miss an on-campus lab and are marked “excused" due to a “reasonable excuse” may make up the lab time at the discretion of the School Manager and based on the availability of the instructor and the required lab. Students who miss an on-campus lab and are marked excused” due to not providing a reasonable excuse will not be provided with a make-up schedule. Students who miss a lab that is critical to their progression in the program may be placed on the Learner Review Committee list for deliberation and decision. 3.1. Approved Excused Absences in Advance In certain circumstances, the College may deem absences to be excused. It is the student’s responsibility to discuss planned absences with their course instructors in advance of each absence. Instructors should be reasonable and fair when considering requests for consideration resulting from unavoidable absences. Absences may be authorized in advance for reasons including but not limited to the following: ● A medical/professional appointment ● An illness/injury of a dependant or a caregiver ● A religious holy day ● A career-related interview ● Attendance at a funeral 4. UNEXCUSED ABSENCES Students may be withdrawn if they have an absence rate of more than 10% in accordance with Manitoba Private Vocational College legislation and Manitoba and Canada student loan policies. Students may be withdrawn if they are absent for 5 consecutive days without contact with the college in accordance with Alberta Private Vocational College legislation and Alberta and Canada student loan policies. Generally, students at Robertson are expected to maintain an absence rate of less than 10% overall in their program.
E.
RELATED LEGISLATION Private Vocational Institutions Act (Manitoba)
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Private Vocational Institutions Regulation (Manitoba) Private Vocational Training Act (Alberta) Private Vocational Training Regulation (Alberta) Alberta Student Aid Operational Policy & Procedures 2023-2024 (Alberta) Manitoba Student Aid Designation Policy Manual (Manitoba) F.
PROCEDURE
Procedures related to attendance concerns are outlined in the Student Attendance Procedure Guide. G.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Appendix A: Attendance Policy Information for Instructors Appendix B: Policy Exceptions H.
RELATED POLICIES
Tuition Refund Policy Voluntary Withdrawal Policy College Initiated Withdrawal Policy (in draft) Graduation Policy I.
RELATED MATERIALS
Student Attendance Procedure Guide (in draft)
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Approved: April 27, 2022 Approved by: Robertson Leadership Team Signatures:
Terena Caryk VP, Product and Operations
Jason Locke VP, Learner Recruitment and WorkForce
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Appendix A: Attendance Policy Information for Instructors Rating attendance related to online course components:
Rating attendance for in-person classes or labs:
Appendix B: Policy Exceptions
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Program
Policy Criterion
Exception Description
HCA AB
1.1 Roles and Responsibilities
See note below
HCA AB
3 Make-up Time
HCA AB
3.1 Approved Excused Absences in Advance 4 Unexcused Absences
Subject to AHS approval and Course 8 completion. Not allowed in practicum.
HCA AB
Attendance Policy: First approved November 15, 2023
Learners are granted a total of 32 hours (4 days) over Courses 5 & 8. Any additional absences are subject to LRC review.
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