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Attendance
Delgado recognizes that class attendance and participation plays an important role in a student’s ability to achieve their educational goals. Students are responsible for all course content and are responsible for understanding course-specific attendance policies and should plan accordingly as listed in the course syllabi. Class attendance is an obligation as well as a privilege. All students are expected to attend (or interact online, if applicable) regularly and punctually all classes in which they are enrolled. Failure to do so may lead to a lower or failing grade in a course and an outstanding financial obligation.
Delgado Community College is non-attendance* taking institution for the purposes of Return of Title IV Funds regulations; however, faculty members are required to state and to explain in the course’s syllabus if there are any expectations concerning class attendance (or online participation, if applicable) and absences. It is also the instructor’s prerogative to define “excused” and “unexcused” absences. [*Exceptions: (1) Any program that is required by an external agency to have attendance taken; and (2) all online courses are required to have attendance taken, with a minimum participation requirement in accordance with the College’s Required Drop Due to Non-Attendance Prior to Census Day and ‘FN’ Grades policy as described below.]
By Census Day
By the official Census Day of the academic term/session, all instructors are required to drop any student who has never physically/virtually attended the class or has never participated in any documented academic activities in a course, in accordance with the College’s Required Drop Due to Non-Attendance Prior to Census Day and ‘FN’ Grades policy.
Faculty will report non-attendance on the official Census Day of each academic term/session as published in the College’s Academic Calendar. A student who has never attended or participated in any academic activities will be dropped from the course via the instructor’s action.
For purposes of federal Title IV student financial assistance, the U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to be able to demonstrate that federal aid recipients established eligibility for federal aid by participating in academically-related activities for all enrolled coursework. Academically-related activities must be documented by the instructor and are described, but not limited to, the items listed below:
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Acceptable Proof of Participation
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Face-
to- Face courses
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Virtual courses
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Hybrid courses
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Online Courses
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Documented physical/visual attendance in a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and student
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X
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X
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X
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Documented submission of an academic assignment.
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X
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X
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X
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X
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Documented student participation in an interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction.
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X
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X
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X
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X
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Documented posting by the student in a discussion forum showing the student’s participation regarding academic matters
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X
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X
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X
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*An email from the student or other documentation which shows that the student initiated contact with the faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course.
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X
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*For emails to reflect proof of participation, emails must be after the course start date and be related to the academic course content (Examples: questions about reading or asking for further explanation). Emails regarding class information (Examples: textbook, time, excuse for missing class, technical questions) are not considered academic activity and do not reflect proof of participation.
For online courses, documented activities must be graded or marked as complete/incomplete in the College’s learning management system.
In online courses, documenting that a student has logged into an online class is not sufficient, by itself, to demonstrate academic participation/attendance by a student. The College must have documentation that demonstrates that a student participated in class or was otherwise engaged in an academically-related activity as noted above.
Academically-related activities do NOT include activities where a student may be present, but not academically engaged, such as:
- logging into an online class without documented active participation,
- engaging with the instructor or course before the start date
- emailing an instructor about non-academic related activities such as, but not limited to, questions about the textbook, missed assignment excuses, academic calendar or technical questions.
- participating in academic counseling or advising.
Participation in academic counseling and advising are no longer considered to be academic attendance or attendance at an academically-related activity.
Students who have been dropped for non-attendance by the official Census Day or who have dropped courses themselves may request reinstatement into a dropped class through the Reinstatement Procedures as outlined in the current College Catalog.
Rationale: If a student who has never attended class or participated in an online course by the official Census Day is not dropped for non-attendance, the student must be reported as attending and federal financial aid may be disbursed to the non-attending student. The disbursement of federal financial aid funds creates an institutional responsibility to collect the unauthorized funds from the student, which in turn may result in the College’s inability to collect the funds and to incur financial losses and related federal fines.
‘FN’ as Final Grade
At final grading, instructors must choose to issue an FN as a final grade to a student for whom the instructor (1) identifies as not meeting the requirements for sufficient participation based on the lack of documented academic attendance and (2) is unable to assign an earned grade based on the lack of documented academic attendance. See “Grading System” in Exams and Grading for the FN’s impact on student’s grade point average.
With the FN final grade, the instructor must include the date of the last documented academically-related activity in which the student participated as defined above. Logging into an online course alone does not constitute the last documented academically-related activity according to Title IV guidelines.
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Examples for Determining Final Grades
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Calculated Grade
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Earned F
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FN
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A face-to-face student attends every/most class meetings but does not turn in any documented assignments.
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X
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A face-to-face student attends every/most class meetings through the official Census date but does not return.
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X
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A virtual or hybrid student attends every/most class meetings (virtual or face-to-face) and the instructor marks them as present, but the student does not turn in any documented assignments.
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X
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A virtual or hybrid student attends class meetings (virtual or face-to-face) through the official Census date but does not attend class meetings after the official Census date and does not turn in any documented work.
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X
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A virtual or hybrid student does not attend class meetings (virtual or face-to-face) but turns in all documented assignments online throughout the semester, and the calculated grade is an F.
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X
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An online student logs into the class several times but does not turn in any documented work.
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X
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An online student logs into the class and completes documented work before the official Census date but does not complete any documented work thereafter.
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X
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An online student logs into class but misses some assignments (perhaps even the final exam if the syllabus does not state that taking the final exam is required to pass the course), but the student’s grade can be calculated to a grade above an F.
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X
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An online student logs into the class and has turned in the majority of the work throughout the semester, but the calculated grade is an F.
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X
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Changes To Class Schedule
Requests by students for addition of courses cannot be accepted by the Office of the Registrar after the end of late registration. Generally, students may not change sections after the end of late registration. When the student can verify that their hours of employment have been changed, the student may change from day to night or night to day sections of courses if such sections are available and the involved instructors agree to the change.
Dropping Classes/Withdrawing From College
A student is responsible for dropping classes or withdrawing from College if they are unable to complete the course(s). Failure to officially drop a course or withdraw from the College may result in the student receiving an “F” in the course.
A student may drop a class in the Office of the Registrar (City Park Campus), Student Records Office (Charity School of Nursing Campus), Office of the Registrar (West Bank Campus), Office of the Registrar (Sidney Collier Site), or on the Delgado web site until the final date for dropping. (See the Academic Calendar for specific dates for each semester.) Dropping all courses is the same as withdrawing from the College.
To withdraw from the College, a student may withdraw all the courses online or visit the nearest Office of the Registrar to complete the official Withdrawal Form. The form and instructions for proceeding are available at the Office of the Registrar (City Park Campus), Student Records Office (Charity School of Nursing Campus), Office of the Registrar (Sidney Collier Site), or the Office of the Registrar (West Bank Campus). Withdrawal is effective on the date the completed form is submitted to the Office of the Registrar or the date when the last enrolled course is dropped online. The final date for dropping a class or withdrawing from the College is in the academic calendar for the semester.
Reinstatement
Students who have been dropped from courses for non-attendance by the Census Day or who have dropped courses themselves may request reinstatement. If the reinstatement is approved by the instructor and the division dean, the student may process the paperwork in the Office of the Registrar. The approved paperwork must be received by the Office of the Registrar by the deadline listed in the Academic Calendar.
Auditing Classes
A student who wants to enroll in a college credit course for personal enrichment and who does not want to earn college credit may elect to audit the course. The decision should be made at the time of registration. Changes from audit to credit or from credit to audit must be made by the official end of Late Registration as listed in the college calendar. A student may audit no more than nine credit hours in any semester.
An auditor will not receive college credit, nor will they be permitted to obtain credit for the audited course through a credit examination or any other form of credit for prior learning (non-traditional credit). However, a course previously audited may be taken for credit by enrolling in the course.
Students who wish to audit courses must follow the same enrollment procedures as credit students. Audited courses are not included in determining a student’s full-time enrollment status (for insurance or other purposes).
Change Of Major
A degree-seeking student may transfer from one degree or certificate program to another. A non-degree-seeking student may declare a major after meeting the enrollment requirements for a degree-seeking student. A student wishing to change their major may do so in the Office of the Registrar. However, prior to changing majors students are advised to contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance to determine the impact of the new major on their financial aid eligibility.
Change Of Catalog
Generally, Delgado students fulfill their graduation requirements utilizing either the (1) Entry College Catalog–the catalog in effect during the first semester of a student’s latest unbroken enrollment period; or (2) Exit College Catalog–the catalog in effect during the semester in which a student intends to complete graduation requirements. Failure to attend a summer session does not constitute a break in enrollment.
For a student who changes majors, the entry College Catalog becomes the catalog in effect the semester in which the student changed to the current major during the student’s latest unbroken enrollment period. The student who changes majors has the option of utilizing the new entry College Catalog or the exit College Catalog. However, to fulfill graduation requirements, students have the option to request a change to any catalog that was in effect during their enrollment for up to five years prior to graduation, providing the degree, certificate, or technical diploma program has not been terminated and all remaining courses are still offered at the College. If a student requests a change in College Catalog under which the student may fulfill graduation requirements, the student must meet the requirements and follow the procedures outlined below:
Requirements for a Catalog Change
A change of College Catalog must be approved by the student’s advisor and division dean. The Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs must also approve requests to use catalogs over five years old.
Procedures to Change Catalog
If a student wishes to request a change of College Catalog for graduation requirements, the student must complete a Request for Change of College Catalog for Degree or Certificate Requirements Form, Form 1413/002. This form must be signed by the student’s advisor and division dean. The signature of the Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs is required for requests to use a catalog over five years old.
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