Attendance
Last Known Date of Attendance Reporting:
Kettering University does not require faculty to take attendance. The U.S. Department of Education requires the Financial Aid Office to differentiate students who fail a class because they quit attending from those who fail a class based on merit. Because a student could be a financial aid applicant at any point during the academic year, this information must be collected on all students, so that financial aid eligibility can be accurately determined.
The Last Known Date of Attendance Reporting Policy is necessary to appropriately assess the financial liability for students, ensure good stewardship of financial aid funds, and limit the financial liability for the university and academic consequences for the student. The amount of funds earned by a student is based on the amount of time spent in attendance by the student for that term. In addition, this information is often useful in arbitrating cases when students believe they completed the process to drop or withdraw from a course.
After the drop/add period each term, a ‘last date of attendance’ notification, or ‘never attended’ notification by a faculty member will result in the automatic assignment of either a WN (withdrawal for non-attendance) grade or an FN (failure for non-attendance) grade by the Registrar’s Office. This initiates re-evaluation of a student’s financial aid and it will be adjusted for those classes.
Student Responsibility
Students are expected to attend all the sessions of the classes in which they are enrolled. Students who stop attending classes should immediately withdraw from those course(s) prior to the course withdrawal deadline specified on the academic calendar. Students who do not officially withdraw from a course they are not attending may be reported by their instructor as having a last date of attendance. When this happens, the student will remain responsible for any financial liability, less applicable refunds they have incurred associated with the last date of attendance reported, and for any academic consequences associated with the last date of attendance reported and the assignment of the WN or FN grade.
School Responsibility
After the drop/add period each term, a last date of attendance reporting by a faculty member will result in that automatic assignment of either a grade of WN (withdrawal for non-attendance) or FN (failure for non-attendance) by the Registrar’s Office as follows:
- A grade of WN (withdrawal for non-attendance) is issued if the last known date of attendance is within the course withdrawal period specified on the academic calendar. A WN grade is treated the same as a W (withdrawal) grade in that it will not affect a student’s term or overall GPA.
- A grade of FN (failure for non-attendance) is issued if the last known date of attendance is after the course withdrawal period specified on the academic calendar. An FN grade is treated the same as a failing grade in that it will be included in a student's term and overall GPA.
- Once a faculty member has reported a last date of attendance, the student will no longer be able to attend or participate in the class.
Class Attendance Policy Related to Required Military Duty or Veteran Status
Questions on whether an activity is a required military service activity for purposes of this policy should be directed to the Associate Provost. If anticipated absences for a term appear to be extraordinarily numerous or difficult to accommodate, a faculty member may appeal the need for the full accommodation to the Associate Provost.
Absences due to military duty or veteran status must be excused. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Mandatory monthly drill instruction, such as duty completed by national guard members and military reservists (typically this involves a one-day absence in order to extend weekend training).
- Service-related medical appointments where failure to appear might result in a loss of benefits.
Students must give written notice to the faculty member at least one week in advance of the absence unless last-minute schedule changes make this notice impossible. Students are strongly encouraged to inform each faculty member of their known and anticipated absences as far in advance as possible, preferably at the start of the term.
The faculty shall afford students the opportunity to independently make up coursework or work of equal value, for the day(s) the event was scheduled and to take a scheduled exam at an alternate time. The faculty member shall determine alternate exam times and due dates for missed course work. These assigned dates may be prior to the date of the absence.
Students are still responsible for demonstrating achievement of course learning goals, even when absences due to military duty are necessary and reasonable. In situations with many absences or extended periods of military duty (e.g. being called to active duty), it may be most appropriate for the student to withdraw and retake the course in a future term.