Page 8 - Vincennes 2024-2025 Student Planner

Distance Education Courses
The VU Distance Education Attendance Policy is based on the premise that students will complete all assigned course work by the established due dates. Failure to complete an assignment by the established due date is interpreted as an absence from the class. Any student who misses an assignment will be subject to attendance warnings and classroom concern notices from their instructor. Multiple attendance warnings and classroom concerns may result in administrative withdrawal.
Student Absences
Vincennes University believes that students who participate in university-sponsored activities and instructor-developed field trips must develop habits of attendance consistent with such participation or voluntarily refrain from such participation. For whatever reason an absence occurs, the student is responsible for the work missed.
Routine Absences
For a one-time or one-day absence, students should check their syllabus for the course absence policy. Students should follow the instructions their instructor has provided for how to handle routine absences in their course. Please note that each course may have a different absence policy.
Excused University Absences
Excused University absences include military obligation, mandatory court appearances, and participation in University activities at the request of University authorities. Quarantined students are not to be penalized for physical absence, but may be expected to complete class work and activities as assigned. Instructors are expected to be flexible in allowing students to make up work missed due to an excused University absence.
Procedures for Communicating Excused University Absences to Instructors
In most cases, excused absences which occur as the result of participation in a University-sponsored event need no verification provided by the student. Coaches and instructors regularly include the Dean of Students in their notification process for games and field trips, and a notice will be sent out to all instructors informing them of the event. It is always to the student’s benefit to ensure that their particular instructors are aware of his/her participation in these events and to discuss any course work or deadlines that might be impacted. Students must include documentation of a court appearance or military obligation.
Unexcused Absences
Any other type of absence not stated above is considered an unexcused absence. Students who miss unexcused class hours totaling twice the number of credit hours awarded for the course, or the equivalent of two weeks of class instruction may be dropped for non-attendance. Vincennes University believes that missing two weeks of class time puts a student at a severe risk of failing a class. It is the student’s responsibility to make up all missing coursework after any absence. An unexcused absence occurring on the day of an exam, presentation, or other scheduled requirement may or may not be allowed to be made up. This is at the discretion of the instructors. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate the nature of the unexcused absence to the instructors as soon as possible. The instructors may require some written documentation to verify the absence in order for the scheduled requirement to be made up.
Extended Student Absences (courtesy notification only)
As a service to students, the Dean of Students Office can provide notification to instructors when students have been/will be absent from class(es) for three or more consecutive days. Unless noted above as excused by University policy, all other absences are subject to the course absence policy and/or instructor’s discretion. The Dean of Students Office does not have the authority to excuse students for illness, accident/injury, family emergency, family events, etc. Only instructors have the authority to excuse students from class(es) or coursework for these reasons. Students are not required to report absences to the Dean of Students Office. The Office serves as a resource to help students reach instructors. The student is responsible for providing verification of the absence to instructors, if requested. Notification to instructors by the Dean of Students Office will be sent via email; the student’s preferred email will be copied on the notification.
Withdrawal Procedures Instructor-Initiated Withdrawal of Students from Class
Students who miss unexcused class hours totaling twice the number of credit hours awarded for the course, or the equivalent of two weeks of class instruction, may be administratively dropped from class. Instructors will be using the University attendance tracking system to issue warnings for non-attendance and to drop students for non-attendance with the following final grades:
• WN: Withdrawal for non-attendance, Not failing
• WF: Withdrawal for non-attendance, Failing
Only the student may appeal such a drop for non-attendance, and the student has two possible avenues for appeal.
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