Attendance Policy (Didactic Courses)

  1. Attendance
    Attendance is mandatory. Students are expected to attend and appear on time at all classes, workshops, labs, seminars and other instructional activities associated with the courses in which they are enrolled. Since teamwork an integral part of KGI’s learning environment, attendance is important not only for the idividual student, but also for their colleagues. However, there are instances in which students are unable to attend class and those absences may be excused. These instances are described in the following sections. Absences not covered by this policy may be excused at the discretion of the course coordinator.
  2. Student responsibilities
    Students should make prior arrangements if missing a non-assessment day class is unavoidable; such requests should be made to the instructor or course coordinator or director prior to the absence. Documentation for excused absences must be submitted to the instructor or course coordinator in writing within three (3) business days upon return to school. Review of the documentation will determine whether an excused absence is warranted. The student must present appropriate documentation to be granted an excused absence. If able, the student should contact the course coordinator director, or instructoras soon as possible. 

    The following are considered excused absences:

    • Personal illness or injury. For an excused absence, written documentation from a physician or other qualified medical professional will be required as supporting documentation. However, no protected health information or confidential medical information is required to be submitted or documented.
    • A personal emergency or emergency in the student’s immediate family (i.e., parent, grandparent, guardian, spouse, child, or sibling of the student) such as death, hospitalization, or other emergency situation.
    • Attendance at a professional meeting if the absence has been pre-approved by the course coordinator.
    • Jury duty and Immigration/Naturalization Interview. For jury duty, please visit this page for more information. For Immigration/Naturalization Interview, students should contact KGI’s International Student Advisor.
    • Religious observance accommodations will be considered. Each student must individually submit a request for absences due to religious observances by the first day of each semester and work with the course coordinator or director to minimize disruptions to the educational process and to schedule makeup activities. Only holidays recognized by the TCC Chaplain Services will be considered.

    Falsification of documentation is considered a violation of the School’s Honor Code and will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

    The student will be held responsible for all work of a class missed during any absence. Opportunities to make up missed points in the form of class activities and quizzes will be at the discretion of the instructor or course coordinator.

  3. Policy regarding missed assessments

    A missed assessment will be graded as zero “0” by the course coordinator/instructor. Exceptions may be made for the following situations:

    • If a student has an immediate personal emergency, the student should make every effort to notify the course coordinator or director(s) prior to the start of the assessment. If the student is not able to safely make immediate contact, they MUST make contact within 24 hours of the start of the assessment. Personal emergencies are defined as serious vehicle accidents, hospitalizations, serious illness, or physical injuries which require emergency medical treatment or the sudden death of an immediate family member (parent, grandparent, guardian, spouse, child, or sibling of the student). All immediate personal emergencies must be verified in writing with a letter from a health care provider or other appropriate professional familiar with the circumstances. 
    • If a student has a significant pre-scheduled event which conflicts with an assessment, the student must contact the course coordinator or director at least two weeks prior to the examination or quiz to obtain approval for a rescheduled assessment. For holy days, civic procedures, citizenship interviews, and necessary medical procedures that have been verified by the course coordinator or director, approval may be granted. 
    • If the student meets the criteria stated above, make-up assessments will be scheduled by the course coordinator or director. Students must contact the faculty on the first day of their return to school to schedule a make-up examination. Make-up examinations may be different from the original format at the discretion of the course coordinator or director. For more specific details on this policy, MSPA students should refer to the MSPA Program Student Handbook and OTD students should refer to the OTD Program Student Handbook. PharmD students should refer to the sections on Assessment Policies within this handbook.
  4. COVID-19 Related Absences (refer to kgi.edu/coronavirus for more information)
    • Students who feel ill, have a fever, or have respiratory symptoms, should stay home. The student must contact the course coordinator as soon as the student determines they must be absent. The student must work with the course coordinator or faculty member to make up any missed exams, assignments, or coursework. 
    • Students who are not allowed to attend class on campus due to isolation orders, must comply with the determination that they are not allowed in the building. The student may attend class remotely if available or contact the course coordinator or director as soon as the student knows they will be absent. The student must work with the course coordinator, course director, or faculty member to make up any missed exams, assignments, or coursework. 
    • Students who are absent without excuse or who do not contact the course coordinator at the time of the absence, may not be allowed to make up missed work. 
    • Students who are absent for three days or more must provide documentation or a doctor’s note. 

Attendance at Experiential Activities

Attendance is MANDATORY. Attendance at the designated experiential site(s) is required to receive credit for the experiential courses. Attendance is a grading criterion as well as a requirement for certification of experiential hours. Please refer to the program specific experiential manual for more details.

Absences—PharmD

If the student in going to be absent from the course/rotation for any reason, the student MUST notify the preceptor and the Office of Experiential Education for pre‐approval unless the absence is due to a personal emergency or emergency in the student’s immediate family (i.e., patent, grandparent, guardian, spouse, child, or sibling of the student) such as death, hospitalization or other emergency situation; in which case the student MUST notify the preceptor and the Office of Experiential education immediately.

Failure to notify the preceptor and the Office of Experiential Education will result in being reported to the VP of Academic Affairs in writing through the Honor Code Intake form.

Any time missed must be made-up before the end of the designated rotation block in which the student is participating.* Students who do not complete the minimum hours before the end of the course/ rotation block will automatically fail the course/rotation.† Personal days CANNOT be used for any Experiential Education Experience (IPPEs, Certificate Experience Elective, and/or APPEs).

*If a student is scheduled at a site on a school‐observed holiday (i.e. Labor Day, Thanksgiving, etc.), and if the site is open on that holiday, then the student is expected to be on site. However, if the site is closed in observance of the holiday, it is at the preceptor’s discretion when the student will be required to make up the holiday (example, the preceptor may request the student to make up the time missed for Labor Day on Friday of that week)

Absences—OTD

Attendance during the experiential phase is mandatory.

If the student is going to be absent from the fieldwork or doctoral capstone experience for any reason, the student MUST notify the fieldwork educator/DCE site mentor and the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator/Doctoral Capstone Coordinator for pre‐approval unless the absence is due to a personal emergency or emergency in the student’s immediate family (i.e., parent grandparent, guardian, spouse, child, or sibling of the student). An emergency may include death, hospitalization, or other emergency situation. In these circumstances, the student must notify fieldwork educator/DCE site mentor and the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator/Doctoral Capstone Coordinator immediately. For more specific details on this policy, please refer to the OTD Fieldwork and Capstone Manual.

Attendance for Online Courses

Online students are subject to the following attendance policy. Student attendance in an online course is defined as active participation in the course. Participation in this course may take the form of posting to discussion forums, submitting assignments to drop boxes, or completing quizzes or exams. Students need to participate each week in some way to satisfy the attendance requirement. (Note: logging into the course does not qualify as participation and will not be counted as meeting the attendance requirement).

Students can be dropped seven calendar days after the start of the semester if they:

  1. Fail to meet the attendance requirement (as defined above) during the first week of class, OR
  2. Fail to contact the instructor in the event of a technical problem, OR
  3. Fail to contact the instructor during the first week of class regarding their inability to complete either #1 or # 2 above

In addition, any student failing to meet the attendance requirement for more than two consecutive weeks may be sent a “stopped attending” letter. At midterm, the Institute will administratively drop any student who has failed to meet the attendance requirement as set forth by the instructor. After midterm, students who stop participating in a class without officially dropping a class and who are not administratively dropped may receive a grade of “F” for the course. This may also have an impact on certain financial aid awards. It is ultimately the responsibility of the student to drop a course. Any student who can’t meet the attendance requirements for a given week should contact their instructor immediately

Tardiness

Arriving late to class is disruptive to other students and faculty as it interrupts the teaching and learning process. Students arriving late to class will forfeit any points that may have been earned through quizzes or other activities prior to their arrival to class, unless a valid excuse is submitted and approved by the instructor.