Attendance Policy
The current policy on attendance that is in the online 2010 Faculty of Education
Handbook at
http://www.nipissingu.ca/education/EdFacultyHandbook.asp#Attendance
is as follows:
Punctual and regular attendance is advised for the successful completion of a course.
When absenteeism during the entire year exceeds 20%, the student may be excluded from
writing the final examination, although this policy should be invoked only if meticulous
attendance records are kept. If a student seems to be missing a large number of classes,
this matter should be brought to the Dean's attention. Please refer to the Academic
Calendar for additional details on this policy as it relates to the consecutive education
program.
The 2010-2011 Academic Calendar says the following:
Attendance
When absenteeism exceeds 20%, the student may be excluded from writing the final
exam. Students who do not demonstrate regular attendance may be required to withdraw
from the Bachelor of Education program unless medical documentation or other
authorized documentation, deemed appropriate by the Faculty, is received. This policy
may be implemented if a student is absent more than the number of hours indicated
(approximately 20% of the total hours) in connection with any one of the courses or
course components. It then goes on to list the number of hours that number of hours that
equal 20% in every course.
The university also has a Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities that can be found
at
http://www.nipissingu.ca/graduatestudies/downloads/codeofacademicandnon-
academicconductNov2008.pdf
The following proposed attendance policy takes all of the above into consideration.
Attendance Policy
Punctual and regular attendance is essential for the successful completion of any course
within the Schulich School of Education. Attendance is regarded as evidence of good
professional student behavior and all students are expected to attend, and to participate
actively and professionally in all classes. Nevertheless, it is recognized that there are
exceptional circumstances wherein a student may be unable to be present at a class and
the following policy is provided to outline the procedures to be followed.
Circumstances for absence from classes fall generally into one of two categories:
1. Unexpected and Minimal Absence
A student may be absent from school due to an unexpected illness, varsity team
membership, or another personal situation that involves absence for 1 or 2 days. In this
case, a student will miss 1 or 2 sessions of a given class and will be required to contact
his/her professor to inform them of the absence and to provide the reason. Unless
otherwise determined by the professor, no further action is required on the part of the
student.
2. Extended Academic Leave
A student may request an extended academic leave of one week from classes for
extended health, unexpected family or personal reasons, academic conferences, and for
multi-faith religious holidays recognized by Nipissing University. Only the Associate
Dean can grant an official “extended academic leave” from classes and, if the leave is
granted, will inform the Education Office. The absence will be recorded on the student
record. Students granted an extended academic leave must make up all missed work and
complete all assignments. The Associate Dean will contact the professors to ensure that
this is done to their satisfaction.
Process for Requesting an Extended Academic Leave
Requests for an Extended Academic Leave must be made in advance, by email, to the
Associate Dean of the Schulich School of Education.
An email request for an Extended Academic Leave must include the following:
i) reason for request
ii) dates of absence
iii) proof of reason for absence (in cases of emergency, this proof can be submitted
upon the student’s return to class)
iv) a list of the class(es) that will be missed due to the absence
If the leave is approved, the student will receive written approval from the Associate
Dean. The Associate Dean will forward a copy of the approval to the Chair of the
division or program in which the student is registered. The student is then responsible for
notifying their professor(s) in writing and in advance of their absence. In emergency or
extenuating circumstances, the Education Office will forward an absence notice to the
professors.
Students who miss more time than approved by the Associate Dean, or who are absent
without formal approval of an Extended Academic Leave will meet with the Associate
Dean and will be required to withdraw from the program, or where appropriate, defer
participation in the program to another year.