Attendance
Course and Lab Attendance Policy
Bastyr University recommends 90 percent attendance for all courses. Instructors may define in the course syllabus an attendance policy that could include the maximum number of excused and/or unexcused absences allowed before the course must be retaken. To pass a course, no more than 10 percent of classes may be missed. Some absences may be excused for various reasons and, in these cases, a reasonable opportunity to remediate may be offered.
An absence is considered excused if the student has a legitimate personal emergency, severe illness, or a documented birth (midwifery program students) as long as the student contacts their faculty member before the absence unless this is not possible. Faculty may require documentation upon return from the excused absence, such as a doctor’s note.
When a student has an excused absence, the faculty member may require that the student complete additional work to make up for the time missed. It is the student’s responsibility to promptly communicate with the faculty member to discuss the absence, the nature of any required remediation work, and its due date. Students may be responsible for additional expenses for hiring medical models, etc., and it may not be possible to remediate specific classroom experiences, particularly in lab classes.
Failure to meet the stated attendance and remediation requirements for the class may affect the student’s final grade, and the student may be required to take the course again. In addition to possible consequences for absences, habitual tardiness may be taken into account by faculty as part of the course grade and/or may be reported to the dean of students for disciplinary action.
This policy is in accordance with state licensing boards and the Veteran’s Administration, which can require 90 percent attendance. Students receiving financial assistance from the Veteran’s Administration or students who need to meet state licensing board requirements are responsible for notifying the faculty member of their need to document attendance.
Students cannot register for two courses or labs that are scheduled at overlapping times. Credit can only be applied to a single course at any one given time. Students cannot attend a course without being registered for it and must attend the section of a course or lab for which they are registered. Failure to follow this policy may result in loss of course credit or a course grade of No Show (NS).
Clinic Attendance Policy
All student clinicians are required to attend at least 80 percent of each assigned quarter rotation (sequence of 11 shifts) in order to receive a grade of achieved competency (AC). Holidays and emergency closures of the University clinics do not figure into the total quarter attendance. A student who does not attend at least 80 percent of the rotation (two excused absences) will receive a failing grade for that rotation and lose all patient contacts and hours. The entire rotation would need to be taken again. Exceptional circumstances resulting in a third absence may be approved at the discretion of the supervisor. Four or more absences will result in an automatic failure for that rotation. Please note that 100 percent of the required clinical hours must be completed before recommendation for graduation. Please refer to the
Student Clinician Handbook for further details.
Attendance Policy for Online Courses
Attendance for the online course is determined based on participation. All students enrolled in an online course are required to log in to the course and participate in the first week of the scheduled date of the course opening. Participation will be considered as:
- student submission of an academic assignment.
- student submission of an exam.
- documented student participation in an interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction.
- a posting by the student showing the student participates in an online study group that is assigned by the instructor.
- a posting by the student in a discussion forum showing the student participates in an online discussion.
- an email from the student or other documentation showing that the student interacted with a faculty member to ask questions about an academic subject studied in the course.
Religious or Spiritual Holidays
The University’s policy is to attempt to accommodate the observance of religious practices. Religious absences will not count against any attendance requirement, but students are responsible for the information and material covered. Students observing such holidays are required to notify faculty during the first week of classes as well as find substitutes for clinic shifts affected. Students should follow the reschedule exam procedures in the event an exam falls on a religious holiday.
The University schedules clinical training and occasional required courses or intensives on weekends. Students with religious restrictions against attending classes on weekends need to contact their program chairs, in advance, when such conflicts occur. Efforts will be made to resolve such conflicts, but a resolution cannot be guaranteed.
Convention, Conference, Seminar, and Workshop Attendance Policy
Occasionally, there may be professional conventions or conferences offered during the academic year, which programs encourage their students to attend. Students who wish to attend must receive advance permission from their instructor(s) if there is an attendance requirement, exam, or project due during that time. Students are responsible for the information and material missed. Students who receive permission must arrange with faculty to take missed quizzes and exams immediately upon return.
Students must also comply with clinic absence policies. Please refer to the Student Clinician Handbook for further details.