In order to qualify to receive a certificate from the ELI, a student must attend 80% of the classes/tutoring/cohort in each session, i.e., no more than a total of 14 meeting absences — whether excusable or not — is allowed per session.
Absences are counted on a per meeting basis. Thus, a student who misses one Listening/Speaking Class and one Reading/Writing Class on the same day is marked for two absences. Absent here means not in class for any reason, excusable or not.
Proviso: Certain exceptions (e.g., visits to universities which the student hopes to attend for testing or interviewing, or approved visits to the student’s home country )–if approved in writing by the ELI Director or Associate Director and then by the student’s instructor(s) before such absences occur–may be allowed.
Students are responsible for making up all work and examinations missed during their absence. If such assignments cannot be made up, a student’s grade or promotion may suffer.
CAP Tutoring Attendance Policy
Update for Online Classes
September 2020
Current ELI Attendance Policy (from the ODM)
Attendance
Students must miss 8 or fewer classes (e.g., combination of 4 R/W and 4 L/S classes) to earn honors (i.e., meeting requirement for overall 85% attendance rate and 3.5 GPA average during stay). They may miss no more than 20 classes to earn a certificate for the session (75% attendance requirement for graduation). Students missing more than 20 total classes in a session have violated the terms of their student visa and are subject to dismissal. Students will receive letters at each of these three stages.
Remind CAP and Sponsored students that their tutoring attendance is now included in their total attendance. Please be sure to enter your attendance on one of the faculty computers each Friday, using only our standardized abbreviations for markings: .33 = up to 15 minutes late; 1 = absent or 15+ minutes late. Remind students that every absence from tutoring counts as ½ class absence.
Why take attendance?
- Immigration –
Students studying in the US must attend classes regularly in order to remain in good standing. - Probation –
The Student Conduct & Attendance Committee and academic advisors monitor and often meet with students who have 16+ absences in 8-week sessions. - Honors graduation –
attendance + grades - Advising at-risk students –
Advisors check weekly attendance reports and reach out to students with excessive absences to offer support.
ELI Online Attendance Policy (updated Sept. 23, 2020)
Synchronous
Synchronous instruction refers to “live” Zoom classes that take place during regular class hours.
- Late (.33) = up to 15 minutes late
- Absent (1) = absent, 15+ minutes late, or 15+ minutes of disengagement: turning off the camera and not participating, taking a break, leaving early, poor connectivity. Note: The purpose of capturing absences is to create a record, not a judgment. Students are adults and can miss classes for a number of planned or unplanned reasons. ELI attendance policies explicitly avoid placing teachers in the position of having to judge whether an absence is excused or not. Students are allotted 7-8 absences per course to “spend” as they like. However, the decision on whether students can make up work or tests due to absences is one left to the discretion of each instructor.
- Camera use should be encouraged but not required. Students are also encouraged but not required to discuss with their teachers their reasons for not turning on their cameras.
- In online learning, a student proves s/he is present by engaging in the lesson, through oral participation, completing activities, or responding through Chat. Students who fail to demonstrate presence by engaging through any of these means should be marked as absent at the end of the class period. Note: Teachers should email the student to inquire about their unresponsiveness in class. If the issue is ongoing, teachers are also encouraged to contact ELI academic advisors.
Asynchronous
Asynchronous instruction may replace some Zoom classes, or parts of Zoom classes, and it may include videos, discussion boards, quizzes, group meetings, individual conferences, or other online activities done outside regular class hours. Students “attend” these asynchronous classes by completing all the tasks and participating in group and/or individual meetings.
- Attendance should be addressed for asynchronous days based on the timely completion of assigned activities. The number of absences should be determined by the percentage of asynchronous instruction in a given week. For example:
- 80/20 blended classes: 1 absence for missed activity deadlines
- 60/40 blended classes: up to 2 absences for missed activity deadlines
- Faculty will use their own best judgment to determine whether activities should be recorded as Late or Absent.
- If the asynchronous activity is a portion of the same day as the synchronous class, then the synchronous attendance suffices.