Attendance Policy

Policy 

All instructors will mark attendance, also known as academic engagement, for each course to ensure Dunwoody College of Technology is following Financial Aid compliance for the U.S. Department of Education and Two-Year Electrical Programs with a MN Department of Labor & Industry 95% attendance requirement. 

Attendance (academic engagement), in accordance with Federal Regulations and applicable to Dunwoody, is: 

  • Attending an in-person class session; 
  • Attending a synchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field or laboratory activity, physically or online, where there is an opportunity for interaction between the instructor and students;  
  • Submitting an academic assignment; (at Dunwoody, this includes late assignments wherein your attendance is recorded in the week the assignment was submitted and not the week it was originally due) 
  • Taking an assessment or an exam;  
  • Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;  
  • Participating in a study group, group project, or an online discussion that is assigned by the institution; or 
  • Interacting with an instructor about academic matters. 

Does not include: 

  • Living in student housing;  
  • Logging into an online class or tutorial without any further participation; or  
  • Participating in academic counseling or advisement. 

To learn more about attendance, read Code of Federal Regulations 

Dunwoody’s Commitment to Equitable Education: 

Students are permitted to observe religious holidays, (funeral) customs, military deployment, caregiver responsibilities, transportation issues, jury duty, and extended mental/physical health issue without discrimination or retaliation.  Instructors shall accept, and hold to be true, the sincerity of students' religious or cultural funerary customs without requiring documentation.  Documentation is required for military deployment and jury duty for regulatory compliance.  In accordance with HIPAA policies, instructors cannot require medical documentation.  The instructor will work with the student to make up work in a reasonable manner. 

Helpful Terminology: 

Add/Drop Period: Time in which a student can add a course after it started with no consequence or drop a course with no impact on their GPA and receive a tuition refund.  The period is defined as 5 business days for fall, spring, J-term, and summer semesters.

Drop:  To leave a course during the Add/Drop period 

Cancel:  To leave all your courses during the Add/Drop period for New and Re-Admitted students. 

Withdraw:  To leave a course after the Add/Drop period and before the Last Day to Withdraw.  This can be initiated by you, the student, or may be initiated by the College when you, the student, have no contact for an extended amount of time.  The grade of ‘W’ is earned.  A ‘W’ does not impact your GPA.  A ‘W’ does impact your Satisfactory Academic Progress (your pace rate towards completion). 

(Complete) Withdraw:  To leave all your courses after the Add/Drop period and before the Last Day to Withdraw.  This can be initiated by you, the student, or may be initiated by the College when you, the student, have no contact for an extended amount of time. The grade of ‘W’ is earned for all courses.  A ‘W’ does not impact your GPA.  A ‘W’ does impact your Satisfactory Academic Progress (pace rate towards completion).  For New and Non-Matriculating (Non-degree) students, the period is defined as 10 business days for fall and spring semesters and 5 business days for J-term and summer semesters. 

Last Day to Withdraw:  After this day (approximately 75% into the semester), you, the student will receive a grade for the course and cannot Withdraw from the course.  This is an institutional policy and is not for financial aid compliance.  This date is the last day of Week 12 for the regular fall and spring semesters.  The last day of Week 2 for a 3-week course.  The last day of Week 3 for a 4-week course, including summer.  The last day of Week 6 for an 8-week course, including summer. 

End-of-Term Withdraw:  To leave Dunwoody after the last day of the semester; in other words, you, the student, do not register for next semester.  Or, to notify an employee that you will not be returning next semester and intend to complete the current semester.  In which, you will still earn all your grades for the current semester.  Or, to leave all your courses during the Add/Drop period for Returning students; an End-of-Term Withdraw will be designated for your previous semester, this does not impact your GPA or Pace Rate. 

For Federal Aid compliance | Week 1; Student is absent and has no contact with a Dunwoody employee 

Students have the option to Withdraw from any individual class through the Last Day to Withdraw date. 

Dunwoody will administratively Drop students from an individual class for Non-Attendance, who meet both criteria: 

  • Absent (unexcused) during the entire Add/Drop period.  
  • Student has not notified a Dunwoody employee regarding absence (excused or unexcused) 

Returning students, Dunwoody will administratively Drop (retroactively) students who meet all four criteria: 

  • Absent (unexcused) during any day of the Add/Drop period. 
  • Student is unable to be reached by a Dunwoody employee* within 7 days of the course start date; 
  • Has not attended all of their courses in the past 14 calendar days; 
  • Student has not notified a Dunwoody employee regarding absence 

New students, Dunwoody will administratively Cancel students who meet all four criteria: 

  • Absent (unexcused) during any day of the Add/Drop period. 
  • Student is unable to be reached by a Dunwoody employee* within 7 days of the course start date; 
  • Has not attended all of their courses in the past 14 calendar days; 
  • Student has not notified a Dunwoody employee regarding absence 

For Federal Aid compliance | Week 2 – 16; Student is absent and has no contact with a Dunwoody employee: 

Students have the option to Withdraw from any individual class through the Last Day to Withdraw date. 

Dunwoody may administratively Withdraw any student from an individual class before the 60% point of the semester (Approximately Week 9 or 10 in a regular spring or fall semester) who meets all three criteria: 

  • Student has been Absent (Unexcused) for 14 or more calendar days in a row (consecutive); 
  • Student has not notified a Dunwoody employee regarding absence; 
  • Student is unable to be reached by a Dunwoody employee after one attempt* 

Dunwoody will administratively Withdraw any student from all their classes before the 60% point of the semester (Approximately Week 9 or 10 in a regular spring or fall semester) who meets all three criteria: 

  • Has not attended all their courses in the past 14 calendar days; 
  • Student has not notified a Dunwoody employee regarding absence; 
  • Student is unable to be reached by a Dunwoody employee after three attempts* 

* The general mode of outreach will be written in your unofficial student record as “Attendance - unreachable; phone call” or “Attendance - unreachable; email” for federal audit compliance.