A.POLICY

This policy establishes the procedures for verifying student attendance at Zane State College in accordance with federal financial aid regulation 34CFR690.80b. It outlines the responsibilities of instructors and provides guidelines for documenting attendance in both traditional and distance education courses.

B.POLICY GUIDELINES

1. Compliance Requirement
   • To comply with federal financial aid regulation 34CFR690.80b, Zane State College must verify whether each enrolled student has attended at least one class session.
   • Instructors are required to complete the Attendance Verification Roster for each course, every term, by the deadline (11:59 p.m. on Sunday at the end of the second week of the course).
2. Documenting Attendance for Traditional Classes
   • Students listed on a course roster are considered “present” if they meet at least one of the following criteria:
     • Physically attended at least one class session during the first two weeks.
     • Made written contact with the instructor (e.g., email) explaining an acceptable reason for absence, as determined by the instructor’s judgment.
   • Students who fail to meet either of the above criteria are marked as “absent” and are to be dropped from the course for non-attendance.
3. Documenting Attendance for Distance Education Courses
   • Simply logging into an online course is not sufficient to demonstrate attendance.
   • Evidence of academic attendance or participation in an academically related activity is required.
   • Acceptable evidence of attendance in distance education courses includes:
     • Submission of an academic assignment.
     • Submission of an exam.
     • Documented participation in an interactive tutorial or computer- assisted instruction.
     • A student posting in an institution-assigned online study group.
     • A student posting in a discussion forum related to academic matters.
     • An email or other form of contact initiated by the student with a faculty member to ask questions about the academic subject.