Online Student Advisory - Take 2

One of the discussion topics for the student advisory group centered on various issues related to the school policy on assigning a "F" for non-attendance. In particular we looked at the questions about (1) how long (the policy says 20 days) should the non-attendance be allowed, and (2) what is considered to be "attendance" in an online course (next post, above).


Regarding the 20 days of inactivity to assign the FN grade:

“Wow! Twenty days is a long time for a student to be away from the class entirely. While I appreciate the freedom and flexibility, this may be too flexible.”

“I also agree that 20 days is an incredibly long period of time not to participate in a class. If one stays away from a class for that period of time, is there any hope of catching up? I'd have a nervous breakdown! I was gone for one day over spring break and was unable to log-in, and I felt absolutely out of the loop even for that one day. What was the criteria for the 20 days? It does seem way too long, and I think shortening up that time span would be appropriate. Some students will put classes off for the full 20 days; and, in my opinion, that is just setting themselves up for failure. I don't understand how you can even do a mediocre job when you are behind by 20 days. By allowing this expanse of time - it's just too much leeway. The expectations should be much more stringent because the student and his/her classmates will benefit from stricter guidelines in the long run.”

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