Attendance Policy (Distance Education)

Attendance and participation for distance education are measured through documented academically related activity and required course interactions as recorded in the learning platform and institutional academic records.

Because courses are delivered online and asynchronous, traditional in-person tardy rules do not apply. Missed required weekly activities and missed deadlines function as absences for compliance and course progress purposes.

For standard lecture-based courses, attendance for a module is recorded upon completing its assigned instructional video and submitting the associated quiz (if any). The learning platform locks access to the course's final exam until all lecture modules for that course have been completed.

For project-based courses and Work-Based Learning/Capstone Studio terms, attendance/participation is demonstrated through documented project activity, milestone check-ins, or logged work-product progress consistent with the course's published schedule.

Academically related activity includes submission of an assignment, quiz, or exam; participation in a required academic interaction; completion of a graded activity; or other documented instructional engagement.

Logging into the learning platform without academically related activity is not considered attendance.

The institution tracks attendance and participation using LMS and academic records, which may include assignment, quiz, and exam submissions (timestamps and attempt logs); discussion participation when required by the course; instructor-initiated contact logs (announcements, messages, feedback events); scheduled academic support interactions (virtual office hours, advising sessions) when required or assigned; and authenticated assessment events (integrity session logs and identity or authorship verification records, where applicable).

These records are maintained as part of the student record and are used for attendance determinations, progress monitoring, compliance reporting, and refund calculations.

Last date of attendance (LDA) is the last date a student engaged in an academically related activity, as documented in institutional records.

LDA is used to determine the effective date of termination and pro rata refund calculations under the Cancellation & Refund Policy. LDA is not established by login activity alone.

Make-up work may be approved only for documented, unavoidable circumstances, requested within 3 business days.

No more than 5% of total course time hours may be made up. Make-up time for missed externship/work-based-learning hours is limited to 10 hours.

Approval is at the institution's discretion and must be equitable compared to other students' requirements. Additional integrity verification may be required for make-up assessments.

A leave of absence (LOA) is an approved temporary interruption of enrollment for documented personal, medical, military, or other extenuating circumstances.

The Chief Academic Officer or a designee, such as the Registrar, may grant an LOA after determining that good cause is shown. A student may have no more than two leaves of absence in a 12-month calendar period, and may be on leave of absence no more than 60 calendar days total during that 12-month calendar period.

A written statement of the reason(s) the leave of absence was granted, signed by both the student and the approver, is placed in the student's permanent file. Attendance records will clearly define the dates of the leave of absence.

A student's enrollment will be terminated if the student fails to return as scheduled from an approved leave of absence.

A student may take an approved leave of absence during a scheduled Work-Based Learning/Capstone Studio term (Summer, Years 1–3). The requirement itself is not waived by the leave; the student must complete the required Work-Based Learning/Capstone Studio term in a later term.

If a student stops participation before an LOA is approved, the institution will determine whether the situation is treated as an LOA or a withdrawal or termination for attendance and refund purposes.

A student may be placed on attendance probation for a pattern of missed required activities or deadlines.

Enrollment may be terminated for unsatisfactory attendance if a student fails to complete at least 80% of required course activities by their due dates.

The institution will not terminate a student's enrollment for lack of attendance at a point at which a refund would not be due.

Readmission after termination for attendance requires a minimum of one grading period (one course) and may require a written attendance success plan.

Attendance or LDA questions: Registrar — compliance@educationredefined.org | (512) 584-0254