Grading Guidelines - Attendance, Participation and No Shows

Attendance, Participation, and No Shows

Faculty establish expectations and requirements for attendance and participation in the classes they teach, and these expectations and requirements will impact student grades in the class. Per S704, Syllabus Standards, all course syllabi clearly state the "Instructor's grading criteria including attendance and make-up policies."

PCC's college-wide attendance policy is intended to address external compliance obligations which require the college to report certain data points for students, like "No Shows." Tracking this information enables the college to honor federal obligations regarding Title IV funds in relation to student Withdraws and No Shows. This is why faculty must mark students as No Show if students do not engage in an academically-related activity prior to the drop deadline and also why faculty must record the "final date attended" for students who receive an F or NP in a credit course [see G301].

Class Attendance and Participation in Week 1 -- How students maintain registration status during the first week of classes

In order to avoid being marked "No Show" prior to the drop deadline, students must attend and/or participate in each class for which they are registered. For the purposes of registration and financial aid, class attendance and participation at Portland Community College are defined as engaging in an "academically related activity." While individual instructors may have specific requirements for specific classes, academically related activities at a minimum include but are not limited to one or more of the following:

  • physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students
  • submitting an academic assignment, taking an exam, completing an interactive tutorial, or participating in computer-assisted instruction
  • attending a study group that is assigned by the instructor
  • participating in an online discussion about academic matters
  • initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course after the course has started

Academically related activities do not include activities where a student may be present but not academically engaged, such as:

  • logging into an online class without active participation 
  • participating in counseling or academic advising
  • notifying instructor of a scheduling conflict or an inability to participate in Week 1

Roles and Responsibilities

Faculty Responsibilities

  • establish attendance and/or participation expectations for their classes and communicate those expectations in the class syllabus (see S704)
  • maintain the accuracy of their class roster, including tracking attendance and participation in order to:
    • articulate clear expectations for Week 1 participation, and submit a No Show (NS) prior to the drop deadline for students who have not attended or adequately participated in the class during Week 1; these students will be dropped from the class by Office of the Registrar [insert link to drop deadlines]
    • ensure that all students participating in the class after the add deadline are registered
    • record the last date of attendance and/or participation for each student who earns an F or NP (see G301)
    • record earned grades for all students according to each student’s chosen grading option

Student Responsibilities for in-person and hybrid classes

  • attend and adequately participate in all enrolled classes prior to the drop deadline as described in the syllabus for each class
    • understand that failure to attend or adequately participate during the first week of classes will result in being recorded as a No Show (NS) and subsequently dropped from the course
  • maintain regular and ongoing attendance and participation in all enrolled classes
  • understand attendance and/or participation expectations as outlined in the syllabus for each class, including how attendance and/or participation will impact final grades 

Student Responsibilities for online classes

  • log into the course website and participate in academically related activities for all enrolled classes prior to the drop deadline as described in the syllabus for each class
    • understand that failure to participate during the first week of classes will result in being recorded as a No Show (NS) and subsequently dropped from the course
  • maintain regular and ongoing participation in all enrolled classes
    • understand participation expectations as outlined in the syllabus for each class, including how participation will impact final grades 

“No Shows”

When does a student receive a No Show (NS), and what does NS mean for tuition and fees?

  • For on-campus classes: Students who do not attend or adequately participate, as described in the syllabus, in on-campus classes prior to the drop deadline will be recorded as “No Show” by the instructor and will be dropped from the class. Tuition and fees for the course will be refunded when students are dropped from a class.
  • For online classes: Students who do not adequately participate, as described in the syllabus, in online classes before the drop deadline will be recorded as “No Show” by the instructor and will be dropped from the class. Tuition and fees for the course will be refunded when students are dropped from a class.

When does a student avoid receiving a No Show (NS) and maintain their registration in a class?

  • On-campus students who do attend or adequately participate in on-campus classes before the drop deadline, and who do not drop themselves from the class, will continue to be on the roster for that class after the drop deadline has passed, and they will be responsible for the associated tuition and fees.
  • Online students who do participate in online classes before the drop deadline, and who do not drop themselves from the class, will continue to be on the roster for that class after the drop deadline has passed, and they will be responsible for the associated tuition and fees.

“Withdrawals”

  • After the drop deadline has passed, students who choose to Withdraw (W) from a course are responsible for doing so prior to the published withdrawal deadlines. 
  • Students who stop attending and who fail to drop or withdraw from a class prior to the deadlines (see G301) will receive a final grade which reflects the work completed and the course will remain on their transcript.

Policy/Standard Name:  Grading Guidelines--Attendance, Participation, and No Shows
Policy/Standard Identifier:  G302
Authority: USA CFR,§ 668.21, section C, treatment of Title IV grant and loan funds:
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2014-title34-vol3/pdf/CFR-2014-title34-vol3-sec668-21.pdf
Units responsible for review and update:  Registrar
Approval: College President
Responsibility: Vice President for Academic Affairs
Date of Final Approval: June 2020
Effective Term: Fall 2020
Prior Versions: no -- previously incorporated into G301