COGS – Attendance Policy

Policy Number: 3349-AC-379
Effective Date: 12/01/2025
Updated: —
Reviewed: —
Responsible Department: College of Graduate Studies
Applies To: COGS Students

A. Purpose

1. Course attendance is expected of students enrolled in the College of Graduate Studies (COGS). This policy outlines the attendance expectations for students and associated process to use when they cannot meet course attendance requirements.

B. Scope

1. This policy applies to students who are enrolled in Credit-bearing Courses within the College of Graduate Studies in which a Final Grade is assigned and appears on a student’s official transcript.

C. Definitions

1. “Absence” refers to missing or not attending a mandatory class activity. Remote observation of an in-person session still constitutes an Absence.
2. “Committee on Academic and Professional Progress” (“CAPP”) refers to the committee that reviews academic performance, intellectual readiness, and professionalism concerns.
3. “Credit-bearing Course” refers to a course, hereafter referred to as “Course,” offered by COGS, in which a student is enrolled, that appears on the student’s official transcript with either contact hours or Credit-bearing Course acknowledgment, and in which a Final Grade is assigned.
4. “Clinical Experience” refers to any course or component of a course that involves assignment to clinical care settings, often involving various clinical partners (e.g., ambulatory practices, hospitals, etc.), involving real or simulated patient experiences.
5. “Course Director” refers to appointed faculty member/s who are responsible for the overall design, conduct, student assessment within, and evaluation of a Credit-bearing Course.
6. “Final Grade” refers to the cumulative assessment of a student’s performance in a single Course. The Final Grade is assigned by the faculty course or program director at the conclusion of the course offering. Final Grades are posted to the student record/official transcript by academic year and term. A student’s course grade is considered to be a Final Grade when it is posted in Banner Self-Service (“Banner”).
7. “Clinical Programs” refer to professionally oriented programs that integrate theoretical instruction with structured Clinical Experiences to develop competencies required for licensure or certified clinical practice.
8. “Research” refers to training experiences outside of didactic coursework for which research credit is earned.

D. Policy Statement

1. Students are required to attend all educational sessions as outlined in the course syllabus. Punctuality and attendance are important components of student conduct and professional commitment.  Students are responsible for all material covered during their Absence.
   1. Allowances
      1. Students are granted up to four (4) days of Absences per each of the Fall and Spring semesters and three (3) days of Absences in the Summer semester.
         1. Absences cannot exceed 20% of a single Course.
      2. Allotted Absences do not apply to days when there is an assessment (e.g., examination) or required activities as presented in the syllabus.
         1. Students who are ill or experience an emergency when an assessment is scheduled must contact the Course Director in advance or as soon as possible.
      3. Students are expected to attend class in the format outlined in the syllabus. Requests for alternative accommodations (e.g., remote observation via Zoom) must follow the Absence Notification Process and  may constitute an Absence, at the discretion of the Program Director and Course Director.
   2. Absence Notification Process
      1. When a student is unable to attend a class in the format the class is scheduled to be delivered, the student must take the following steps:
         1. Inform the Course Director and Program Director via email of the Absence prior to the beginning of the class session and submit the University Student Absence Form, which documents the details of the Absence, dates, classes or clinical dates missed, and the make-up plan.
         2. For Clinical Experiences, if a student is unable to attend a clinical assignment as scheduled, the student must contact the assigned clinical preceptor and Program Director prior to the assigned start time for the assignment via the preferred method of communication and submit the University Student Absence Form.
            1. For all Absences, students are responsible for the covered material and completing any work assigned during their Absence. In no case is an Absence a release from curricular responsibilities.
   3. Reasons for Absence: Students may be excused from instructional sessions for a variety of reasons.
      1. Health services and wellness
      2. Religious or spiritual holidays
         1. Students requesting an Absence for religious or spiritual holidays must follow the procedure outlined in the Accommodations for Student Religious Observations Policy.
      3. Professional Events
         1. Students must submit requests to attend a professional event at least two (2) weeks in advance. Approval is at the discretion of the Program Director.
            1. The student must provide evidence of the educational benefit of attending the professional event.
            2. The student must provide documentation of attendance upon returning.
      4. Inclement Weather
         1. If NEOMED is closed due to inclement weather, the closure only pertains to Rootstown-Campus activities. Students are expected to report for Clinical Experiences as scheduled unless otherwise notified.
            1. A student who does not feel they can safely reach a clinical site due to inclement weather should notify their clinical preceptor as well as the relevant Program Director. Students must also complete the University Student Absence Form.
   4. Consequences
      1. Absences beyond the number allotted per semester will result in a referral to CAPP by the Course Director or Program Director. Information about extended Absences can be found “Interruptions of Education” section of the NEOMED Compass and are beyond the scope of this policy.
      2. The initial failure to follow the Absence Notification Process will result in a formal communication between the Course Director and the student.
         1. A second failure to follow the Absence Notification Process will result in a Student Conduct/Professionalism Referral Form being submitted to Student Services by the Course Director or Program Director.
         2. Any additional failures to follow the appropriate Absence Notification Process within a given semester will result in a referral to CAPP.
      3. Absences exceeding three (3) consecutive days without any communication with the Course Director and Program Director will be referred to the COGS Care Team representative, who may request a wellness check to ensure the student is not in distress.
   5. Tardiness
      1. Students are expected to arrive early to class sessions and be prepared to begin the class session at the designated start time. Failure to be prepared to begin at the designated class session start time or late arrival will result in documentation of a tardiness for that class session.
         1. Three (3) instances of tardiness in one class per semester or excessive tardiness in multiple classes will result in a referral to CAPP.
   6. Program Exceptions
      1. Clinical Programs (e.g., Master of Medical Science in Anesthesia (MMScA)) require students to be present for both clinical and didactic education in order to meet graduation and certification standards. Due to this, students are allowed a total of five (5) Absences during their first twelve (12) months of training and a total of seven (7) Absences during the remainder of their training.
         1. These Absences are not to exceed 20% in any one Course.
      2. Research (e.g., Basic and Translational Biomedicine) requires students to potentially have variable scheduling. For this reason, attendance and involvement in research will be documented by the individual Program Directors.

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