Attendance and Participation

Course Participation

The University expects all students to attend all class meetings of courses in which they are enrolled and comply with attendance requirements specified in the course syllabus.

Students must be in attendance, on campus and online classes, by the seventh day of the session. If the student does not attend or participate in the classroom, by the seventh day of the session, the student may be dropped from the course and/or administratively withdrawn from the University.

In addition, if at any time after the first week of class a student is absent from the University for 14 consecutive calendar days, excluding holidays and scheduled breaks of five (5) calendar days or more, and no contact has been made by the student indicating intent to continue, the student may be dropped from the course and/or administratively withdrawn from the University.

Participation criterion for online classes will vary by course; however, examples of requirements include: posting or submit substantive academic discussions or assignments at least two separate days of the week.

International students are required to maintain continuous participation in an online environment and must attend all in-person weekend lectures. Failing to attend any in-person lectures will result in course(s) being dropped and/or administratively withdrawn from the University which may be processed the next business day. Make-hours are not allowed. 

Continuous Enrollment

In order for a student to maintain an Active status, they must be continuously enrolled. A student is considered continuously enrolled when they are enrolled in a current course or if they are enrolled in a course that is scheduled to start within 30 calendar days after their last date of attendance. If a student fails to commence in the scheduled course, they are no longer considered continuously enrolled.

If a student is not continuously enrolled, the student’s status will be Inactive. This status shall be reported to external agencies as mandated by federal, state, or other regulatory bodies.

In the event the student does not attend a course that starts within 180 calendar days after their last date of attendance and the student was not approved for a Leave of Absence, the student will be Administratively Withdrawn from their program of study. Students who are Administratively Withdrawn and wish to return to USU must reapply for admission.

If the student’s attendance/academic participation extends beyond the scheduled end date of the course as a result of an approved Incomplete (I) grade, the end date of the course will be used as the last date of participation.

Field Experience Preparation Participation

For students in field experience/practicum/student teaching requirements, participation includes students being proactive and partnering with the Office of Field Experience or designee to fulfill the required field experience requirements which include and are not limited to: reviewing and understanding the program requirements, communicating with your coordinators, submitting the required documentation/information prior to the established deadlines to ensure sufficient time to review and process your requests, and to be respectful of the time of others involved in the process - including preceptors, cooperating teachers, and placement location personnel.