Attendance Policy
Please see the Attendance Policy for Online and Blended Courses for updated information.
Please see the Attendance Policy Addendum for updated information.
West Coast University emphasizes the need for all students to attend classes on a regular and consistent basis. In addition to research which demonstrates that regular class attendance enhances student success, consistent attendance and punctuality helps students develop good habits and behaviors necessary to compete in a highly challenging job market.
Students must be in attendance in class by the seventh day of the 10 week term. Students in the Occupational Therapy Program must be in attendance in class from the first day of the trimester.
In addition, if at any time after the first week of class a student is absent from the University for more than 14 consecutive school days, excluding holidays and scheduled breaks of five calendar days or more, and no contact with an appropriate University official has been made during that period, the student will be withdrawn from the University.
In addition, to maintain satisfactory attendance in all courses except NURS clinical courses and DHYG courses, students may not be absent for more than 30% of a theory/lab course. These percentages are calculated on the basis of the clock hours identified in the catalog. For example, 30% of a three credit 45 hour (seat time) lecture course is 13.5 hours. Absences in excess of 30% of any theory/lab course will result in a grade of “F” and the student will be required to repeat the course. Nursing students may not be absent for more than 20% of a course. Dental Hygiene students may not be absent for more than 20% of any DHYG course. Absences in excess of 20% in DHYG courses will result in a grade of F for the course.
Online and Blended Courses
For online or blended courses, attendance for the online portion is based on turning in assignments (in the online dropbox), assessments or exams, or weekly assigned discussion threads. If these components are submitted at times other than when assigned, attendance will be recorded as “Absent”. Students must submit a least one gradable activity per class every ‘class-week.’ A ‘class-week’ for full online courses starts on a Monday of any given week and ends on the following Sunday at 11:59 PM PST.
A gradable activity includes, but is not limited to, the posting of a threaded discussion question, electronic submission of any course assignment to the ‘drop box’, electronic submission of a test / exam (if applicable), or any other course related activity that is graded.
Please Note: In Dental Hygiene blended courses, the ‘class-week’ corresponds to the week between the on-campus meeting times. For example, if the on-campus portion meets on Tuesdays, the related online portion begins that same Tuesday and ends the following Monday at 11:59 PM PST.
Bookend Courses
In bookend courses, the University is required by the Department of Education to verify the identity of students during the first week of classes, therefore physical attendance is mandatory. If a student misses the first day of a bookend course, they will be dropped from the course. In addition, any student who misses the last day of the class will be assessed a 10% penalty against their final course grade.
Military Duty
Students who are required to participate in military duties and are therefore required to be absent from their scheduled classes will not be penalized. The student must provide the appropriate academic administrator with written documentation verifying the required military leave and length of time requested; however, depending on the length of required military leave, a student may need to request a leave of absence.