General Principles
- Students are expected to attend and participate in classes.
- Advance notice of attendance policies of academic units and
individual instructors should be given, and such notice should be in
writing.
- Students should notify instructors of excused absences in advance, where possible.
- Students who have an excused absence are expected to make
arrangements with instructors for alternative or make-up work. Such
arrangements should be made in advance of the absence, where possible.
- Instructors should accommodate excused absences to the
extent that an accommodation can be made that does not unreasonably
interfere with the learning objectives of the course or unduly burden
the instructor.
- Attendance policies shall be applied in a non-discriminatory manner.
The Policy
Each academic unit and instructor may adopt an
attendance policy appropriate to that unit, a particular field of
study, or for a specific course. Such policy or policies must be
consistent with the general principles, and must give students advance
notice in writing. In the case of an academic unit, notice may be given
in the appropriate section of the General Catalog, or in other
materials provided to students for the purpose of informing them of the
rules and regulations of the academic unit. In the case of an
individual instructor, notice of an attendance policy should be given
in the course syllabus.
If neither the academic unit nor the instructor
has adopted an attendance policy, or if proper advance notice of the
attendance policy was not given, the UMKC general attendance policy
will govern. The general attendance policy is that students shall not
be penalized for excused absences. "Excused absences" include absences
due to illness of the student, illness of an immediate family member
for whom the student must care, death of an immediate family member,
religious observance (where the nature of the observance prevents the
student from being present during class), representation of UMKC in an
official capacity, and other compelling circumstances beyond the
student's control. Students seeking an excused absence must provide
documentation upon request to substantiate the excuse. Students with
excused absences shall undertake appropriate make-up or alternative
work to be provided by instructors of the courses in which excused
absences were incurred.
Complaints concerning the application of an
attendance policy or an instructor's attendance policy should be raised
with the Department Chair of the instructor, or with the Dean if there
is no Department Chair or the instructor is the Department Chair. If
the student or instructor is not satisfied with the resolution of the
complaint, the matter may be appealed to the Dean and to the Division
of Academic Affairs. Complaints concerning the adoption or modification
of an attendance policy by an academic unit should be raised with the
Division of Academic Affairs. Complaints are to be promptly addressed
at each level of review.
This policy was approved July, 2002 and effective Fall, 2002.
