Don’t get dropped for skipping

Students who do not attend a class at least once during the first week will be dropped, according to a new district procedure.

The procedure, F.6.1.5 Student Success, states that if a student misses at least one session during the first week of class, the student will be dropped from that class.

It also states that if students find they cannot meet that requirement, they should drop before the census date Sept 7.

Classes dropped before the census date do not appear on a transcript and do not count toward the six-drop limit. Students who attend public colleges in Texas are allowed to drop only six courses throughout their college years.

Dr. Jo-Carol Fabianke, interim vice chancellor for academic success, said the new attendance policy will increase student success because students will actually be in class.

She said when students are engaged from the very beginning of class, they are more likely to succeed.

“I know there are those who are going to say, ‘We don’t do anything the first week of class,’” Fabianke said. “Instructors might say, ‘There is a lot of ground to cover and everyday is critical.’”

Fabianke said the new procedure will make unmotivated students attend class.

“Some students are self-motivated. Some need that motivation,” she said.

Fabianke said enforcing the attendance policy is left to the discretion of the faculty, and attendance policies vary from one professor to the next.

She said, “Some instructors’ policy is ‘If you do all your work, attendance is not vital.’”

This college’s attendance policy is that student’s attendance be recorded from first day of class.

The policy states that regular and punctual attendance for any class is required.

Specific attendance policies must be present in each course syllabus.

It also states that the student is responsible for dropping a course due to nonattendance, but instructors may drop a student if it says so in their syllabus.

Absences exceeding more than 12.5 percent of total contact hours, are two weeks of class, are considered excessive.

For example, students may be dropped after six contact hours of absences in a three-credit-hour class or after eight contact hours of absences in a four-credit-hour class.

For more information, visit alamo.edu/sac.