Class Attendance
Given the demands of the college's degree and certificate programs, the amount of material covered in classes, and the nature of the curriculum, students are required to arrive on time and remain in class for all class sessions. Students who miss more than a specific number of classes within a course will automatically fail that course and must repeat the entire course. A student who fails a course will not be permitted to continue attending the course. Faculty members may have established their own requirements regarding attendance. Refer to course guides for all such requirements. Students are responsible for finding out the specific requirements for each particular class and instructor.
Missing Classes
If a student is absent for a class in which daily participation is graded, the student will receive a grade of zero for that class. Students who miss the specified number of classes in a course taught in a classroom setting (as described below) shall automatically fail that course and will have to retake it.
Attendance for online courses is determined by the student's participation in the course activities and by meeting the submission deadlines as defined within the individual course syllabus. Simply logging into a course is not evidence of attendance. A student is considered in attendance when actively participating in the academic activities of the course. Active participation is defined as, but not limited to, the following:
- Submission of an assignment or an exam
- Substantive comments on course reading material
- Activity in an interactive resource
- Contributions toward a class discussion or within a study group
- E-mail or other documentation demonstrating that the student initiatied contact with the instructor regarding course materials or assignments
Absences that Equate to Course Failure | 3-week course | 5-week course | Half-semester course | Full-semester course | Full-semester course meeting once per week |
1.5-credit lab* | 3 days | - | - | - | |
1.5-credit lecture | 3/2# days | - | 3 days | - | |
1.5-credit online course | - | - | 3 activities | 7 activities | |
1.5-credit hybrid course‡ | Total of 3 days and/or activities | Total of 7 days and/or activities | |||
2.0-credit lab* | 3 days | - | - | - | |
3.0-credit lab* | 3 days | 3 days | - | 3 days | |
3.0-credit lecture | 2 days | - | 3 days | 7 days | 3 days |
3.0-credit online course | - | - | 3 activities | 7 activities | |
3.0-credit hybrid course‡ |
Total of 3 days and/or activities |
Total of 7 days and/or activities | |||
6.0-credit lab | - | - | 4 days | 5 days |
* Including kitchen, bakeshop, restaurant, culinary science lab, or wines courses meeting for any amount less than a full 15-week semester.
# Two classes in a 1.5-credit lecture course that meets eight or fewer times.
‡ Hybrid courses meet for in-class and online learning sessions. Students are expected to be engaged in the online portion of the course and to follow the attendance policy for fully online courses. Students are also expected to attend the in-person classes and to follow the attendance policy for missing classes as outline in the chart. If a student does not satisfy the attendance requirements for the online portion of the hybrid course the student will be at risk for failing the course even if they attend the in-person classes. If a student completes the online assignments and is following the online attendance policy but fails to attend the in-person classes, the student will be at risk for failing the course.
Personal Emergencies and Exceptional Circumstances
If a student is forced to miss a class due to sickness, personal emergencies, or unforeseen circumstances, the student must notify the Health Services Office or the Student Affairs Office (U.S. campuses) or the Administrator's Office (SG), who will notify the faculty member. Depending on the nature of the situation and the academic circumstances, the dean of student affairs, student affairs manager, or managing director, after consultation with the faculty member, may recommend a withdrawal from the course.
In exceptional circumstances and if the student has not exceeded the maximum number of absences that would cause one to fail the course, the faculty member may assign additional work and give partial credit for a missed class.
In the event that a Singapore student is sick on the day(s) of their practical exams and/or make-up practical exams, they should (if possible) contact the managing director.
Religious Holidays/Military Reservist Duty
Students who are observing a religious holiday or have required military reservist duty that coincides with regularly scheduled class days are excused for that time period. In such cases, students can be excused for no more than two days of that class, and will be held accountable for information they missed. If students need to take more than two days for religious or military service reasons or have any unexcused absences, they may be required to withdraw from the course. As a participant in religious or military reservist activities, students will not be academically penalized for missing class.