Part 1: Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure proper administration of financial aid funds. Students are expected to regularly attend classes for the courses in which they are enrolled, and instructors are expected to report students who are not attending (in nonattendance) in their classes. Students reported by an instructor to be in non-attendance will be automatically assigned a grade of FN (failure for non-attendance) for that course.

Part 2: Definitions

The following definitions will be used in determining non-attendance within a course:

  1. Non-attendance occurs when the student fails to engage in any academically related activity for 14 consecutive calendar days. For courses lasting eight of fewer weeks, non-attendance also occurs when the instructor determines that the student’s failure to engage in academically-related activity is such that the student can no longer be successful in the course, even though the nonattendance has continued for fewer than 14 consecutive calendar days.
  2. Academically related activity includes one or more of the following:
    1. Physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students,
    2. Taking a test of quiz,
    3. Submitting a class assignment,
    4. Participating in a course-related online discussion,
    5. Initiating contact with the course instructor to ask a course-related question, and
    6. Completing course-related work within the College’s learning management system (D2L).
    7. *Logging in to the learning management system does not, by itself, constitute an academically related activity.
  3. All calendar days (including holidays, weekends, and vacation days) shall be included in determining the number of consecutive days a student has been in non-attendance except:
    1. Days for which the instructor has granted the student an excused absence,
    2. Days designated as Spring Break (including the weekend days that immediately precede and succeed it) on the official academic calendar, and
    3. Days on which the campus is closed due to weather or other emergency.

Part 3: Procedure

Students who become unable to attend class should immediately notify their instructors. Students who decide to stop attending classes should immediately consult an advisor for advice on the consequences of their decision and/or officially withdraw from the course (see Policy 3.11 ). If a student is assigned a grade of FN, they may change it to a withdrawal utilizing the student registration system before the final withdrawal date of the course. An assigned grade of FN will activate re-evaluation of a student’s financial aid, which may result in repayment as stated in the Return of Title IV Funds Policy 5.12.20.

Procedure History

Date Implemented: February 3, 2005
Date Reviewed/Revised: February 13, 2014, April 27, 2021
President’s Signature Date: August 1, 2021

Lake Superior College's President's Signature