On this page:

Determining Last Date of Attendance

Timely Withdrawal of Students for Non-Attendance

Determining Last Date of Attendance

Instructors with grading authority are required to enter a last date of attendance for any students who fail, receive an Incomplete grade, or are administratively withdrawn for non-attendance or other reasons.  This guidance is intended to assist instructors in determining the last date of attendance based on federal regulations and best practices.

1. University policy does not require attendance to be taken, although instructors are encouraged to monitor their class rosters in CheckMarq, especially early in the semester, to confirm registered students are substantively engaging in the class through attendance and/or participation.
2. Class rosters can change as students alter their schedules through the Add/Drop deadline noted in the academic calendar. Only students who appear on the class roster in CheckMarq are allowed to attend or participate in a class.  Instructors should not allow unregistered students to attend or participate in class.  Unregistered students will not be given access to course sites in D2L or other learning management platforms.
3. Instructors who choose to take attendance during the term should retain the attendance records and use them in determining the last date of attendance.
4. Instructors who choose not to take attendance or teach asynchronous online classes should use the best information available to determine a student’s last date of attendance in a class.  The Department of Education has provided the following list of examples of student activities which can be used to determine the last date of attendance or participation (also known as “Academic Engagement”): 

• • Attending a synchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field or laboratory activity, physically or online, where there is an opportunity for interaction between the instructor and students;
  • Submitting an academic assignment;
  • Taking an assessment or an exam;
  • Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;
  • Participating in a study group, group project, or an online discussion that is assigned by the institution.

Please Note: A student logging in to an online class, tutorial, or learning-management system (such as D2L) without any further participation is not sufficient to determine a student’s last date of attendance. 

Timely Withdrawal of Students for Non-Attendance

Students who never attend or stop attending should be withdrawn as soon as possible. In online classes, attendance is determined by class participation. In addition to being required by federal regulations, timely notice of non-attendance reduces the likelihood that students will receive a failing grade that can negatively impact their GPA.

• • To withdraw a student for non-attendance or excessive absences, primary instructors should use the form titled Form-Course Swap/Withdrawal in the left-hand menu of their CheckMarq account.
  • Faculty are encouraged to check with their college records office prior to submission of the form since there may be specific college-based procedures to follow.
  • Graduate students who are functioning as primary instructors will need to contact their college office to access the form since it is not available to them via CheckMarq. 
  • See the bulletin for additional information on UW, WA, and WF administrative withdrawal grades.