A central belief underlying student development philosophy is that learning can and should occur anywhere on the college campus. This learning involves not only the intellect but also the emotional, social, physical and ethnical development of college student.

Exposure to new ideas, different philosophies, people of various backgrounds, contrasting moral and ethical questions, and the challenge of new experiences adds to the development of the whole student.

We believe that to benefit from this philosophy, students need to be present, active, and engaged participants in their learning and their courses. Any absence from class should be communicated with the instructor as soon as possible, prior to any missed work or class meetings.

Courses with Scheduled In- Person or Remote Class Meetings

Students are expected to be present for all scheduled class meetings and will be held responsible for any work missed as a result of absences or tardiness. A student who has not attended scheduled class meetings and does not communicate with the instructor over a period of 7 consecutive days, may be withdrawn from the course due to lack of participation.

Courses with Asynchronous, Online Components without Scheduled Class Meetings

For online/remote learning, a student must demonstrate ongoing participation in the Learning Management System (Brightspace). Ongoing participation means students must maintain regular communication with the instructor and meet specified course assignment deadlines.

A student who is not active in the course and does not communicate with the instructor over a period of 7 consecutive days, may be withdrawn from the course due to lack of participation.

Some courses and programs may have more stringent attendance and participation requirements. Please refer to your individual course syllabus for course specific attendance and participation expectations.

Absences because of approved college purposes or pre-approved religious observances will result in no direct absence penalties. Students will be allowed to make up work missed as a result of approved absences or do alternate assignments. 

Absences due to other circumstances such as military deployment, jury duty, volunteer emergency service in accordance with Illinois law, or documented disability or illness related needs should be discussed with the instructor and appropriate dean to determine whether exceptions to the attendance policy should be made or tuition refunds considered. 

Students must consult with their instructor(s) in advance about each instructor’s requirements for making up missed course work for the aforementioned absences. 

Each semester, the Athletic Department and Running Start Program send student evaluation/grade forms on InfoShare in efforts to monitor student academic progress.  Please refer student athlete attendance concerns to the Athletic Department.