ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular attendance is key to academic success in the UMI program. It is each  student’s responsibility to become familiar with the UMI attendance policy.

UMI’s Attendance Policy has a provision for emergencies and other unforeseen circumstances that may result in an absence. Such circumstances may be considered authorized or excused absences when supported by proper documentation and communication with the school.

Please note that having a reasonable excuse for an absence may mitigate but does not exclude such an absence from applicable penalties. Specific circumstances and explanations are described in the following sections.

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LECTURE & LABORATORY CLASS ATTENDANCE

UMI monitors student attendance regularly. Students must maintain a minimum 80% in each class and minimum 80%  program attendance.

• Remote synchronous class attendance (Google Meet): To be considered “present” in a live Google Meet class, a student must have the camera turned on with the student’s face fully visible and identifiable. Students will not be permitted to participate in live Google Meet classes while driving, working, or in any other environment where they or other students may be distracted. 

• Penalties for Absences

• Class Attendance: less than 80% attendance in any class may result in “AF”--Attendance Fail-- grade for the class even if the student receives an overall passing grade for the course. Documented Excused Absences may be taken into consideration to allow the student to pass the class.

• Consecutive Absences: Excused or Unexcused consecutive absences for more than 14 consecutive calendar days--including weekends but excluding official school holidays and breaks for the didactic portion of the program; and excluding externship site official holidays and closures for the externship portion of the program-- may result in immediate program dismissal.

• Tardiness/Leaving Early: A student is considered tardy or leaving early when he/she is not in class during the class- scheduled time without authorization. Every Tardy/Leave Early, excused or unexcused, contributes negatively to class and program attendance percentage. Excused Tardy/Leave Early may be considered if the class or program attendance score falls below minimum standards.

• Attendance Recording

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UMI monitors students' attendance with students’ “Attendance Report.” Each student has access to their own class and cumulative program “Attendance Report” records where students are expected to record their absences and tardies/leaving early. Although Instructors and school administrators have access to students’ attendance reports and are able to update / correct absence records on students’ behalf, it is students’ responsibility to maintain accurate attendance records and failure to do so is a violation of the UMI Academic Integrity Policy.

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For all absences and tardies, students are required to notify each class instructor as soon as it is practical.

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CLINICAL ATTENDANCE

Clinical Site Attendance Policy: Attendance during Clinical Externship is governed by the Clinical site’s attendance policy. The students are expected to fully adhere to the site’s attendance policy, violation of which may result in dismissal from the site and from the program.

UMI Clinical Attendance Policy: In addition to the site attendance policy, students' attendance is also governed by UMI’s standard 14

Consecutive Calendar Days Absence policy and by additional clinical-related attendance policies:

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• 90% clinical hours rule: Students who fall below 90% of scheduled clinical hours at any time during the program will become candidates for program dismissal. If extenuating circumstances are presented and approved, students are required to make up the missed clinical hours within two weeks. Students are responsible for requesting extenuating circumstance consideration from the UMI clinical coordinator / faculty and, if approved, for coordinating the schedule for the make-up hours with the clinical supervisor / faculty.

• Clinical Inactivity Rule: Unauthorized inactivity in clinical participation for a period of more than 14 consecutive calendar days may result in the student’s immediate dismissal from the program. Requests for authorized inactivity must be submitted to an authorized UMI representative and be accompanied by relevant documentation. Authorized inactivity is typically limited to these categories:

  • Documented sick leave

  • Bereavement leave

  • Jury duty

• Scheduled Program Completion Date Rule: Students who fail to complete all required program clinical hours by the scheduled program completion date will be dismissed from the program. Students may appeal for program reinstatement. Class repeat and/or additional tuition and fees may be required depending on the time and conditions of the student’s reinstatement.

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Clinical Policy Violation and Clinical Site Assignment: students in violation of any clinical policy, including, but not limited to, clinical attendance violation and/or dismissal from the site may be required to secure their own clinical site within a predetermined timeline or be dismissed from the program.

 

For all clinical absences and tardies, students are required to notify both, clinical supervisor and UMI clinical administrator, as soon as practical.

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EXCUSED ABSENCES

Extenuating Circumstances: UMI will determine if extenuating circumstances may warrant an absence or tardy/leave early to be excused. Typically, only serious unforeseen and/or life-threatening emergencies for the student or immediate family (child or spouse) may qualify as an excused absence. Supporting documentation may be required for an absence to be recorded as excused.

When an absence occurs, the student is responsible for notifying each instructor and for obtaining and reviewing missed material and assignments. All make-up/missed coursework, tests, and/or labs must be approved by the course faculty.

In cases where a significant amount of course work is missed, the course instructor may propose an action plan to help the student complete assignments in a timely manner. Such an action plan must be also approved by the program / school administrator or designee when the plan may require a change in schedule for the student or for faculty. 

 

Typical Extenuating Reasons for Excused Absences:

• Bereavement Leave: The leave can be requested for up to three (3) class sessions for immediate family members such as the student’s and spouse’s parents and grandparents, child, or spouse.

• Jury Duty: Any student called to serve on jury duty is encouraged to request a postponement until the end of the program since it may impede the student’s progress in the program. If the student chooses to serve or a postponement is not granted, the time served should not go beyond 14 consecutive calendar days absent from school. If it exceeds 14 consecutive calendar days, a student may be required to withdraw from the program and to reenter with the next start date for the course/module. Official documentation of jury duty (days and time) is required to qualify the absence as authorized/excused.

• Communicable Illness: Students with a contagious viral and/or bacterial infections should not attend in-person class/clinical sessions until: 1) they have had no fever for 24 hours and/or 2) they have been on an antibiotic medicine for at least 24 hours; and/or 3) they have a medical release form signed by their personal physician that states the student is not contagious and may resume program activities. Students with COVID 19  must not attend any in-personal class/clinical sessions for 5 days or until the result is negative. 

 

LEAVE OF ABSENCE (LOA)

A leave of absence (LOA) is a temporary interruption in a student’s program of study due to eligible circumstances in a student's life. LOA cannot exceed 180 days in any 12 month period and may have a serious impact on the student’s ability to successfully complete the program. The following criteria outline the process requirements for a LOA approval:

• The student must submit a request for the leave of absence in writing to the program administrator or designee for approval. The letter should state the reason(s) for the request.

• Reasons for an LOA that may be considered for approval include serious life circumstances or health- related conditions that prevent the student from attending school for a predetermined period of time. UMI may request supporting documentation before an LOA is granted.

• There must be a reasonable expectation that the student will return from the LOA as scheduled.

• A student returning from an LOA must resume training in the same module/sequence of courses in the academic program that he or she began the LOA. It means that the student’s LOA may have to be set beyond the timeframe needed to address the reason for the LOA and may further prolong the student’s timeline toward completion of the program.

• Failure to return from an LOA on or prior to the scheduled returned date will result in dismissal from the program.

• Students who take an LOA during their MOD3 / Clinical 3 may be required to secure their own clinical site prior to returning from the LOA in order to resume their clinical training.

 

Should a student’s circumstances be such that a leave of absence is needed, the student should submit an application for a leave of absence to an authorized school official. At the discretion of an authorized UMI faculty or staff member, a leave of absence may be granted for a reasonable time, as warranted by the circumstances. If a student repeatedly resorts to the use of a leave of absence or should the issuance of a leave of absence be such that it would significantly interfere with the planned completion of the program of study, UMI may deny the LOA request.

 

ABSENCE COMMUNICATION & MAKE-UP POLICY

• Communication regarding absences: Students must notify the faculty and/or school administration of any absences or tardies in writing (via email or the online class portal) 24 hours prior to the scheduled class start or as soon as it is practical for any unforeseen absences. If an absence is  excused, a make- up opportunity may be granted. An excused absence must meet qualifying criteria; supporting documentation may be required.

• Assignments: All course assignments, homework, tests, and performance competencies missed due to excused absences are to be completed in a timely manner. Any incomplete course due to excused absences will be assigned a grade of Incomplete (I); such Incompletes must be resolved according to the Incomplete grade policy. Should a student not be able to complete assignments on time and receive a passing course grade, the student will be required to repeat the course.

• Make‐up policy: A student who missed a lecture or laboratory class due to excused absences may have a make-up opportunity in the form of assignments or special projects. A student may also be granted permission to make up lecture/lab time through an authorized remediation audit of the course if the course is available during the same Module. Should a student not be able to complete make-up assignments, it may result in a failing grade (“F”) for the course and will require a course repeat. Depending on the timeline, under some circumstances, the student may be required to withdraw from the program and to re-enter at the beginning of the next start date for the course retake.

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ATTENDANCE MONITORING

To ensure uninterrupted academic progress and compliance with UMI attendance requirements, UMI regularly monitors students’ attendance. Attendance review and advisement may or may not correspond with SAP evaluation points. If warranted, Attendance review and advisement may be conducted between formal SAP evaluations.

• Class Attendance Advisement: Students whose attendance falls below 90% in  any one course will be formally advised by a faculty member or by a program administrator.

• Cumulative Attendance Advisement: Students whose cumulative attendance falls below 80% at any given point in the program will be advised by program administrator (or designee) and placed under Attendance Warning; an Attendance improvement plan will be developed and documented.

• Consecutive Absences: Students with 10 or more consecutive calendar days of unexcused or excused consecutive absences (including weekends but excluding official school holidays and breaks) will be advised by the program administrator (or designee) and placed under Attendance Warning.