STUDENT ATTENDANCE PROCEDURE
1.0 DEFINITIONS SPECIFIC TO THIS DOCUMENT
1.1 Capitalized words, expressions, and phrases used in this procedure, which are not defined herein, have the meanings assigned to them in the Student Attendance Policy (PL-ST-03).
1.2 The following words and expressions are specific to this document and shall have the meanings hereby assigned to them:
1.2.1 Academic Advisor: A representative of the University who helps and advises Students on their academic plan, appropriate Course selections, academic progression, and learning outcomes.
1.2.2 Academic Calendar: A representation of the periods associated with the University’s operations, containing the teaching periods, exam and holiday dates, and key deadlines, which is approved by the University’s Board of Trustees.
1.2.3 Add/Drop Period: A period of time at the beginning of each Semester when Students can adjust schedules by cancelling their Course registration, registering into additional Courses, or changing Course Sections, defined in the approved Academic Calendar.
1.2.4 Attendance System: The attendance recording module in the University’s student information system.
1.2.5 Clinical Work: A Course providing a career-related work experience of limited duration, specifically in the health sciences field.
1.2.6 Course Learning Outcome: The specifications of what the Student should learn as the result of the specified and supported study in a given Course.
1.2.7 Course Outline: An official document that identifies the content of a Course, including Course name, number, and description, in addition to Credit Hours, prerequisites and co-requisites, Course Learning Outcomes, learning resources, and evaluation scheme.
1.2.8 Course Syllabus (Course Information Sheet): A document communicating information, expectations, and responsibilities for a specific Course with Students, and includes Instructor’s contact details, office hours, Attendance requirements, and other pertinent information that is generally University specific and not addressed in the Course Outline.
1.2.9 Credit Hour: The assigned value of Learning Session’s hours, granted upon a Student's completion of a Course, as maintained by the University's official Transcripts or records.
1) Not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours out of class Student work each week (didactic to for approximately fifteen weeks for one Semester of Credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time, or
2) At least an equivalent amount of required work as outlined in item 1 above for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practice, and other academic work leading to the award of Credit Hours.
2) At least an equivalent amount of required work as outlined in item 1 above for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practice, and other academic work leading to the award of Credit Hours.
1.2.10 Credit: A unit of measurement assigned to a Course based on the total amount of learning time that counts toward a Program or credential completion, at a particular level of the Qatar National Qualification Framework.
1.2.11 Documented Absence: Documentation in support of a Student’s absence from a Learning Session.
1.2.12 Drop Deadline: The last day of the Drop Period as per the Academic Calendar.
1.2.13 Final Examination: An assessment for measuring the achievement of specific Course Learning Outcomes, which is administered at the end of a Course.
1.2.14 Final Grade: The grade assigned for the entire Course when all Final Grade Components of the Course are completed.
1.2.15 Semester: A division of an Academic Year where a Student is enrolled in a Course(s) followed by an examination period.
1.2.16 Sponsor: An organization that pays all or a portion of a Student’s education-related expenses.
1.2.17 Transcript: An official document of the University summarizing the entire academic records of a Student including essential information pertaining to the Student's courses, grades, Academic Standing and credential attainment.
1.2.18 University: University of Doha for Science and Technology established by Emiri Resolution No. 13 of 2022.
1.2.19 Withdrawal Period: The timeframe determined by the University and extending from the end of the Add\Drop Period until the middle of the Semester.
1.2.20 Work Term: The opportunity to develop Students’ job skills by providing them with a structured employment situation that is directly related to, and coordinated with, their Program.
1.3 Where the context requires, words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice-versa.
1.4 Where a word or phrase is given a particular meaning, other parts of speech and grammatical forms of that word or phrase have corresponding meanings.
2.0 PURPOSE
2.1 The purpose of this procedure is to support the implementation of Student Attendance Policy (PL-ST-03). The following procedures are to be read in conjunction with the aforementioned policy.
3.0 SCOPE
3.1 This procedure applies to:
3.1.1 Academic Units, and Academic Members monitoring Student Attendance.
3.1.2 Admissions and Registration division.
3.1.3 Students.
3.2 The procedure details the Attendance expectations for all University Students.
4.0 PROCEDURE
4.1 Recording Attendance
4.1.1 Attendance recording and calculation will begin after the end of the Add/Drop period and will continue until the last day of the Learning Session.
4.1.2 Attendance absence percentage is calculated per Course based on the total amount of time the Course is scheduled to meet for the Semester.
4.1.3 Academic Members must record Student Attendance into the Attendance
System within 24 hours of the Learning Session.
4.1.4 Students who have an extenuating circumstance for being absent must
email their request and appropriate supporting documentation to the
Admissions and Registration Directorate within two business days of the Student’s return to the Learning Session. Extenuating circumstances
include:
4.1.4.1 Medical notes validated by the Ministry of Public Health
4.1.4.2 Bereavement for spouse, parent, grandparent, child, or sibling
4.1.4.3 Maternity
4.1.4.4 Chronic illness
4.1.5 Extenuating circumstances will be recorded in the Attendance System as a Documented Absence but will still be included in the Student’s total absence
percentage.
4.1.6 The Attendance System will be locked on the first business day of each week for Learning Sessions of the previous week. Academic Members may revise recorded Attendance until the Attendance System is locked. Thereafter, revisions require the approval of the Department Head.
4.2 Attendance Standards Communication
4.2.1 As set forth in the Policy (PL-ST-03), the University’s maximum allowable
limit for absenteeism is 15% of Learning Sessions per Course during a
Semester. This Attendance standard must be included in the Course
Syllabus and communicated to Students by Academic Members on their
first day of the Course.
4.3 Course Requirements
4.3.1 Absence from a Learning Session does not relieve Students from
completing any missed Course Requirements.
4.3.2 Students may be granted an extension for completion of Course Requirements at the discretion of the Academic Member.
4.4 Placements (Clinical and Work Terms)
4.3.2 Students may be granted an extension for completion of Course Requirements at the discretion of the Academic Member.
4.4.1 Students who are enrolled in a Placement as part of their Program are
responsible for ensuring that they adhere to the Attendance standards set
by the Clinical Practice or Work Term provider.
4.4.2 Students exceeding the maximum allowable limit for absenteeism in a
clinical or work term will receive a failing grade for that Course.
4.5 Punctuality
4.5.1 The University expects all Students to be on time for Learning Sessions.Learning Sessions will commence as listed in the Student’s schedule.
4.5.2 Students arriving after commencement of the Learning Session or departing
prior to the completion of the Learning Session may be recorded as
“Absent” in the Attendance System at the discretion of the Academic
Member.
4.5.3 For safety and operational reasons, the Academic Member may, for certain
laboratory Learning Sessions, prohibit Students from entering after the
Learning Session has commenced. Students arriving late may be prevented
from entering the Learning Session and will be recorded as “Absent” in the
Attendance System. This punctuality requirement is at the discretion of the
Academic Member and must be clearly identified on the Course Syllabus.
4.5.4 All non-attendance will be factored into the Student’s attendance
computation.
4.6 Absenteeism Outcome
4.6.1 Academic Members are responsible for monitoring and recording Student
Attendance at Learning Sessions during the Course.
4.6.2 Students exceeding the maximum allowable limit, as per the policy, will
receive a failing grade, regardless of their performance.
4.6.3 Students who fail the Course for absenteeism may remain in the Course
but will not be eligible to attend the Final Examination in that Course.
4.7 Absenteeism Notification
4.7.1 On an ongoing basis throughout the Semester, the Admissions and
Registration Directorate will notify Students who exceed 10% absenteeism
to that accrued point in the Semester. This data will be shared with the
Academic Units and Sponsors.
4.8 Withdrawal
4.8.1 At least 5 business days prior to the end of the Withdrawal Period, the
Admissions and Registration Directorate will notify Students who exceed
10% absenteeism to that accrued point in the Semester. Students will be
informed to meet with their Academic Advisor. Academic Advisors will
recommend an appropriate course of action.
4.8.2 In cases where it is either reasonable or foreseeable to expect that the 15%
maximum allowable limit for absenteeism will be exceeded, Students, in
consultation with their Academic Advisor, will be advised to Withdraw from
the Course by the end of the Withdrawal Period.
4.9 Fail Grade for Absenteeism
4.9.1 Up to and including the last day of the Learning Session, the Admissions
and Registration Directorate will notify Students who have failed the Course
by exceeding the 15% maximum allowable limit for absenteeism. Students
who fail a Course for absenteeism may remain in the Course but will not be
eligible to attend the Final Examination in that Course.
4.9.2 The Admissions and Registration Directorate will inform the Academic Units
which Students have failed the Course by exceeding the 15% maximum
allowable limit for absenteeism. Academic Members must assign an
Attendance Fail (AF) Final Grade to Students who fail the Course for
exceeding this maximum allowable limit.
4.10 Attendance Review
4.10.1 Students who feel that their Attendance has not been accurately recorded
in the Attendance System should discuss the matter with the Academic
Member teaching that Learning Session. This should be done within five
business days of the Learning Session in question.
4.10.2 If the discussion with the Academic Member does not result in a satisfactory
resolution, the Student may request that the matter be reviewed by the
Department Head. This should be done within two business days of the
Academic Member’s decision.
4.10.3 If the Student is not satisfied with the decision from the Department Head,
the matter may be escalated to the Dean or Manager of the Academic Unit
for a final decision. Such a request should be made within three business
days of the Department Head’s decision.
4.11 Petition
4.11.1 In extenuating and unforeseeable circumstances, Students who exceed the
15% maximum allowable limit for absenteeism can petition the Attendance
Fail (AF) Final Grade as outlined in the Final Grade Policy, PL-ST-08.
Careful consideration will be given to the extenuating nature of the
circumstance and when the absenteeism occurred in the Semester.
Successful petitions will result in the Student being Withdrawn from the
Course and a Final Grade of W assigned. No refund will be issued.
4.11.2 Based on clause 4.1.4, in certain extenuating and Documented Absence
circumstances, the Dean may grant an exception to students who have
exceeded 15% absence.
4.12 Ramadan
4.12.1 During Ramadan, the timing of Learning Sessions is temporarily adjusted
to reflect the approved Ramadan schedule. Students are still expected to
follow the University’s Attendance and punctuality rules.
4.13 Records Review
4.13.1 At the end of each Semester, the Admissions and Registration Directorate
will audit Attendance records and Final Grades.
4.13.2 Any discrepancies in the Attendance Fail (AF) grading will be shared with the Academic Units for review and correction.
4.13.2 Any discrepancies in the Attendance Fail (AF) grading will be shared with the Academic Units for review and correction.
5.0 Related Documents
5.1 PL-ST-03 Student Attendance Policy
5.2 PL-ST-08 Final Grades Policy
5.2 PL-ST-08 Final Grades Policy