Class Participation Policy

Regular participation is an important aspect of a court reporting educational program for at least three reasons:

1. Mastery of accuracy and speed skills demands daily practice distributed over the week and rigid self-discipline. Regular participation is a necessary component in increasing accuracy and speed skills.
2. Students’ educational needs can only be met with regular participation.
3. Students are trained to be competent, reliable professionals, and they are disciplined in all aspects of the profession. Regular participation ensures that students receive this important training.

Lack of participation adversely affects the progress and quality of student education. Participation records will be kept in all classes. Failure to complete and submit assignments on time is handled in the same manner as a lack of participation. Future employment recommendations may be affected by the level that a student participates and contributes to their classes. Academic records may be made available to prospective employers upon request and in accordance with the FERPA laws (see FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT - FERPA).

Definition of Class Participation

Participation in an online course consists of attending the live 60-minute class online, which takes place once a week for each course. Additionally, regular participation may include any or all of the following: attending lectures; joining group studies; writing on the discussion board; reading assignments; sharing presentations; accessing feedback from instructors; meetings with instructors; conducting research projects; completing homework assignments; reading, correcting, and editing steno/voice notes; taking tests; listening to guest speakers; going on field trips; viewing a recorded class; meeting with a court reporter, CART provider, or captioner; or other activities directly relating to the academic or skill-building course.

Method of Monitoring Attendance

1. Attendance is monitored in all classes by the instructor.
2. If students miss a live class, they are immediately notified that there is a recording of the live class. They must access the recording and send a note with a summary of the class to the instructor, post questions and comments in the Discussion Forum, or meet with the instructor if they intend to receive credit. The instructor will verify that they logged in and will review the summary. If attendance cannot be verified, they will be considered absent from the class.
3. Students submit daily or weekly log sheets in 6-credit skill-building classes documenting that they spent 18 hours a week on their steno machine or with their voice mask (see class syllabi and assignment sheets). The following criteria will determine attendance for students who spent less than 18 hours on their course:
   1. 6 credit hour course: 10 to 14 hours = 1 day absent
      3 credit hour course: 5 to 7 hours = 1 day absent
   2. 6 credit hour course: 6 to 10 hours = 2 days absent
      3 credit hour course: 3 to 5 hours = 2 day absent
   3. 6 credit hour course: 2 to 6 hours = 3 days absent
      3 credit hour course: 1 to 3 hours = 3 day absent
   4. 6 credit hour course: 2 hours or less = 4 days absent
      3 credit hour course: less than 1 hour = 4 day absent

Definition of Tardiness and Early Departures

All classes are a minimum of 50 minutes in length. A student who attends or logs into a class 10 minutes after it began will be considered tardy, and a student who departs 10 minutes or more before the end of the class will be considered an early departure. Students who have been tardy or late to a class more than 3 times in a semester will be counted absent for one full class.

Students who cannot log in to class on time because of car trouble, traffic issues, inclement weather, Internet access issues, and other similar issues must notify the instructor before class that he or she may be late; therefore, students will not be counted absent unless it is a chronic situation. Upon logging in, the student must not disrupt the instructor or other students.

In academic classes, students who did not attend the entire class will access the recording and submit a summary to the instructor and may be able to receive credit for attending the class.

In a skill-development class, students who did not attend the entire class will submit an assigned drill to the instructor to receive full credit for attending the class.

Excused Absences

Excused absences occur when students notify their instructors in advance that they will be absent from class. The major difference between excused and unexcused absences is that the work may be made up when the absence is excused; it may not be made up in unexcused absences, therefore, affecting the student’s final grade. The following are excused absences:

1. Medical: Students receive an excused absence for up to three weeks of class for a serious illness. If a student knows they will be absent for more than three weeks, they should contact the director of student services. Students must meet the following criteria to be excused for medical reasons:
   1. Notify their instructors that they will be unable to attend class for medical reasons and comply with the instructor’s requirements for making up the class time and/or class work;
   2. Submit a doctor’s excuse.
2. Personal: Students may be excused for no more than three weeks of class for the following personal reasons: death in the immediate family, relocation of a residence, illness of an immediate family member, loss of job. Students must notify the director of student services that they cannot attend class(es).
3. Computer problems: Students may be excused for no more than one week of class for computer problems. They must notify instructors in advance of the class(es) they will miss due to computer problems and the anticipated date of when the problem will be resolved.
4. Internet problems: Students may be excused for no more than one week of class for Internet problems. They must notify instructors in advance of the class(es) they will miss due to Internet problems and the anticipated date of when the problem will be resolved. If students have continuous Internet problems, they should go to a library or other place where the Internet is accessible.

Make-up Work Due to Absenteeism

All make-up work is due within one week after returning to class or at the discretion of the individual instructor. Make-up work must be comparable to the content, time, and delivery of the classes missed.

Appeals

If a student feels they have been unjustly counted absent or denied an excused absence by an instructor(s), the student should appeal in writing to the director of student services as soon as possible.