Attendance and Absenteeism Policy

1. Minimum Attendance

1.1 Certificate and diploma program students must maintain a minimum of 70% attendance during scheduled class time.

1.2 Non-Vocational Certificate & Micro-Credential students must maintain a minimum of 50% attendance during scheduled class time. 

1.3 If students do not meet the minimum attendance requirement in a registered module/paper, they will lose the privilege of retaking failed assessments and other student privileges, including (but not limited to) vacation requests outside scheduled breaks. 

1.4 Consequently, if a student receives a failing grade for a module or has attendance less than prescribed above, they will be required to pay & retake the entire module.   

1.5 The instructor will take attendance daily for each class and compile it at the end of each unit, module, or class.

1.6 Students who do attend the classes/sessions regularly in any given course will receive an Attendance Warning email or letter from the college.

1.7 Students absent from any classes, labs, tutorials, or work placement shifts are responsible for learning any material missed. Beta College is not responsible for ensuring that any missed material is provided to students.

1.8 OSAP students must attend all scheduled classes and complete the required program hours.

2. Late Attendance

2.1 If a student arrives more than 30 minutes late or leaves more than 30 minutes early without informing the instructor, their college administrator, or the academic department, they will be marked as present for half the class only.

2.2 If a certificate or diploma program student is late or unable to attend class due to circumstances beyond their control, they must inform the Academics Department or the administrator at admin@betacollege.ca or hello@mybeta.ca as soon as possible. 

2.3 Additional assignments and readings may be assigned at the instructor’s discretion to make up for missed classes. 

2. 4 Certificate and diploma program Instructors will notify Academics when a student’s attendance falls below 70%, and he/she will receive an email notification. 

2.5 Students should arrive punctually for their scheduled classes and remain for the entire session. Consistent tardiness or early departures without prior approval may deter a student’s active participation status.

3. Pardoned Absence

3.1 Suppose a student is unable to attend college because of illness or any other reason. In that case, they must write an email and telephone the relevant administrative office to explain the reason for the absence and provide any relevant documentation upon their return to college. Student absence is only recorded as ‘authorized’ under a limited number of circumstances due to illness, injury, or extenuating circumstances.  In such cases, students may request to be excused for their absence, and if approved, the absence will not be included in the minimum attendance requirement calculation. These would not count as a damaging/negative absence on attendance recording.

3.2 In case of absence due to illness or injury or any other extenuating circumstances, certificate and diploma program students must notify their absence with a valid reason and proof at admin@betacollege.ca / hello@mybeta.ca

3.3 Requests for pardoned absences for reasons other than illness or injury should be submitted at least 24 hours before the scheduled class. Supporting documentation should be provided as appropriate.

3.4 Any anticipated absences from assigned program hours should be communicated and approved in advance. The students are responsible for communicating with the college at info@betacollege.ca and the instructor to devise a plan to complete missed program hours.

4. Missed Assessment(s)/Exams
Students who miss or fail to submit assessments or exams due to absences, approved or unapproved, will be subject to the measures below.

A) Approved Absences

i) If approved, the instructor or faculty member will provide a reasonable opportunity for the student to make up the missed work. Students are ultimately responsible for meeting with the faculty member in person or virtually and completing the assigned work. 

 ii) The faculty member will determine if the evaluation needs to be completed before or after the original date of the missed assessment.  

iii) The faculty member may design an alternate assignment for unique in-class learning experiences and/or evaluations if feasible.

B) Unapproved Absences

i) Faculty members will not use alternate methods to make up the missed work/evaluation for unapproved absences.

ii) A zero (0) mark will be given for all evaluations during unapproved absences.

5) Recording of Attendance

• Attendance will be recorded either at the start or end of the session/class.
• Attendance can be recorded via Text Chat Roll call, Screenshots, or an in-class roll call in which each name on the list is read out, and students raise their hands or use the microphone to respond to the roll call.
• When the instructor or faculty member requests, the student must respond to the request raised and cooperate.
• Attendance is a regulatory requirement, and all students are requested to participate actively in the process.

6) Plea and Petition
Should a Student Absence Request be unreasonably denied, the student may request a review of the decision by the Director of the program of study by emailing admin@betacollege.ca

The Director will review the request, consult with the faculty member, and render a final and binding decision.