Faculty Attendance Tracker
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has developed regulations that require institutions to determine when a student begins attending or academically engaging. If a student never begins attending/participating/engaging in all courses, that student is ineligible for any grant or loan funds they may have received for those courses. The USDE requires the funds be returned to the appropriate Title IV programs, leaving the school liable for recovery of the funds from the student. In addition, USDE requires all institutions to have a method in place for recording and documenting the start of attendance or academic engagement.
How is Attendance/Participation/Engagement Determined?
Under 34 CFR 600.2, active participation by a student in an instructional activity related to the student’s course of study that is defined by the institution in accordance with any applicable requirements of its State or accrediting agency; and includes, but is not limited to:
- Attending asynchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field or laboratory activity, physically or online, where there is an opportunity for interaction between the instructor and students;
- Submitting an academic assignment;
- Taking an assessment or an exam;
- Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;
- Participating in a study group, group project, or an online discussion that is assigned by the institution;
- Interacting with an instructor about academic matters.
The definition of academic engagement does not include activities where a student may be present, but not academically engaged, such as:
- Living in institutional housing;
- Participating in the school’s meal plan;
- Logging into an online class or tutorial without any further participation;
- Participating in academic counseling or advising; or
- Participating in a student-organized study group.
When to record Attendance/Participation/Engagement?
If at any time a student begins attending/participating/engaging your course through an academically related activity, their attendance will need to be updated at that time. Students can begin attending beginning the first day of the course. If the student attended at any point during the course they should remain marked as beginning attendance, even if they stop participating in your course. Attendance should only be removed if logged in error. Please notify the Student Success Center if your student stops participating.
Recording and documenting attendance is the responsibility of the course instructor and may not be performed by any other office or entity.
Assuming that the above guidelines have been met, the following will describe how to complete Attendance Tracking:
- Login to the myAthens Portal following the Single Sign-on (SSO) instructions.
- Search “Attendance” and select the “Attendance Tracking” tool.
- Locate the course in which you want to enter attendance, and click the Take Roll button.
- Check the circle by the appropriate date for each student. Scroll down or select the Next Page button to locate all students.
- Do not change Hours Attended. (Hr: 00 Min: 01)
Note: This is not the final step.
- After checking attendance, click on the Class drop-down menu, and select Update CRN Last Date of Attendance tab.
Note: Selecting the Update CRN Last Date of Attendance tab records any change or update made.