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College of Social Work attendance policy
Students in the College of Social Work are expected to attend all classes during their social work studies. Attendance in your courses is an essential part of your education and professional development. Social Work education is not passive in nature and any absence deprives you of the opportunity to interact with your instructor and fellow students and interferes with your ability to fully acquire the knowledge and skills required for successful social work practice. Although students may occasionally need to miss class for various reasons, missing more than 3 classes in a semester (assuming the class is only meeting once per week) significantly detracts from your ability to master the course content. Students do not need to provide a reason for their absence, however, regardless of the nature of the absence, Instructors may deduct points for those missed classes. Additionally, students who miss more than 3 classes during a semester may be required to meet with the Student Support Team to problem solve and identify and address barriers to attendance to determine if this an appropriate time for the student to be in the course. Please consult your syllabus for any additional attendance requirements or policies your instructor may have for their course.
For In-Person Students
Students are expected to participate in all classes and read all the assigned works prior to the class meetings. A high level of student participation is necessary to achieve the objectives and the expected outcomes of our experiential coursework. Students are expected to contribute during discussions and participate in activities to receive the total points for the participation grade. Individual instructors will have policies regarding how students earn participation points so please consult the course syllabus for any additional requirements or expectations.
For Online Students
Synchronous Courses/Labs
Students must have completed their coursework and read all assigned materials before attending their synchronous courses and/or practice lab sessions. A high level of student participation is necessary to achieve the objectives and the expected outcomes of our experiential practice labs. Students are expected to contribute to online discussion boards, in-class discussions and participate in all classroom or lab activities to receive the total points for attendance and participation. Full participation includes having your camera on and microphone ready to engage with class. It also includes being able to focus on the class content.
Asynchronous Classes
Students are expected to engage in weekly online modules, participate in all tasks and read all assigned works. A high level of student participation is necessary to achieve the online course objectives and expected outcomes. Students are expected to contribute to class discussions through online discussion board postings as participation in the discussion posts is necessary to achieve the objectives and mastery of the expected outcomes of these courses.
Requesting an incomplete for a course
Incompletes will be granted according to the university policies pertaining to Incompletes. The Academic Advising site at OSU states that:
If illness or an extenuating emergency prevents you from finishing a course, you may request an “Incomplete” from the instructor. When you receive this grade, you must consult with the instructor as soon as possible to make arrangements for completing the course requirements. Incomplete work must be completed no later than the sixth week of the following term, sooner, if the instructor will need it sooner. If the work is not made up by the due date, the “I” mark will be changed to the alternate grade the instructor reported..
Withdrawing from a course or changing from full-time to part-time status
Some students find that taking fewer courses each semester allows them to better balance the obligations and responsibilities of work, family, and school. If you find that you are enrolled for more courses than you can reasonably handle, talk to your academic advisor about dropping a course. Complete information about dropping courses can be found at http://advising.osu.edu/drop_class.shtml. It’s important to remember that reducing the number of credit hours can have implications for financial aid and time to degree which should be carefully considered.
Taking a leave of absence by withdrawing from all courses
The OSU Academic Advising provides guidelines (for bachelor’s students) if you find that you must withdraw from all courses. Master’s students should connect directly with their advisor. The Student Advocacy Center can help with Petitions for Withdrawal from classes for students experiencing extenuating circumstances.
The Registrar’s Office publishes information on the dates for receiving a full- or partial-tuition reimbursement when you withdraw from classes or take a leave of absence. It will be important for you to check the dates posted by the Registrar to determine if you are eligible for full or partial reimbursement of your tuition. Your academic advisor will help guide you through this process.
Additionally, information from the OSU Student Advocacy Center notes that:
Students are not entitled to incompletes, but individual instructors have the ability to grant incompletes. Generally, if a student encounters extenuating circumstances (illness, family emergency, etc.) late in the semester, and he or she was making adequate progress up until that point, an instructor is more likely to grant an incomplete. Grades of incomplete allow the student up to six weeks into the subsequent term to finish coursework or exams. If extenuating circumstances arise early in the semester, or if the student is not making adequate progress when the extenuating circumstances arise, the student may consider withdrawing from the course.
