Overview
Absences are automatically marked and tracked in Forum. If a student does not log into a class at all, or is not present for a set number of minutes, then they will be marked as Absent for that class. A student will be counted as late if they miss a set number of minutes at the start of class. Multiple late classes may result in an additional absence (reach out to your program administrator to check if this is the case for your organization).
Different types of absences
There are a few different types of absences that are tracked in Forum. By default, all absences are tracked as Unexcused. However, an instructor, TA or other role with grading permissions can mark different properties on an absence for tracking purposes by clicking on the Absences page under Grading in the left navigation menu.
From there, you can mark an absence as a specific type. Note that these types are not mutually exclusive; for example, an absence can be both Excused and Expunged, which would excuse (i.e. clear) Make Up Work for that student as well as not count the absence towards the student's absence Total.
Absences types:
Unexcused: Forum will mark a participant absent if they have exceeded the amount of time allotted for a late arrival or the amount of time required to be marked present is not fulfilled. A participant will also receive an Unexcused Absent mark for multiple late arrivals for multiple classes. Without any further action taken, an absence will remain Unexcused (no toggles checked). Please note that absence policies can be specific to an organizational, course, or class basis.
Excused: An absence may be marked as Excused based on your organization's specific policy on excusing absences. It will be counted towards a student's Total absences.
If your organization uses Make Up Work, then marking a student as Excused will also excuse the Make Up Work for that student.
Documented: An organization may require documentation from a student to excuse certain absences (e.g. a note from a doctor). A Documented absence will also be counted towards a student's Total absences.
Expunged: An Expunged absence will not be counted towards a student's Total absences. This option effectively removes the absence for a student.
Note that an absence is by default Unexcused. If the absence is not marked as Excused, then it will be counted as an Unexcused absence.
How are absences displayed to students?
Absences are displayed within a student's Course Stats section. To learn more, visit Viewing Class Absences.
For more information please reach out to your organization’s registrar or contact helpdesk@minervaproject.com