Blended Modules/Courses/Programs

Attendance, punctuality, and participation are expected in all classes and learning experiences. Students enrolled in programs offering a blended delivery format should plan to attend all scheduled class sessions:

• Online attendance – Online students are subject to the same attendance policy and procedures as traditional on-ground students. However, in an online modality, participation and attendance must be defined in a different manner. Each student participating in an online distance education course is expected to actively participate in the course through Academically Related Activities (“ARA”), all of which contribute to the students' overall academic goals. On-ground students taking a blended modality course are subject to both the on-ground and online attendance policies.
  
  ARAs are used to determine a student's official last date of attendance and corresponding enrollment status at the College. ARAs are also used to determine the effective date of active and withdrawn enrollment statuses. A student must submit at least one ARA for each online day scheduled for the week. The online class week runs for 7 calendar days beginning on the first day of the module or course at 12 AM PST and ends on the 7th day of the module or course at 11:59 PM PST, unless otherwise indicated. The following activities that occur after the course start date and on or before the course end date will be considered Academically Related Activities:
  1. Submission of a gradable assignment, such as a paper, test, exam or quiz.
  2. Participation in a gradable online discussion, as directed by an instructor, with classmates, in a way that is substantively and academically related to the enrolled course.
  • Participation in a gradable online discussion with an instructor, such as synchronous lecture, in a way that is substantively and academically related to the enrolled course.
  • The purpose of substantive interaction in an online discussion forum or thread is to promote comprehension of the academic topic through a collaborative, collective and interactive conversation. Substantive interaction involves a sustained, interactive communication. A substantive post adds to the discussion and encourages a response from fellow students. A student's discussion post may include a well thought out opinion that applies ideas relevant to the course content. It may compare and contrast the posts of others, perceptions of each student experience of facts may also vary based on the student's perception. In some cases, the values of an outcome may be explored that further expands on the discussion thread. By substantively interacting, it opens up the lines of communication with fellow classmates and instructors to help foster and promote a deeper academic understanding of the topics discussed in the course, which will contribute to student academic achievement. Some examples of substantive posts that will be considered an ARA:
  • Making associations between coursework readings and the interactive discussion.
  • Apply lessons from students' coursework or profession, clinical rotations or externship, and/or life to the interactive discussion.
  • Ask additional questions of your classmates.
  • Explain why you agree or disagree, offering specific examples to support your perspective.
  • Create and expand upon comprehensive academic thoughts on the academic topic that are at least 50 words.
    
    Some examples of non-substantive posts that will not be considered an ARA:
    • Discuss topics unrelated to the academic coursework (i.e. the plot line of your favorite television show).
    • Mocking or insulting classmates for their opinions.
    • Asking questions of the instructor that are not academically substantive in nature or related to the specific course (i.e. “will this test be hard?”)
    • Offering a two word response like “I disagree,” without further explanation.
    • Merely logging into an online course without active participation (as described above) does not constitute attendance.
    • Work submitted outside the Learning Management System does not count toward attendance.
      
      Upon submission of an ARA, all assignments and student submissions will be graded/evaluated in Canvas within 72 hours of the ARA due date.
      
      Establishing Participation & Substantive Interaction for Academic Attendance During and After the Cancellation Period for Online/Distance Education Courses
      
      During the cancellation period, students are required to establish class participation by logging into each course before the end of the cancellation period and submit a required assignment/test/quiz/paper. Students who log into the course(s) within the cancellation period of the term start date but fail to participate academically will be administratively withdrawn from the course(s).
      
      After the cancellation period, students' participation and substantive interaction for academic attendance will be tracked using the tools within the learning management system (LMS). Throughout the term, students must participate in such a way as to ensure successful completion of the course by the end of the term or module (i.e., regularly submit assignments and continue to substantively interact with other students and the instructor). Students are expected to abide by the institution's Attendance Policy and Online Student Attendance Requirements. Students who do not engage in an ARA and do not attend scheduled on-ground class time for 10 consecutive scheduled class days (excluding holidays and scheduled breaks) will be administratively withdrawn for lack of participation/substantive interaction, resulting in a grade of “W” recorded on the student's academic transcript.