Credit Hour Policy

As outlined in the Credit Hour Policy, all semester / credit hours awarded by Trocaire conform to federal and state requirements and definitions. In general, a credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester. A semester hour means a credit, point, or other unit granted for the satisfactory completion of a course which requires at least 15 hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction and at least 30 hours of supplementary assignments.

At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) above for other academic activities including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

Attendance Procedure

Trocaire College recognizes the relationship between student attendance and student retention, achievement and success. The College is an attendance-taking institution that requires student attendance in order for students to remain enrolled in a course. Students are expected to attend, to be on time for all scheduled courses (i.e. lectures, clinical experiences, laboratories, and internships), and to attend all courses in their entirety regardless of the course modality. Instructors are required to maintain attendance records and to report absences. Attendance is considered more than logging into an online course or physically attending a seated course. Attendance is earned for completing Academically Related Activity (ARA) as defined below:

Seated or Synchronous Online Courses

To earn ARA and be marked present in seated courses, the student must appropriately engage in the course.

ARA may include:
·         Submitting an academic assignment
·         Taking or submitting an exam
·         Taking notes and asking questions during lecture
·         Participating in a class or small group discussion
·         Attending a class, lab, or internship in-person where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students
·         Attending a clinical site (must be present, on time and in appropriate dress code the entire class time to be counted in attendance)

Online Courses

Online attendance is due by 11:59 pm every Monday.

To earn ARA and be marked present in online courses, the student must complete substantive work. The work does not need to be graded yet; it just needs to be submitted. Work that is submitted after the week closes can still be counted toward the final grade but the student will remain marked absent. Attendance is only awarded for the week when the student submits the ARA, 

Attendance should only be marked when the student earned ARA in a seated course or during the week of the online class. Attendance should not be changed from Absent to Present when the student submits work after the seated course has ended or after the 11:59 pm deadline for the online class.

ARA may include:
·         Submitting an academic assignment
·         Taking or submitting an exam
·         Participating in an interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction related to the course
·         A posting by a student showing the student’s participation in an online study group that is assigned by the College or attending a study group that is assigned by the College
·         Substantive participation in an online discussion board/chatroom related to the academic content of the course (Note: Responses or posts such as “ditto” or “I agree” do not fulfill the requirement for substantive participation.)
·         Initiating contact (email, in-person, or other documented contact) with the instructor to ask a substantive question about the academic content studied in the course (instructor discretion)

Student Expectations

Students are expected to attend all classes and laboratory periods for which they are enrolled. The instructor and/or program defines conditions under which an absence is excused. Traditionally, students are considered excused for documented:

·         Medical emergencies and/or medical illness or injury
·         The death of an immediate family member
·         Jury duty
·         Military service
·         Religious holidays

Under extenuating circumstances, the instructor may also consider additional substantive academic activity for attendance purposes. Programs with external accreditors may have additional attendance requirements defined in the program handbook or manual.

Students are notified via their Trocaire College email if their instructor cannot meet with them during any regularly scheduled class period and/or a class is canceled.

Religious Holidays

The College respects students’ religious beliefs and is in compliance with New York State Law Section 224-a, students who are absent because of religious beliefs will be given the opportunity to make up for any academic requirements missed because of such absence. In the case of religious observance, students enrolled in clinical programs/placements must notify the Clinical Placement Coordinator, course faculty, and on/off Clinical Instructor in writing the first week of the academic term so that a makeup clinical experience can be arranged in advance.

If a student absence situation cannot be resolved between the student and the class instructor, or either party is aggrieved by the process, appeal shall proceed to the Program Director.

Absence does not constitute an exemption from course requirements.

Students are required to complete all assignments and examinations. It is the student’s responsibility to take the initiative in making up any missed work. Students are expected to notify the College of any absence in accord with the program procedure and/or the syllabus guidance.

Administrative course withdrawal

Students who exceed the number of unexcused absences outlined in the table below will earn a Failure, Unsatisfactory Attendance (FX) grade in the course. Depending on the last date of attendance, some students may be required to return Title IV financial aid monies.

Most Allied Health programs have additional specific attendance requirements that are located in the corresponding Program Policy Manual. Massage Therapy and Surgical Technology have a maximum of two allowable absences per course.

All clinical courses follow a two (2) allowable absences maximum per clinical course.

Courses with multiple sections (i.e. lab, instruction, seminars) absences will impact the other section grade.

When an FX grade is earned in course(s) that have one or more corequisite courses, the FX will be applied to each of the courses.

*For Asynchronous courses, attendance follows the criteria for meeting once weekly.

Once a student exceeds these numbers, they will earn a grade of “FX” in the course.

Administrative course failure

Students who exceed the number of absences outlined in table above will earn a Failure Unsatisfactory Attendance (FX) grade in that course.

Administrative college failure

Students who exceed the number of absences outlined in table above in all of their courses will earn a Failure Unsatisfactory Attendance (FX) grade in all of their courses. Title IV financial aid monies may be affected by lack of attendance and/or withdrawal.

Midterm & Final Grades

The instructor will award the mid-term grade during the midterm week identified in the Academic Calendar. The same process is followed for final grade entry. Students may access their current attendance information in the Student Information System and their grades in Moodle.

Grade Assignment

The following procedures should be used to assign grades in the case of official withdrawals from single courses or the administrative withdrawal from all courses: