automatic fail for absences

[freddy]

I was looking at the syllabus for one of my classes that I'm registered for this semester. In the syllabus it says that if you are late to class you will be marked absent. It then goes on to say that three absences and you will automatically fail the class.

Can the professor do this? If he tries to do this, will the university stand by it or will they intervene and not allow him to fail people.

I'm the type of person who is always early to class and rarely misses a day of class so it shouldn't be a problem for me, but his policy seems a little overboard.

What really irks me about professors like this is that they attended college when attendance didn't matter. Just show up for mid-term and final, as long as you do ok you passed.

[cookderosa]

absolutely 100% can do this. I failed students for absences all the time. About 5 years ago, my CC changed to a new thing where we no longer did straight "F" but we had to write "FW" which means "failure to withdrawal." In a class of 35, there always one or two that *earned a FW in my class.
In fact, just checked my hubby's syllabus and his allows 6 hour absence = failure. That's actually the school policy, not his. He teaches a lab, but it's across all disciplines.
EDIT: I wanted to add that part of this is wound up in the financial aid rules regarding distribution of funds.

[ironheadjack]

Wow....what a stupid policy.

[freddy]

@cookderosa - I understand the fail or failure to withdraw for someone who doesn't show up to class at all. However, this teacher has it setup to where if you are late to class 3 times then that is an automatic failure. Missing out on 3 minutes of class is a lot different than 6 hours of class, which is a lot different than never showing up the entire semester.

If the teacher shows up late three times throughout the course of the semester is he going to pay his salary for the entire semester back to the University? I think not. However, that's exactly what he is doing to students with his policy since students' grades are essentially their "paycheck" for that class.

[cooperalex2004]

My grad program has several polices which seem pretty standard to me:
-No late work after two days (20% loss after each day)
-Missed classes result in grade loss
-Three missed classes will require retaking course

[freddy]

@cooperalex - I think those are somewhat reasonable policies, although i think the three absences is a little stringent. I'd be fine with missed classes resulting in grade loss or tardiness resulting in grade loss.

However, to equate being late to being absent is completely ridiculous. what would you say/how would you feel if your grad programs standard policy was "if you're late three times to class, you have to rake the class again."

[publius2k4]

Is this 3 absences in a semester or in a quarter? Only 3 absences in a quarter seems reasonable. Only 3 absences in a semester seems a little extreme.

[sanantone]

I was in one or two online programs where, if I didn't log on a certain number of times a week, I would be dropped from the class.

[Daithi]

I remember when my sister was in college and she had an early calculus class that started at 7:30 am. If you weren't in class at 7:30 am exactly then too bad, because the professor would lock the door. She got locked out a couple times.

So happy I don't do butt-in-seat classes.

[freddy]

Is this 3 absences in a semester or in a quarter? Only 3 absences in a quarter seems reasonable. Only 3 absences in a semester seems a little extreme.

It's 3 absences in a semester. What really gets me, though, is that being late equals an absence, so you can be late three times and fail the course. That to me is really extreme

@sanantone - I never new that online programs did that.

@daithi - Do you know if she would fail after being late a certain number of times?