Piedmont Technical College provides academic resources to support students' intellectual growth. Regular class attendance is essential for achieving academic goals.

Attendance Requirements

Class attendance is crucial to the learning process. Students should refer to the attendance requirements stated in course syllabi and/or the divisional or program handbook. Instructors may include attendance and participation in the grade calculation.

If instructors penalize students for unexcused absences, they must clearly state the attendance requirements in the syllabus and keep accurate attendance records. Instructors must also honor attendance policy exceptions for students covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, as verified by Student Accessibility Services.

Attendance requirements for each course are listed in the course syllabus. Students are expected to adhere to these requirements. In addition, some programs fall under the direction of a programmatic or divisional handbook. Students are required to adhere to their programmatic and/or divisional handbook for attendance requirements. Program and divisional handbooks supersede all other attendance requirements to remain compliant with programmatic accreditations.

Students who fail to adhere to the attendance policy after the add/drop period has ended and after the withdraw period has begun are subject to being withdrawn from their courses for nonattendance.

Establishing Attendance

Students must attend and/or participate in their classes within 5 days after the start of classes. Failure to attend or participate in class will result in the student being dropped from the class. Required participation is outlined below.

• Face to Face Classes: Students must attend their class within 5 days after the start of the semester.
• Hybrid Classes: Students must attend and/or complete the assigned syllabus quiz within 5 days after the start of the semester.
• Online Classes: Students must participate in the assigned syllabus quiz within 5 days after the start of the semester.

Only students who are officially registered and have paid the required fees may attend classes. It is the students' responsibility to complete drop/add changes on time.

Excused Absences & Makeup Work

Instructors must use fair grading procedures and allow students with excused absences to make up missed assignments and exams without penalty. The make-up work should be as challenging as the original. All students with excused absences will be held to the same standard for making up work. While instructors should try to accommodate students in high school or college-sponsored activities, students must understand that some classes may not be able to accommodate absences and that all class objectives still need to be met.

Excused absences include illness or death of an immediate family member, jury duty, military assignment, or legally protected accommodations through the Americans with Disabilities Act that are and documented with the PTC Accessibilities Office.

Definition of Immediate Family Member:

• Parent (including stepparents and guardians)
• Sibling (including stepsiblings and half-siblings)
• Spouse or partner
• Child (including stepchildren)
• Any other relative residing in the same household or financially dependent on the faculty member

In an emergency, students should contact their instructor directly via PTC email, ideally before class or an exam.

Special note on Attendance Requirements for Veterans

Students eligible for assistance under the G.I. Bill must satisfy documentation requirements of the program. Veterans should consult with the Veterans Services Coordinator to ensure compliance regarding attendance.

Late Instructor Policy

We do not expect faculty to be late. In the event of an emergency, however, if an instructor is late in arriving for class, students should wait at least 15 minutes from the assigned start time before signing a roll and leaving. After the first five minutes, one student from the class should inform the Department Head/Academic Program Directors, division Administrative Assistants or Student Success Center. It may be possible to provide alternative instruction if the authorities are informed in time, and we would like to be able to provide instruction for every scheduled session.