Attendance Policy

Charter Oak State College is located in Connecticut where the Eastern Standard Time zone (EST) is utilized in defining the start and end of a week within the term, as well as drop and withdrawal deadline times, assignment and exam submission times, and other college policy deadlines.

The College's online courses are conducted in an electronic environment using Blackboard® course software. In order to take an online course, student's must have appropriate computer equipment, internet service, and some general computer knowledge.

Attendance Policy for Determining Last Day of Attendance in a Course

Students' attendance in courses is defined as the active participation in the course. Active participation may vary depending on the individual course. Just logging-in is not considered "active participation". "Active Participation" includes:

1. Completion of tests/quizzes;
2. Submission/completion of formal assignments;
3. Participation in threaded discussions (Note: Self-Introduction threads do not count towards attendance).

Students who do not participate through the Learning Platform (Blackboard) by the end of the first week will be administratively withdrawn from the course. Students who fail to maintain active participation in a course for two consecutive weeks will be administratively withdrawn from the course. An administrative withdrawal will not relieve a student of responsibility for the tuition and fees related to the course.

The last date of attendance for a student, who is administratively withdrawn, is the last day the student actively participated in the course through Blackboard.

Academic Course Participation Requirements

Faculty are required to have students respond to at least two assignments each week.  That can include test/quizzes, formal assignments, threaded discussions, etc.

If faculty are using threaded discussions as one of the assignments, students normally must:

1. Post the first threaded discussion response by Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. EST; and
2. Post all other responses to their peers by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Note: Students must adhere to any discussion posting requirements provided in the Course Policies section of each course. Policies may vary. 

Late Assignment Policy

For undergraduate student's taking courses:

Unexcused late assignments (quiz, papers, presentations, and projects) will have the following penalties:

• 1-4 days late: 10% point deduction
• 5-7 days late: 20% point deduction
• 8+ days late: grade of ‘0’ will be issued for the assignment
• Last week of class: assignments in the final week of the term cannot be submitted late and students in this scenario should inquire with their professor if they meet the criteria for an incomplete in accordance with the college’s incomplete policy. 

Acceptance and/or penalties of late discussion posts (during the week due) are at the discretion of the professor. Approvals are typically only granted if there is an extenuating circumstance. Late discussion posts will not be accepted after the week in which they are due.

If there are extenuating circumstances causing your work to be late, email your instructor for other consideration. Students with extenuating circumstances may be required to submit reasonable documentation to the respective Program Director to support their claims. The instructor will work with their Program Director to review your extenuating circumstance. If they feel your circumstance is acceptable, a late penalty will not be applied.   

Students that may need to submit work late as part of an accommodation must work with the Office of Accessibility Services ahead of time.

Late assignment and/or discussion post submissions do not circumvent the college’s Attendance Policy. Students must attend class each week in order to avoid being administratively withdrawn from class. Please contact your instructor if you are going to be out unable to attend class each week.  

For graduate student's taking courses:

Unexcused late assignments will have the following penalties:

• 1-7 days late: 20% point deduction
•  8+ days late: grade of ‘0’ will be issued for the assignment 
•  Last week of class: assignments in the final week of the term cannot be submitted late and students in this scenario should inquire with their professor if they meet the criteria for an incomplete in accordance with the college’s incomplete policy. 

Acceptance and/or penalties of late discussion posts (during the week due) are at the discretion of the professor. Approvals are typically only granted if there is an extenuating circumstance. Late discussion posts will not be accepted after the week in which they are due.

If there are extenuating circumstances causing your work to be late, email your instructor for other consideration. Students with extenuating circumstances may be required to submit reasonable documentation to the respective Program Director to support their claims. The instructor will work with their Program Director to review your extenuating circumstance. If they feel your circumstance is acceptable, a late penalty will not be applied.   

Students that may need to submit work late as part of an accommodation must work with the Office of Accessibility Services ahead of time.

Late assignment and/or discussion post submissions do not circumvent the college’s Attendance Policy. Students must attend class each week in order to avoid being administratively withdrawn from class. Please contact your instructor if you are going to be out unable to attend class each week.