Classroom Attendance
Due to the accelerated nature of GPS programs, a class absence may jeopardize student learning and success. Therefore, class attendance is considered mandatory and GPS instructors will comply with each of the policies outlined below. Please note that the student's program may contain policies regarding attendance, absences, and missed class time that vary from the general policies stated here; consult program-specific sections of this Catalog for more information.
Absences
A certain number of absences are allowed for each GPS course, depending upon the length of that course. Each time a student is absent from class, a penalty of 5% of the total points possible for the course will be applied to the student’s final grade. Exceeding the number of allowed absences will result in the student being withdrawn from the course and being issued an "X" (non-passing) grade. Each student is responsible for communicating directly with the instructor regarding all absences, including expectations for any make-up work that may be assigned.
| Course Length |
Number of Allowed Absences |
| 1-4 weeks |
0 |
| 5-6 weeks |
1 |
| 7-12 weeks |
2 |
| 15 weeks |
3 |
| 21 weeks |
4 |
Missed Class Time
Due to the accelerated nature of GPS programs, arriving late to class and/or leaving class early may also jeopardize student learning and success. Late arrivals and early departures can also be disruptive to both the instructor and other students, so arriving to class on time and remaining until the class session has ended is considered mandatory. GPS instructors will use the following scale when tracking missing portions of a class session(s) and converting that time into an absence(s) accordingly.
| Time Absent |
Penalty |
| 121 minutes or more of accumulated time (>2 hours) |
Counted as a first absence and will result in automatic withdrawal from a 1-4 week course. |
| 361 minutes or more of accumulated time (>6 hours) |
Counted as a second absence and will result in automatics withdrawal from a 5-6 week course. |
| 601 minutes or more of accumulated time (>10 hours) |
Counted as a third absence and will result in automatic withdrawal from a 7-12 week course. |
This policy applies to any onsite course lasting no more than 12 weeks.
Arriving to class late and/or leaving class early may also result in loss of credit for any in-class activities that took place during the period in which the student was not present. Please also note that missing more than 120 minutes of a single class session will result in the student being counted "absent" for that week of class.