Adams School of Dentistry: DDS Student Attendance Policy

Title

Adams School of Dentistry: DDS Student Attendance Policy

Unit Policy

I. Overview

Attendance is mandatory for all classes, laboratory and clinic sessions at the Adams School of Dentistry, unless otherwise stated by the course director(s) and/or course syllabus.

Absence is defined as the failure of a student to attend any scheduled class or clinic activity.

Absences may be classified as either “Excused” or “Unexcused.”  All absences are considered Unexcused until approved as Excused by the appropriate designee.

An “Extended Leave of Absence” refers to absences extending five (5) consecutive days or longer.

II. Absence Requests

A. Submission of an Absence Request

Whenever any class, clinic, or other required activity is missed, students must submit an online DDS Absence Request (accessed via the dental school intranet >> Student Resources >> School Resources for Students). Timely notification of the absence is imperative so that the school administration can notify relevant class and/or clinic administrators, as appropriate.

Absence requests for planned absences must be submitted at least 5 business days in advance. For unplanned absences (e.g., illness, emergency), the student must submit the absence request the day of or as soon as reasonably possible. A student who is not able to access the online system is required to contact the Office of Admissions and Student Life during regular business hours. Delays in submitting an absence request may require submission of further documentation and/or result in an Excused Absence being denied (i.e., the student will receive an Unexcused Absence).

For student requiring absences extending five (5) consecutive days or longer, an Extended Leave of Absence is needed. Refer to the "Extended Leaves of Absence" section for more details.

B. Review/Approval Process

All absences are considered unexcused until classified as excused by the Executive Vice Dean for Education, the Assistant Dean for Student Life, or their designees. Excused absences for didactic courses are primarily granted by the Office of Admissions and Student Life. Excused absences for clinical courses, internal/external rotations, and all other clinic-related activities are primarily granted by the Director of Clinical Curriculum with pre-approval from Clinical Care Coordinators and Clinical Preceptors.

III. Excused Absences

A. Definition

An Excused Absence occurs when all of the following conditions are met:

• The absence request is for an approved situation or activity (see Appendix 1: Examples of Absences for details);
• For planned absences, the student must submit the absence request at least five (5) business days in advance;
• For unplanned absences (e.g., illness, emergency), the student must submit the absence request the day of or as soon as reasonably possible; and
• The absence request is approved by the Executive Vice Dean for Education, the Assistant Dean for Student Life, or their designees.

B. Missed Class/Clinic Activities

When an Excused Absence is granted, the school/faculty must allow the student to make up any missed exams, assignments, and/or other activities. Student are required to make-up any missed course and/or clinic-related activities, as determined by the Executive Vice Dean for Education, the Assistant Dean for Student Life, or their designees.

When possible, class and/or clinic schedules must be carefully considered to avoid conflicts with critical assessment periods or scheduled exams/assessments. Unless due to illness, emergency, or other unplanned situations, absences will not be excused if the requested date falls within a critical assessment period or scheduled exam/assessment.

Students will not be guaranteed an opportunity to make-up any missed course and/or clinic activities for an Unexcused Absence.

C. Allotted Days

First-, second-, and third-year DDS students are allotted up to four (4) days of Excused Absences per semester. To support interviews for postdoctoral residency programs and/or employment opportunities, fourth-year DDS students are allotted up to eight (8) days of Excused Absences per semester.

Decisions on any absence requests beyond the allotted days will be at the discretion of the Executive Vice Dean for Education, the Assistant Dean for Student Life, or their designees.

D. Important Considerations

Use your allotted four (4) days wisely!  Decisions on any absence requests beyond the allotted days will be at the discretion of the Assistant Dean for Student Life. Your allotted days may only be used for approved situations or activities (see Appendix 1: Examples of Absences for details).

Any leave requests spanning one to five hours,will be counted as a half-day (0.5 days). Any leave requests for more than five hours will be counted as a full day (1 day).

Engagement in educational enrichment activities and/or fulfillment of curricular ACT activities (to include approved Individualization activities), will not be counted as part of your allotted four (4) days.

Allotted days that are not used during a semester will not carry over to other semester(s).

Excessive absences and/or the failure to make-up missed clinic/course activities may affect decisions regarding program advancement and/or graduation.

Students will not be required to submit a leave of absence for wellness appointments with the Director of Student Wellness. These appointments must occur at a time when there are no graded activities.

IV. Unexcused Absences

A. Definition

An Unexcused Absence occurs when the student fails to meet any of the conditions of an Excused Absence.  

B. Missed Class/Clinic Activities

Students will not be guaranteed an opportunity to make-up any missed course and/or clinic activities.

C. Important Considerations

If more than one (1) Unexcused Absence is recorded in one semester, students will be required to meet with the Executive Vice Dean for Education, Assistant Dean for Student Life, or their designees to review the reasons for the Unexcused Absences.

A remediation plan may be developed for the student to address the Unexcused Absence(s) and any missed class and/or clinic activities.

The presence of multiple Unexcused Absences and/or a student’s failure to successfully complete any remediation plans may affect decisions regarding program advancement and/or graduation.

V. Extended Leaves of Absence

An Extended Leave of Absence refers to any absence extending five (5) consecutive days or longer and is covered by a different policy.  For more information including for maternity/paternity/adoption, see the ASOD Extended Leave of Absence Policy.

VI. Appendix: Examples of Absences

The online Absence Request Form provides space for you the describe/explain the circumstances behind your absence request. Documentation, to include doctor’s note, jury duty notice, exam date confirmations, interview confirmations, etc., should be submitted with your absence request. Some examples of commonly approved situations/activities include:

Illness/emergency

• Illness or hospitalization
• Death in the family
• Personal/family emergency (e.g., car troubles, sick child, hospitalization/serious illness of immediate family members, etc.)

Allowed under university policy

• Maternity, paternity, or adoption leave
• Religious observances (up to two (2) days per academic year outside of university-approved holidays)

Allowed under governmental requirement

• Jury duty
• Military obligation

Absences for the following situations/activities must fall within the allotted four (4) or eight (8) days unless prior approval is given by the Executive Vice Dean for Education, Assistant Dean for Student Life, or their designees:

Allowed for professional reasons (with prior approval)

• National dental board exams
• Dental licensure exams
• Attendance at professional meetings
• Residency and/or job interviews

Allowed for personal reasons (with prior approval)

• Personal or family leave
• Wellness (physical and/or mental)
• Weddings

VII. Contact Information