Documenting Week One Attendance in an Online/Hybrid Course

What is First Week Attendance?

All students who receive federal financial aid are required to attend and participate in every course for which they register. Faculty are required to monitor attendance during the first week of class and to document and report any student who does not participate during this first week (so St. Thomas can maintain compliance with Title IV financial aid regulation).

How do I Track First Week Attendance in My Online Course?

If you are teaching an online course it is important to include an academic activity to document first week attendance. If you have a synchronous session scheduled for the first week, simply document attendance for that session. If you do not have a synchronous session, you must design an activity that involves interaction with the course content beyond simply logging in to the LMS. (Canvas is the LMS used at St. Thomas.)

Per the US Department of Education (USDE), the following activities demonstrate attendance and active participation in any course, regardless of modality:

• Attending a synchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field or laboratory activity where there is an opportunity for interaction between the instructor and students;
• Submitting an assignment;
• Taking an assessment or an exam;
• Participating in an interactive tutorial or webinar;
• Participating in an assigned study group, group project or an online discussion; or
• Student-initiated interaction with an instructor about academic matters.

Please note: these activities must be focused on course content. For example, a discussion board where students introduce themselves does not constitute academic activity.

Course Design Tips for Documenting First Week Attendance

• Identify the activity that counts as attendance transparently. 
• Consider a quiz that Canvas can grade (versus an assignment you might need more time to grade) early in the first week. This gets you early data on who attended.