Class Meetings, Attendance & Final Examinations

Class Meetings

The class schedule indicates the required amount of time for each class to meet. The teacher has the privilege of minor variations in the amount of time spent in class but should confer with the department chair/program director or respective dean’s office if regular or substantial deviations from the announced schedule are desired.

To meet state of Virginia requirements, the class schedule is designed so that classes meet for 15 50-minute periods/credit hour, including final examinations. At the undergraduate level, a long-held assumption is that students put in 2 hours of study per hour in class, thus a total of 45 semester hours/credit hour. The graduate assumption is 2.5-3 hours of study per hour in class for a total of 52.5-60 hours. Note that for EMU programs in Lancaster, PA, Pennsylvania standards require 14 hours of class time/credit hour, excluding final examinations.

Final Exams

Classes meet on regular schedule through the last class period. For the undergraduate program final examinations are to be given at the time designated by the university registrar in the final examination schedule prepared each year. The teacher or another faculty member is to be present while an examination is in progress.

Undergraduate final examinations are to be taken at the scheduled time except for emergencies. Requests are handled through the Request to Take Final Examination Out of Schedule form available in the office of the undergraduate academic dean. If the student is ill, the health services coordinator is to notify the office of the undergraduate academic dean before the time of the examination. Students who have more than two exams in one day may request to take a final examination out of schedule by the Friday before final exam week.

In the event an undergraduate student wishes to take a final examination out of schedule for non-emergency reasons, the reasons must be recognized by the teacher and the office of the undergraduate academic dean as justifiable. A fee must be paid at the business office before the student is eligible to take the test.

Payments due faculty for administering final examinations out of schedule are paid on June 30. The professor receives 75% of the student charge. See the Non-traditional Learning Policy outlining equivalency of activities to classroom instruction in the case of distance learning.

Class Attendance

Undergraduate

If a student who is not on the official class list attends class or if a student on the roster does not report to class, the teacher should notify the Registrar's Office as soon as possible.

For optimal learning students are expected to attend class regularly. Attendance policies should be clearly stated on each course syllabus. Faculty should review consequences of poor attendance at the beginning of the semester. Specific attendance policies in upper level and graduate courses are left to the discretion of the respective teacher.

Faculty should be alert to students' absences. After a student has accrued two absences, the faculty member should contact the student to discuss the situation. At the third absence the faculty member should report the absences to attendance@emu.edu. Persons receiving e-mail at this address include the assistant dean/coordinator of student success, director of housing and residence life, director of student-athlete well-being, and the director of retention. For students who continue to accrue absences, faculty members should also report additional absences to attendance@emu.edu. Any student not attending class for two consecutive weeks may be administratively withdrawn from the course. Faculty are requested to keep an accurate record of attendance as a specific “date of last attendance” is required to assure proper levels of tuition and aid refunds.

An undergraduate student considering withdrawal during the semester is asked to counsel with the vice president for student life. Faculty members are urged to report to student life cases where an undergraduate student is considering withdrawing.

Graduate

Graduate students considering withdrawal during the semester are asked to counsel with their respective program director. The program director will assist the student with the proper procedures for official withdrawal from the university. Seminary students considering withdrawal are asked to counsel with the associate dean or the dean of the seminary.