Attendance Policy

Edison College Canada is required to take attendance based on provincial regulations and report delinquent attendance to the concerned agencies. Attendance is the document of record that demonstrates to auditors that students have received all program hours indicated in either the course or program outline. Attendance is recorded from the first day of scheduled classes and not the first day of attendance by a student. Please note that some programs may have additional attendance requirements. Refer to your specific program outline for additional details.

Minimum Attendance Requirements

The minimum attendance requirements for students are as follows:

  • All students should attend and be on time for all classes.
  • Students who miss over 50% of a class are marked absent.
  • Late arrivals and early departures from class are noted in the attendance record and may be added to the total time absent.
  • When a class cannot run at its scheduled time, it will be rescheduled and the students will be informed. Students are required to attend all rescheduled classes.
  • If applicable, students must attend all work experience sessions or shifts.

Consequences for Non-Compliance

The consequences for students who don’t meet the minimum attendance requirements listed above are as follows:

  • Students who miss 5 consecutive days without prior notice and approval will receive a formal written warning.
  • Students who miss 10 consecutive days without prior notice and approval may be withdrawn.
  • If the student’s attendance drops to 75%, they will be placed on academic probation.
  • Students are expected to maintain an attendance rate of at least 70%. Students who miss 30% of the program may be dismissed from their program and the relevant funding agencies will be informed, if applicable.

Absence Reporting Process

The process by which students must report an absence is as follows:

  • If a student is going to be absent, it is their responsibility to notify the Instructor as soon as possible via email prior to the start of a class.
  • If a student is unable to attend a work experience session or shift, they must notify the Campus Director via email and their work experience host via email.

Attendance Monitoring

  1. Attendance taking is required for all students for the entire period of enrollment. This applies to work experience placements.
  2. All absences are recorded regardless of the reason for the absence.
  3. For each course an attendance register or e-file is available. The register/e-file will be made available to Instructors.
  4. Attendance is taken in every class, handed in at the end of class, and reconciled. Students are not permitted to mark their own attendance.
  5. The register/e-file must be kept securely by Instructors. Attendance will note how many hours a student attended. This missed time is accumulated over the length of a student’s program and may result in the student being placed on ‘academic probation’.
  6. This document will be protected and only a designated attendance recorder assigned by the Campus Director will have ‘editing’ access. All changes will be noted by the date and the person making the change.
  7. Instructors will immediately notify the Campus Director of any unusual attendance patterns.

Instructors may use the following convention to record attendance:

  • P = Present – Student attended the entire class
  • E = Excused Absence – Student missed the entire class but had informed the instructor
  • U = Unexcused Absence – Student missed the entire class and has not informed the instructor
  • L = Late – Student was late for the class

Excusable Absences

The College recognizes the following as the only valid reasons for excusable absences:

  • Personal sickness accompanied by a valid doctor’s note upon return.
  • Medical or family emergencies.
  • Death in the immediate family.
  • For any other reasons, please speak with your instructor.

Important Contacts