Academically Disengaged Student Policy

Policy Name	Academically Disengaged Student Policy
Policy Category	Academic
Policy Approved By	The highest level of authority required for the policy to be enacted. Vice President
Responsible Division Head or VP	Provost
Responsible Department	Academic Affairs
Responsible AVP or Director	Assistant Provost
Original Policy Date	02/25/21
Last Known Revision Date	10/29/2021
Current Policy Effective Date	10/29/2021
Recommended Policy Review Date	09/01/2023
Policy Applies To	Students
Additional Authority/References	N/A

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POLICY PURPOSE
Albright College recognizes that attendance and active engagement in class is essential for students’ academic success. It is each student’s responsibility to attend class and be accountable for all assignments. The purpose of this policy is to encourage consistent academic course engagement throughout the semester and to provide ramifications for disengaged students who continue to live on campus.

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BACKGROUND
Albright College did not previously have a policy relating to academic disengagement, an area of concern since our migration to more online courses in Spring 2020, and stakeholders across both Student Life and Academic Affairs desired the means to encourage students to avoid this behavior.

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DEFINITIONS

TERM

DEFINITION

Academic Disengagement

Academic Disengagement is defined as the absence from all courses for the first week of the Fall or Spring term or the equivalent, as determined by the Registrar, for terms of different lengths (such as Interim or Summer) Additionally, Academic Disengagement occurs if there are two weeks of consecutive absences from all attempted in-person, hybrid or online courses or the equivalent, as determined by the Registrar, for terms of different lengths (such as Interim or Summer).

POLICY TEXT
Albright College recognizes that attendance and active engagement in class is essential for students’ academic success. It is each student’s responsibility to attend class and be accountable for all assignments.

While individual faculty may hold stricter attendance or participation policies, the college identifies a student as academically disengaged when: a student is absent from all enrolled in-person, hybrid, or online courses for the first week of the Fall or Spring term or the equivalent, as determined by the Registrar, for terms of different lengths (such as Interim or Summer).

Additionally, Academic Disengagement occurs when a student is absent from all attempted in-person, hybrid, or online courses for two weeks within the Fall or Spring term or the equivalent, as determined by the Registrar, for terms of different lengths (such as Interim or Summer).

Albright College may administratively withdraw academically disengaged students from their courses upon consultation with the Dean of Students and/or the Assistant Provost. Students who are administratively withdrawn must follow all normal college processes to separate themselves from Albright College. (See the Withdrawal Policy for more details). Students who have been administratively withdrawn must remove all personal effects from the residence halls and vacate within 24 hours. Withdrawal grades will be assigned according to the normal Registrar dates for the given term.

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ASSOCIATED PROCEDURES LOCATION
An FAQ that outlines concerns that students may have will be included in this submission and should be located online on the same page/area as the policy.

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REVISION LOG

DATE OF REVISION	MAJOR CHANGES (Note: electronic copies of the former versions of the policy must be maintained within the unit, department, or division)
9/22/21	Updated definition to include absences from classes for the first week of the semester Clarified disengagement from Interim/Summer terms Updated position titles in policy text, implementation plan, and associated FAQ

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IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
For decision-making purposes only. This will not appear in the Final Policy that is posted to the Policy Repository.

The Academically Disengaged Student policy was approved by the Faculty EPC committee on 2/16/21. Upon final review by the Policy Group on 2/25/21, the policy writers will distribute via email the final version of the policy and implementation instructions to key stakeholders. If requested, policy writers will meet with the key stakeholders to discuss policy implementation, which is as follows:

1. Lion’s Edge academic alerts will identify a student as academically disengaged from all their attempted courses.
2. If a student is identified as academically disengaged, the Assistant Provost and Dean of Students will be notified for further intervention and/or consultation by stakeholders responsible for addressing academic alerts, including but not limited to Academic Coaches and the Assistant Provost.
3. Consultation between the student, the Assistant Provost, the Dean of Students, and any other relevant stakeholders as determined by the Assistant Provost/Dean will be attempted.
4. The Assistant Provost and Dean of Students will determine if the student is to be disenrolled from their courses and, if so, will complete an administrative withdrawal process for the student and notify the students’ faculty members.
5. The administrative withdrawal will initiate the student’s removal from courses, student activities, and on-campus housing.

Key stakeholders for this policy include the Assistant Provost, Dean of Students, Director of the Office of Student Success, Registrar, Director of Residential Life, and Academic Coaches.  

The policy will be immediately posted to the Albright College Policies website.

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DECISION
For decision-making purposes only. This will not appear in the Final Policy that is posted to the Policy Repository.

Date of Draft Policy Review	10/29/2021
Name of Reviewing Committee/Individual	EPC: 02/16/21 Policy Committee: 02/25/21 Amendments: 10/29/21
Date Approved	2/25/2021	Comments:
Date Rejected		Comments:
Date Draft Tabled or Further Review Needed (provide comments including plan for re-submission)		Comments:

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View the policy as a PDF.

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Past Policy Versions:

Effective 3/2021

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Frequently Asked Questions