Attendance/Preparedness

Juris Doctor Degree Program

Attendance

Students must complete not less than 80% of verifiable academic engagement required in each course in which the student is enrolled. Students dropped from courses due to insufficient hours of verifiable academic engagement will receive an “Unauthorized Withdrawal” on their transcript and are required to repeat the entire course to receive credit. Students must monitor their verifiable academic engagement in each course and are solely responsible for this requirement. 

Verifiable academic engagement may include, but is not limited to, any of the following:

  • physical classroom time
  • participating in a synchronous class session
  • viewing and listening to recorded classes or lectures
  • participating in a live or recorded webinar offered by the law school
  • participating in any synchronous or asynchronous academic assignment in any course monitored by a faculty member
  • taking an examination, quiz, or timed writing assignment
  • completing an interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction
  • conducting legal research assigned as part of the curriculum in any course
  • participating in any portion of an approved clinical or experiential course or activity offered through distance learning technology totaling no more than 12.5 percent of the hours required for graduation 

Verifiable academic engagement does not include activities that would generally be considered “homework,” such as reading texts and briefing cases.

In-Person Courses

Students taking in-person courses may be required to complete assignments outside of the physical classroom in order to satisfy the verifiable academic engagement requirement. If applicable, the course syllabus will indicate these requirements. 

Failure to meet the verifiable academic engagement standard can take place through:

  • Absence: Absence from class is never excused; a student is either “present” or “absent.” A student who is not present for a significant period of time during a class shall be deemed “absent” for that period of time. The instructor may round the time absent to the nearest one-half of an hour.
  • Class Sign-In Sheets: Verifiable academic engagement in an in-person class can be recorded in several ways, including through an instructor's coded entries on a seating chart or roll sheet or by each student personally signing a sign-in sheet for that day's class. Where a sign-in sheet is used, failure to sign the sheet may result in the student being marked absent; school records will not be changed to accommodate a student who attended a class but neglected to sign in. By signing attendance sheets, students certify that they are present, did not affix the “signature” of other students enrolled in that class, and complied with the attendance rules. Any false attendance certifications may subject the student who signed as well as the student for whom the certification was signed to disciplinary action.
  • Tardiness/Early Departure: If a student is tardy for or leaves early from a class, then the student’s verifiable academic engagement may be proportionally reduced. If a student is unprepared or disruptive, the instructor may ask a student to leave class; in this situation, once the student has departed, the student’s verifiable academic engagement may be proportionally reduced.  
  • Failure to Submit Assignments At All, or Submission of Assignments Below a Good Faith Standard or in Violation of the Standards of Conduct and Honor Code: 
    • On rare occasions, with the permission of the instructor and/or the Dean’s Office, students may arrange to earn verifiable academic engagement even if the course’s late work penalties provide that no assignment grade or credit will be given for an assignment.
    • When the instructor reviews an assignment, the instructor will determine the extent to which the student has engaged in, or completed, the assignment. If the instructor determines that a student’s work product does not reflect the estimated time to complete the assignment, the instructor will notify the student of this discrepancy and adjust the amount of verifiable academic engagement the student will receive for the assignment.
    • The instructor will audit students’ assignments to determine participation, substance, and any violations of the Standards of Conduct and Honor Code contained in the Catalog. If the instructor discovers such violations (e.g., plagiarism, sharing explanations with other students who have not completed the assignment, or other attempts at working around the system), the student may be subject to disciplinary action.  
  • Late Enrollment in the Course: If a student switches sections or enrolls in a course at any time during the add/drop period, the student does not receive verifiable academic engagement for the work completed in the previous section.  

Online Courses

Failure to meet the verifiable academic engagement standard can take place through:

  • Absence: Absence from a Live Session is never excused; a student is either “present” or “absent.” A student who is not present for a significant period of time during a Live Session shall be deemed “absent” for that period of time. The professor may round the time absent to the nearest one-half of an hour.
    • In order to be considered present for a Live Session, students shall remain visible and audible during the entire class session. A student who does not remain visible and audible for any period of time during the Live Session will be counted as “absent” for the duration of the time the student is not visible/accessible by video and/or microphone. Students shall join the Live Session with a live video feed (by camera) and live audio (microphone) from their devices. Students should join the Live Session from a location free of visible or audible distractions, including, but not limited to, while driving, other people, pets, food, and ambient noise. The instructor will mute any students’ audio and/or video which distracts from the virtual classroom experience. 
  • Tardiness/Early Departure: If a student is tardy for or leaves early from a Live Session, then the student’s verifiable academic engagement may be proportionally reduced. If a student is unprepared or disruptive, the professor may ask a student to leave the Live Session; in this situation, once the student has departed, the student’s verifiable academic engagement may be proportionally reduced.  
  • Failure to Submit Assignments At All, or Submission of Assignments Below a Good Faith Standard or in Violation of the Standards of Conduct and Honor Code: 
    • On rare occasions, with the permission of the professor and/or the Dean's Office, students may arrange to earn verifiable academic engagement even if the course’s late work penalties provide that no assignment grade or credit will be given for an assignment.
    • When the professor reviews an assignment, the professor will determine the extent to which the student has engaged in, or completed, the assignment. If the professor determines that a student’s work product does not reflect the estimated time to complete the assignment, the professor will notify the student of this discrepancy and adjust the amount of verifiable academic engagement the student will receive for the assignment.
    • The professor will audit students’ assignments to determine participation, substance, and any violations of the Standards of Conduct and Honor Code contained in the Catalog. If the professor discovers such violations (e.g., plagiarism, sharing explanations with other students who have not completed the assignment, or other attempts at working around the system), the student may be subject to disciplinary action. 
  • Late Enrollment in the Course: If a student switches sections or enrolls in a course at any time during the add/drop period, the student does not receive verifiable academic engagement for the work completed in the previous section.  

Students enrolled in online courses will be administratively withdrawn if they have not logged into Canvas, completed at least two assignments, and attended at least one Live Session within the first two-week period of the semester. 

Bar Examination Eligibility

Students must be in residence for a total of 1,200 hours in order to earn their Juris Doctor degree. If excessive absences cause a student to fall short of this requirement, the student will not be eligible to sit for the California Bar Examination. 

Preparedness

Each student must be prepared at each class meeting and/or Live Session, as applicable to the assignments in each course, to:

  • brief assigned cases,
  • discuss video lectures,
  • discuss any preparatory work, and 
  • participate meaningfully in class discussions.

The professor has the authority to impose sanctions against any student who exhibits a pattern of unpreparedness in accordance with the policies set forth in the course syllabus. A professor and/or Dean may also refer a student to the Disciplinary Committee for repeatedly not being prepared for class/Live Sessions and/or completing assignments. Students are encouraged to review the section titled, “Failure to Perform the Responsibilities of a Student,” in the Standards of Conduct. 

 

Master of Legal Studies Degree Program

Attendance

Attendance in this program is defined as participating in qualified academic events, as defined below. On rare occasions, a student may arrange to make up qualified academic events with the instructor's permission.

Students will be administratively withdrawn after two weeks if they have not completed at least one assignment, Live Session, or discussion board within that two-week period. If a student is dropped from a required course due to inadequate attendance, the student will be required to repeat the course to meet graduation requirements. Students are required to actively participate as each course may require.

Qualified Academic Events

A qualified academic event is defined as:

  • submission of an academic assignment;
  • examination, interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction;
  • study group assigned by the school;
  • participation in online discussion about academic affairs; or, 
  • initiation of contact with the instructor to ask a question about an academic subject.

Preparedness

Each student must be prepared to participate meaningfully in class discussions.

The instructor has the authority to impose sanctions against any student who exhibits a pattern of unpreparedness in accordance with the policies set forth in the course syllabus. Repeated unpreparedness is a violation of the Standards of Conduct.