MEM’s policy is that campus students are expected to attend class regularly and in person, adhering to Duke’s Academic Calendar. Attending MEM classes is mandatory. MEM follows the Graduate dates within the calendar when applicable.
It is especially important that students attend the first day and the last day of class for all courses in which they are enrolled. Unless and until all coursework and examinations (whether comprehensive final exams, quizzes, or otherwise) have been completed for all courses in which a student is enrolled, a student is expected to remain at Duke in person through the end of final exam week as set forth on Duke’s Academic Calendar.
In their first classes, faculty set course goals and standards, frame the course’s subject matter, form student teams and begin to create the class community.
At the conclusion of the first class of each course, the faculty will report any unexcused absences to the MEM program administration. Thereafter, such students shall be dropped from the course. If students miss the first classes of the semester, they detract from their own educational experience and undermine that of their classmates. Furthermore, they create additional work for the professors and teaching assistants.
Responsibility for regular and punctual class attendance rests with individual students. The course faculty shall refer a student to MEM’s administrators in the event of excessive absences.
A student seeking an “excused” absence must work directly with her or his course faculty and must initiate the request in advance and as soon as possible. A student may be excused from attendance due to truly extenuating circumstances such as significant illness, personal/family emergency, or important religious observance. Varsity athletes should submit a NOVAP (Notification of Varsity Athletic Participation) Form to each instructor whenever they are scheduled to miss a class because of athletic participation.
Whether an absence is excused or not, a student will be held fully accountable for any in-class graded participation or assignments an absence caused the student to miss.
