Phase 1 Attendance Procedures – Chicago Campus
This page was last updated on August 9, 2024 to align with the College-wide Phase 1 Attendance and Late Arrival Policy.
This page is provided to describe Chicago campus procedures regarding attendance but does not replace the college-wide policy. Direct links to the college-wide policy are provided below for convenience.
Quick Link to the Attendance Form Heading link
This link should be used for all attendance related notifications and requests. See full instructions below.
Synopsis of Chicago Attendance Procedures Heading link
- Timeliness: Students are expected to arrive at least 5 minutes early to all learning sessions to be ready to sign in and begin on time.
- Signing in: Class attendance is taken electronically through the “Benware” software using a unique password posted at the start of each session. Students are considered on-time and present if they sign in to Benware within the first 5 minutes of class. In courses where attendance is taken on paper, the 5-minute, on-time window still applies.
- Anticipated absence: Students must contact the absence coordinator in writing in advance of any anticipated absence via the absence reporting process described below. Failure to notify the coordinator in advance will result in an unexcused absence even if the reason meets the criteria for excused absence.
- Emergencies: No expectation of prior notification will apply in the case of an emergency. In such cases, absences must be reported by noon the following day.
- Response: Whether a student arrives late, forgets to sign in, or misses a session entirely, the event is recorded as an absence and reviewed by the absence coordinator who will deem the event excused or unexcused in consultation with the campus curricular administration team. The absence coordinator will reply to the report with the student’s PHA and/or OSA-Lead copied on the response.
- Confirmation: Submitting a request for an “excused absence” does not guarantee acceptance or approval. The student is responsible for following up and confirming whether the absence is excused or unexcused.
- Late arrival: An absence will be tracked when a student does not sign in within the first 5 minutes of a session. Not signing in within the 5-minute window counts as an absence in the course and will be either excused or unexcused.
- “Failure to sign in” (without penalty for an unexcused absence): This may be applied to a single, mandatory, session where a student is on time for an in-person session, but does not sign in for any reason, including technical difficulty. Technical difficulties should be reported to the session coordinator right away. See “Implications of Failure to Sign in” link below and first drop-down below (with table).
- Implications of absence: Students are responsible for all of the material presented at a missed session. Students should refer to the syllabus for each course to confirm the implications of absence, late-arrival, excused or unexcused as the implications may vary. The first drop-down menu below is available as a quick resource but does not replace thorough review of the individual course syllabi.
- Questions: Any questions about Chicago attendance and reporting procedures should be directed to Matthew Orlando, Director, OCA (morlando@uic.edu).
Instructions for Absence Excusal and Reporting Form:
- The link below should be used to report any absence, late arrival, or upcoming absence request from mandatory course components including sessions, graded assessments, and simulations at SAIL.
- You will be asked to use your netid to sign in and provide all relevant information about the request.
- Your OSA-Lead will be copied on the response. Your PHA will be copied on the response in some instances.
- This form is not to be used for Clerkship absence requests. Phase 2 students must contact your Clerkship Director and Coordinator to report your absence (in addition to letting your team know).
Elements of the College-wide Phase 1 Attendance and Late Arrival Policy Heading link
- Elements of Professional Engagement in Phase 1 Curriculum
- Punctuality
- Attendance at Learning Sessions (Session Nomenclature)
- Excused Absences
- Unexcused Absences
- Phase 1 Courses: Late Arrival
- Absence Implications for Team-based Learning (TBL) Sessions
- Implications of Failure to Sign-in
- Implications of Unexcused Absence
- Leaving Early
- Late Arrival to Block Exam
- Late Arrival to an OSCE
Elements of Chicago Attendance Procedures Heading link
This section describes attendance related procedures used at the Chicago campus.
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Attendance Procedure Synopsis
The table below is a synopsis of the following:
- Maximum number of unexcused absences before an “unmet requirement” is recorded
- Number of allowed “failure to sign in” instances before a late arrival is considered an absence
- Total number of absences (excused and unexcused) before further discussion with the administration is required
The table below is included here for convenience and does not replace content included in the syllabus for each course. Please refer to course syllabi for all course related matters.
Please note that Professional Engagement points are deducted within the current block/course/term only; points do not accrue from block to block, course to course, or term to term.
Absence Implications
Course Number of “failure to sign in” Number of unexcused absences Number of absences before additional discussion required Blocks 1 – 7 1 per block 2 days 3 days DoCS1 and 2 (fall term) 2 per term 2 per term 3 per term DoCS1 & 2 (spring term) M1: 2 per term / M2: 1 per term M1: 2 per term / M2: 1 per term 3 per term DoCS1 (summer term) 1 per term 1 per term 3 per term Synthesis Weeks 1 per week N/A (must meet MPL) 2 per week Block 8 Synthesis Capstone 1 per part N/A (must meet MPL) 2 per part Medical Colloquia none N/A (Must attend 6 per term) See section below Transition to Clerkships 1 for the course See section below See section below -
Block Courses 1-7
See Blocks 1-7 course syllabi and “Table for Number of Excused Absences/Failures to Sign-in per Course” above.
NOTE:
One Professional Engagement point will be lost for each unexcused day of absence within a Block course. There is no option to split up the point if only missing one out of the multiple mandatory sessions in a day. The “fail to sign in” without penalty for an unexcused absence only applies to individual mandatory, in-person sessions on different days. Failing to sign in to more than one mandatory session in the same day results in one lost Professional Engagement point in those courses that count PE points in grading (Blocks 1-7).An unexcused absence in a Block session missed on the same day as an unexcused absence session in a DoCS course, counts as an unexcused absence in the Block course and one unexcused absence in the DoCS course. So if a student misses a core case session in Block 1 in the morning, and then misses a mandatory DoCS session in the afternoon, the student will lose one Professional Engagement point in Block 1, and the occurrence will be counted as one unexcused absence day in DoCS (unless the “fail to sign in” applies).
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Excused absences
Please refer to the college-wide policy for the full list of examples that are considered.
The following guidance is applied to absence requests that are often approved at the Chicago campus.
- Own wedding (2 days domestic, 3 days international)
- Civic obligations that cannot be rescheduled (court date, citizenship assessment, jury duty*).
*Students should attempt to reschedule jury duty in advance using the Student Request Form.
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Documentation of Excused Absences
Documentation IS required for approval and must be submitted within seven calendar days following an absence from any session with GRADED ASSESSMENT, DoCS SP/Sim and/or Anatomy Lab including:
- Formative and summative examinations (includes weekly quiz*, DoCS quiz*, NBME exams, block final, DoCS OSCE)
- RATs in a TBL session
- Standardized patient or manikin simulation
- Anatomy Lab (per Block Syllabi, confirmed 12/17/24)
Approval to be excused from a “take-home” quiz will be handled on a case-by-case basis due to the extended length of time the quiz is available.
Documentation IS required for approval and must be submitted within seven calendar days following an absence from any session with MANDATORY ATTENDANCE due to:
- own or another’s wedding
- a healthcare provider appointment for self, significant other, or family member
- an illness of three days or more for student
- illness of significant other or family member
- a presentation or attendance at a conference
- civic obligations that cannot be rescheduled or deferred (court date, citizenship assessment)
- student representation on College of Medicine Committee
- circumstances of an extreme, unanticipated, and compelling nature
Documentation IS NOT required for absence approval from any session with mandatory attendance due to:
- Observation of a religious holiday (see UIC Senate Policy on Religious Holidays)
- Attendance at a funeral
- Illness of one or two days for student. (Documentation IS always required for absence due to illness from any graded assessment regardless of duration as well as absence of three or more days from any session due to illness.)
Examples of Proper Documentation for Excused Absences:
- Healthcare provider’s note listing date of appointment
- Police report
- Wedding invitation with date and location
- Traffic ticket
- Public transportation delay receipt
- Email notice for College of Medicine Committee meeting
Failure to provide satisfactory written documentation within seven calendar days following an absence will result in an unexcused absence.
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Unexcused absence
Please see the college-wide policy for full details.
In addition to those listed there, the following are not approved for excused absence at the Chicago campus.
- PCE visits
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Multiple Absences
Multiple absences in a course are tracked by OCA. If a student logs more that 3 days with absence(s) in one course, discussion with the student’s advising team and/or a curricular dean will be required before the absence coordinator will confirm if the absence is excused or unexcused.In most cases, students who are absent or tardy (excused or unexcused) 4xs in a course are referred to their OSA-Lead and Physician House Advisor (PHA) for discussion. Students who are absent or tardy (excused or unexcused) 5xs in a course are referred to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for discussion. Only after these discussions have occurred will the matter be deemed excused or unexcused by the absence coordinator.
If circumstances arises where a student must miss multiple class sessions on multiple days and completing the course becomes difficult, the student should begin by submitting an absence report and then contacting their OSA-Lead and/or PHA to explore options. Make-up may be required and the time period for any make-up will be consistent with UI-COM Academic Policies.
NOTE:. Students with repeated absences may be asked to provide a higher level of documentation. If absences are considered a matter of professionalism, the student may receive a professionalism concerns form, which may lead to review through the student promotions committee process. Please see the Statement on Professional Behavior contained in the Academic Policies and Professional Standards document posted on the Educational Policies web page.
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Absence Implications for Team Based Learning (TBL) Sessions
Any TBL session absence or late arrival report must be submitted prior to the start of the session for the absence to be considered excused or unexcused. The student will be responsible for all the material covered.
To be excused and receive credit, a student must submit documentation and make arrangements with the course coordinator to schedule a make-up of the Individual Readiness Assurance Test (IRAT) within 7 calendar days. The student’s grade for the TBL will be the weighted average of their IRAT score and the team’s score from the Team Readiness Assurance Test (TRAT).
If a TBL absence is considered unexcused the student may still contact the course coordinator to request a make-up “for practice” and will receive a score of 0 (zero) for both the IRAT and TRAT for that TBL session.
Late Arrival: Since the ultimate goal of a TBL session is to learn and contribute to the team, students are expected to go to the session even if they will be arriving past the posted start time. See college-wide policy for Late Arrival for Team-based Learning Session.
There is no make up for application exercises.
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Absence implications for Doctoring and Clinical Skills (DoCS) Sessions
See DoCS courses syllabi and “Table for Maximum Number of Absences/Failure to Sign-in” above.
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Absence Implications for Synthesis Sessions
See Synthesis course syllabus and “Table for Maximum Number of Absences/Failure to Sign-in” above. If the absence for a session is considered excused, the student is responsible for all of the material covered in the session.
Synthesis weeks and Block 8 course attendance specifics:
Synthesis does not include graded assessments; course expectations are based on attendance, participation, and completion of assignments with each course component assigned a specific percentage of the grade. All misses sessions will require make-up assignment. Students who do not meet the MPL for the course will be required to complete any missed course material via written make-up, in addition to submitting a narrative reflection before a passing grade will be submitted. -
Absence Implications for Medical Colloquia Sessions
See Medical Colloquia course syllabus.
Medical Colloquia course attendance specifics:
Students are required to attend 6 of 8 Medical Colloquia dates per term, following the standard Phase 1 attendance procedures described here to report any absences.
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Absence implications for Transition to Clerkships Sessions
Although the Transition to Clerkships (TTC) course is included in the Phase 1 curriculum, it is considered the orientation for Phase 2 and the foundation for the longitudinal Clinical Connections and Competencies course that spans Phases 2 and 3. All rising M3 students are scheduled for TTC in the spring semester prior to the start of Phase 2. Students should not schedule any outside activities during the two weeks of Transition to Clerkship and should be available from 7am-6pm until the final schedule is posted. ALL segments of TTC must be completed for satisfactory completion of this course. This includes ALL scheduled activities such as workshops, TBLs, small group sessions, and large group sessions.
Reporting Absence/Requesting Excusal in TTC: Remember that planning ahead for any time off is very important, especially as you enter your clinical training. Note that you must complete an Absence Request Form; you should never assume that your request will be granted automatically.
Absence: The TTC course is situated in Phase 1 and follows the Phase 1 Attendance and Late Arrival Procedure. Absence requests must be submitted using the Absence Request Form. Documentation may be required with the exception of absences due to the observance of religious holidays.
Late Arrival: Students should always plan to arrive 10 minutes prior to the session start time. Students should utilize the Absence Request Form in advance or immediately following the session to explain the reason for the late arrival. Late arrivals will follow the same protocol for excused or unexcused absences as described above. An arrival is considered late 5 minutes past the posted start time for the session.
Unexcused absences and unexcused late arrivals: Unexcused absences and late arrivals are never acceptable in TTC. An unexcused absence and/or late arrival may elicit a “Professional Development Concerns” form. If a pattern of late behavior or unexcused absences is detected, or if a serious professionalism breach is reported, the student will meet with the Curricular Dean, the course Director and/or course coordinator and the Student Affairs Dean and/or the student’s advisor.
Making up missed course time: Any missed time, whether excused or unexcused, must be made-up before a passing course grade will be submitted.
Some Transition to Clerkships sessions are required (to meet clinical site compliance requirements) prior to starting your first clinical rotation (i.e., Occupational Exposures, Fit Testing, BLS Certification, etc.); Students cannot begin clerkships without satisfactory completion of these sessions and may have to make changes in their clerkship schedule if they cannot meet requirements. Students with an excused absence for sessions that are required prior to starting clerkships should contact the course coordinator regarding limited make-up options. Students with an unexcused absence for BLS Certification are still required to complete the required certification course before starting clerkships but at their own expense.
Form instructions Heading link
Attendance link provided again here for your convenience. See form instructions above.