Attendance affecting ability to sit exams? (Particularly in German dept)

Nova_era

Is the whole "you can't sit an exam if your attendance is below X%" actually enforced?

My attendance for certain German classes this year has been pretty bad, and I just got this e-mail -

REMINDER to all students

Attendance
University Regulations regarding attendance Every student registered for a diploma or degree is expected to attend all lectures, tutorials, laboratory classes etc. In the case of absence through illness, a student must, if possible, give notice of each absence in writing to the Lecturer responsible for and/or Head of Department responsible. In the case of such absence for more than four lecture days the student must, on resuming attendance, notify the Lecturer concerned and/or Head of Department in writing and, if required by the Lecturer and/or Head of Department to do so, lodge a medical certificate with the Head of Department, who in turn will send a copy to the Student Records and Examinations.

A student will not be permitted to enter for an examination at the conclusion of a module if attendance at that module is not considered satisfactory by the Registrar and Vice-President for Academic Affairs following a report by the Lecturer concerned and/or Head of Department responsible for the module.

The decision of the Registrar and Vice-President for Academic Affairs is subject to the appeal of the Academic Council of the University.
The German Department requires that students attend at least 80% of classes in order to be eligible for examination.

Should I be worried?

bleg

No.

Nova_era

Could you elaborate? I'm just freaking out a bit, as I've only been to two Translation classes, and a handfull of Oral classes. I knew about the "rule", but the fact that I've got an e-mail about it is a bit worrying.

Papa_Lazarou

Nova_era wrote: »

Could you elaborate? I'm just freaking out a bit, as I've only been to two Translation classes, and a handfull of Oral classes. I knew about the "rule", but the fact that I've got an e-mail about it is a bit worrying.

To be honest i think its only to scare people into going to the classes if numbers start dropping low. Do they take attendances in your classes?
I know that this does come into force for professional courses like Dentistry and Medicine as those students have certain boards to answer to. When you read the info for any course it says all lectures are compulsory etc etc and they say that 80% thing. I suppose it just comes down to the course in the end.

pirateninja

They can't stop you sitting your exams over attendance unless the book of modules of that module says that X% attendance is mandatory http://www.ucc.ie/modules/ If you've missed college for a valid reason go talk to your lecturer, they're fine about it if you've got a valid reason.

Nova_era

Papa_Lazarou wrote: »

To be honest i think its only to scare people into going to the classes if numbers start dropping low. Do they take attendances in your classes?
I know that this does come into force for professional courses like Dentistry and Medicine as those students have certain boards to answer to. When you read the info for any course it says all lectures are compulsory etc etc and they say that 80% thing. I suppose it just comes down to the course in the end.

Our classes are generally quite small anyway so they do take attendance. The module I'm worried about is GE2101, which is made up of 4 classes - Discussion and Essay, Grammar, Oral, and Translation. My attendance at the last 2 has been really bad, but they don't count as individual modules, as they're both part of GE2101. Hopefully they'll note that I generally attend the first 2. It could have something to do with the fact that we've a PHD student for Oral, and nobody turned up to his class last week, and afterwards he walked in on a load of his students in the coffee dock. Maybe the e-mail was a result of him complaining to the department?

Papa_Lazarou

Nova_era wrote: »

Our classes are generally quite small anyway so they do take attendance. The module I'm worried about is GE2101, which is made up of 4 classes - Discussion and Essay, Grammar, Oral, and Translation. My attendance at the last 2 has been really bad, but they don't count as individual modules, as they're both part of GE2101. Hopefully they'll note that I generally attend the first 2. It could have something to do with the fact that we've a PHD student for Oral, and nobody turned up to his class last week, and afterwards he walked in on a load of his students in the coffee dock. Maybe the e-mail was a result of him complaining to the department?

Yeah the fact that the email was very general and not actually sent just to you would probably suggest that they sent it cause of the low attendances and that the guy probably complained.

Nova_era

Papa_Lazarou wrote: »

Yeah the fact that the email was very general and not actually sent just to you would probably suggest that they sent it cause of the low attendances and that the guy probably complained.

Cool, just e-mailed back anyway to explain that both classes are at very bad times for me, and I'll try to get to as many as I can before the end of the year. I have the module co-ordinater for the Discussion and Essay class, and she knows that I take college very seriously and put a lot of work into the subject, and as far as I know it's her call to report poor attendance to higher powers.

By the way Papa, just booked some flights. Fancy a beer in Szimpla on June 23rd?

Papa_Lazarou

Nova_era wrote: »

Cool, just e-mailed back anyway to explain that both classes are at very bad times for me, and I'll try to get to as many as I can before the end of the year. I have the module co-ordinater for the Discussion and Essay class, and she knows that I take college very seriously and put a lot of work into the subject, and as far as I know it's her call to report poor attendance to higher powers.

By the way Papa, just booked some flights. Fancy a beer in Szimpla on June 23rd?

An international UCC beers it shall be