Addressing Student Absence 

The solutions below were developed in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to the Provost’s Office's suggestions to faculty on approaching student absences in Fall 2021. While some of these solutions are especially relevant to pandemic conditions, we in A&S Learning Design & Technology continue to reflection and preparation to address student absences, in service of the learning goals and well-being of the class community. 

1. Missed Class Sessions 

Low-Tech and No-Tech solutions

  • Instructors communicate clear expectations of what students can do to help themselves (request notes, communicate in advance of absences) and how instructors are prepared to handle absences.
  • Instructor asks for a volunteer peer to share notes with absent students. 
  • Student visits office hours (online) for additional assistance. 
  • In lieu of participation in class discussion or lecture, absent students can:
    • Write an informal response paper (graded or ungraded) based on the readings
    • Respond to short-answer prompts provided by the instructor
    • Create an outline based on their understanding of class readings or class notes/slides 
    • Instructor provides a brief written response or comment on student submissions to confirm receipt and assist with any misunderstanding of course content
  • Shared note-taking: students share an online document (googledoc, etc) to take collective notes, which they can collaboratively edit for clarity. Alternatively, they take turns note taking in the doc.
  • Absent students post discussion questions in a Canvas Discussion forum or on Piazza, to which in-class students can respond.
  • In-class students write up conclusions or questions from the lecture and post those in the Canvas Discussion. Absent student(s) respond in written form.
  • Instructor facilitates access to space or resources required to complete a missed practicum, lab, etc, in coordination with departmental staff and resources.

Need help getting started with the above solutions? Contact us at A&S Learning Design & Technology.

Tech-Intensive suggestions

SYNCHRONOUS: absent students engage with live class

  • Students Zoom into class, either to watch without participation or to participate. Faculty very comfortable with technology and hybrid teaching may choose this option. 
  • Students watch a ‘live stream’ of a Panopto video. This allows them to follow along with class (1-2 minutes delayed) at the class meeting time.
  • Students can join audio of the class via a phone call (phone in ‘speaker’ mode) or via a zoom session with camera turned off

Need help setting up recording or live stream in your classroom? Contact UVA Classrooms Support to get started.

ASYNCHRONOUS: students engage with pre-recorded or prepared content via Canvas tools

  • Students access recordings of class, made in Zoom or Panopto. 
  • Interactive Asynchronous Engagement:
    1. Student video-responds to prompts and/or questions based on missed lecture or discussion material, i.e. using a tool like Voicethread, they record a short video in which they respond to prompts, like a filmic response paper.
    2. Student watches a video posted in VoiceThread (pre-recorded lecture, Youtube video, film, etc)—and poses 3-5 questions throughout the video. In the case a question is answered later in the video, instead of deleting their original question, the student posts a brief reaction to the answer at the moment in the film it appears.
    3. Other useful tools for (asynchronous) interaction with content: Now Comment or Hypothesis (written annotation of written material), available in UVACollab.
  • Group Engagement
    1. If 2 or more students are absent—and are not too ill, e.g. asymptomatic—they could schedule a meeting together over Zoom to discuss what they missed in the lecture or to hold their own mini-discussion about the missed material. 
    2. They can provide a brief written summary of the discussion, to confirm comprehension of key material.

Need help starting a Discussion, VoiceThread, or shared writing space for students? Contact A&S Learning Design & Technology or UVACanvas Support.

2. Grading participation and attendance 

  • Replace participation grades with ‘engagement’ points, allowing students to demonstrate engagement with course materials in multiple ways (see suggestions above) 
  • Offer all students a number of excused absences (now or in final grade calculation)
  • See more suggestions for making a course more resilient to disruption. 

3. Exams and projects 

  • Offer makeup exams online or during office hours. Students may be able to make use of departmental conference rooms and study spaces in many on Grounds buildings.
    • Turn a large exam or assignment into multiple small pieces to be submitted over time.
  • Assign an outline, concept definition, or concept map as a first stage of the project, setting firm deadlines for future stages once students return to class.
  • Consider these tips for encouraging academic honesty in online course activities.

4. Group projects

  • Adjust groups to allow absent students to work independently on a smaller project and/or with an adjusted timeline.
  • Alter due dates for the absent student and/or for all student groups. 
  • Direct an absent student to provide a meta-narrative or critique of the project in lieu of participation in some/all aspects of the project.

5. Student Support 

  • Faculty can help students contact one another: 
    • open a discussion board or Piazza space, allowing students to contact and share content with one another. 
    • encourage students to join a class Group Me (student-organized) OR to find a class buddy and exchange contact info during the next class session
  • Faculty may wish to help students access these academic support resources:

Need Help?

  • In-Classroom technical help (cameras not working, students can’t hear you in recordings, PowerPoint not captured, etc.): UVA Classrooms: (434) 982-4586 (immediate support) or classrooms@virginia.edu.