Effective Summer 2024 forward, under the university course registration policy and drop for nonparticipation regulation, faculty will track student registration, attendance, and participation in their classes through the first two* weeks of the term. Students not registered for a class are barred from continued attendance and participation after the second week. If a registered student doesn’t show up to or participate in a class at least once during that time, they will be reported to the Office of the Registrar and administratively dropped from the class. Participation includes acts such as physically attending a class, communicating with an instructor regarding course materials, posting in an online course, or engaging in learning activities during the first two weeks of the term.

To do this:

1. Check your participation roster during the first two* weeks of the term and keep a record of who is enrolled and who is attending/participating.
   1. The participation roster is available through Wolf Web and reflects real-time enrollment of students in your class.
   2. You may wish to use the Attendance tracking tool in Canvas. Even if you do not use Canvas to deliver content your class does have a shell that you can use for tracking attendance/participation.
   3. Whatever method you use for tracking, a good practice is to require some type of activity during the first two weeks to verify attendance and/or participation (e.g. a discussion, a post, introductions, etc…).
2. It is recommended you review your participation roster and check for attendance/participation at each class meeting during this time, however, once initial participation has been established for a student you no longer need to track their attendance/participation.
3. At the last class meeting of the first two weeks (Friday of that week for online asynchronous classes):
   1. Check your participation roster to ensure that all students are now enrolled and that you have a complete record of student registration and attendance/participation information for your class.
   2. Inform any unenrolled students that have been attending or participating that they must register by the last day to add classes, or they will be barred from further involvement in the class from that day forward.
4. Participation roster reporting will be accessible as of Friday of week two. Complete the participation roster(s) no later than 10 AM on Monday of week three*.
5. Upon receipt of the participation roster response, barring any student withdrawals, your roster is set for the term.

*Comparable timeline for summer sessions; see the academic calendar for specific dates.

Participation Roster Reporting Instructions

The Office of the Registrar and the Center for Teaching and Learning have teamed up to simplify nonparticipation tracking and reporting for both faculty and students.

Further Guidance on Canvas Features: Contact the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at ctl@wou.edu for assistance.

Tracking Participation in Your Canvas Course

Canvas offers a variety of tools to track student participation and engagement:

• Syllabus Quizzes: Create quizzes using “syllabus quiz” to help students become familiar with course structure and policies.
• Discussion Boards: Foster student interaction and participation by creating a “discussion board” for introductions. Offer a small portion of course credit for participation in this activity.
• Assignments: Create “assignments” in Canvas that require student submissions.

What Counts as Class Participation

• Attendance: Attending class fulfills the participation requirement. Record attendance during the first two weeks to capture participation. A student only needs to attend one class session to be considered a participant.
• Communicating with the instructor about the subject matter of the class
• Posting or engaging in an online discussion in an online course
• Engaging in learning activities

What Doesn’t Count as Academic Participation

• Living in on-campus housing
• Participating in the meal plan
• Logging into an online class without participation
• Academic counseling or advisement

Student Responsibility

Students are responsible for notifying their instructor within the first two weeks of any situation that might prevent them from participating in class. Notifying you that they cannot participate is not participation in and of itself, but it is an opportunity to find an alternative assignment the student could participate in to stay in the class.

Keeping Students Informed About the Administrative Drop Process

• Canvas Announcements: Utilize the Canvas announcements feature to inform students about the administrative drop process.
• Additional Messages: Incorporate a brief mention of the administrative drop process in your communications with students during the first two weeks of the term.

Reporting Participation Timeframe

• Participation roster reports must be submitted between Friday of the second week and 10 AM on Monday of the third week.

Missing Participation Roster Reports

• If you don’t submit your participation roster by the deadline, your division chair will contact you.

Correcting Reporting Errors

For errors discovered after the deadline, immediately complete the Notification of Roster Reporting Error form available until 5 PM on Friday of week 4.

Late Registration and Refunds

• Late Registration: Students who haven’t attended by the end of the second week cannot submit a late registration petition.
• Refunds: Students contact Accounting & Business Services at 503-838-8201 or BusinessOffice@wou.edu for refund inquiries.

Week 1 (Monday): Instructors receive their first participation roster reporting notice.

Week 2 (Monday): Instructors receive a participation roster reporting reminder.

Week 3 (Monday): Instructors who haven’t submitted receive a reminder about the 10 AM deadline.

Week 3 (Thursday & Friday): The Office of the Registrar notifies the appropriate dean of any missing participation rosters by 10 AM. Deans submit outstanding reports by 5 PM on Friday.

Week 4 (Friday): Notification of Roster Reporting Error form closes at 5 PM.

*Comparable timeline for summer sessions; see the academic calendar for specific dates.

• Click on “Faculty Menu.”
• Select “Initiate Grade Change.”
• Enter student’s student identification number (V#) and click “submit.”
• You will be given a selection of courses the student has taken from you.
• Choose the course you wish to change the grade for and provide the new grade.

• From the WOU Portal, click the Experience icon (located in top toolbar). Once in Experience, find the Faculty Services card and click Grade Entry.
• On the Grade Entry page, select the course to begin entering grades. A list of students will appear at the bottom of the page.
• For each student, use the drop-down menu to select the Final Grade.
• When finished, click save. You will receive a green message in the top right corner indicating grading is completed.

Entering Incomplete Grades

• When an “I” grade is entered, an Incomplete Final Grade is required. A new tab will open for you to enter the Incomplete Final Grade. This is the grade the student would receive if no further work were submitted. 
• Please do not update the Extension Date field. By default, a student will have one calendar year to complete the work.
• Through an Incomplete Grade Contract, faculty may specify a time frame of less than one year. 
• Through an Extension of Incomplete Form, an additional year may be granted for a maximum of 24 months. Please note, an extension must be submitted before the “I” grade has reverted to the Incomplete Final Grade.

Entering NC or F Grades

• When an “NC” (undergraduate classes) or “F” (graduate classes) grade is entered, the Last Attend Date is required.
• The Last Attend Date must be between section start and end dates.
• Please leave the Hours Attended field blank. 

Please refer to these step-by-step instructions for additional information about entering grades. 

Initiating Instructor

From your Portal, open Experience, navigate to the Faculty Class Management card, then click on Grade Change Process.

• Carefully complete all required fields on the digital form. Follow the instructions on the form.
• Once all details are entered, click the Next – Review Request button to proceed to the confirmation page before submission.

Division Chair

Upon submission by the instructor, you will receive an automated email notification regarding the pending Grade Change Request.

Click the link provided in the email. This action will automatically open the DocStar interface and display the specific request awaiting your review.

•  Carefully examine the content of the Grade Change Request form displayed in the viewer.
• Check the Content Fields against the student and course details on the form to ensure all information is accurate and consistent.

Locate the action buttons in the Approvals field.

• To approve the request, click the Approve button. An Approve dialog box will appear. It is optional to provide a brief explanation. Click Approve within the dialog box to finalize your decision.
  • Once you click Approve, the Grade Change Request automatically leaves your DocStar queue and is routed to the Registrar’s Office for final processing.
• To deny the request, click the Deny button. A Deny dialog box will appear. Clearly state the reason for the denial in the explanation box. Click Deny within the dialog box to finalize your decision.
  • Important Note: If denying the request, it is essential that you also communicate with the initiating instructor to explain the specific reasons for the denial and advise them on any necessary corrective action.

Check out our step-by-step guide on Instructor Submission and Division Chair Approval of Grade Changes