In this lesson, we'll go into detail about how the attendance system and policy works at Epicodus. The content in this lesson can be found in an abbreviated form in the student handbook's Attendance section, and it applies to both online students and students who are attending class in-person.
Our attendance policy serves to reinforce the everyday expectation that all students engage with their peers, the curriculum, and Epicodus staff. Whether you are studying online or in-person, you are expected to pair, spend the day coding, take part in all meetings with Epicodus staff, and participate in communication on the Discord server or in class as needed. If you have any concerns about being able to meet attendance requirements, talk to your instructor.
Table of Contents
- Attendance Policy
- Sign In and Sign Out Windows
- Pair Feedback
- Epicenter Attendance Process
- Attendance for Independent Projects
- Attending Meetings
- Attendance Corrections
- Absences & Communication
Attendance Policy
Your attendance is based on the following:
- Did you log into your Epicenter account and use the attendance feature to sign in for the class session?
- Did you go back to your Epicenter account to sign out for the class session?
- Did you pair remotely? Were you present all class and did you participate in coding with your pair?
- Were you present in Scrum meetings and did you communicate with other students throughout class as needed?
Here's how Epicodus staff will evaluate attendance:
- Students need to log in to their Epicenter account and complete the attendance sign in procedure for every class.
- Students need to log in to their Epicenter account and complete the attendance sign out with pair feedback for the class.
- Epicodus instructors will check in with students throughout each class session and read pair feedback. If you are not pair programming (either on Discord or in class), you may be marked absent even if you correctly signed in and out at the right times for Epicenter attendance. If you are having any issues pairing, please check in with your instructor.
- Students are expected to take part in regular Scrum meetings and other meetings with Epicodus staff. For online students, you will occasionally be expected to respond to questions or announcements on Discord. Not taking part may result in your attendance being adjusted.
As long as you sign in and out on time, pair program, and participate in class, attendance will not be an issue.
Your teacher may adjust your attendance at their discretion if you do not meet any of the previously stated requirements. If you have a concern about meeting attendance requirements, talk with your teacher or advisor about it.
Attendance Is Counted in Whole and Half Days
On Epicenter, attendance is recorded with the following statuses:
- On Time
- Absent
- Tardy
- Left Early
An absence counts as a full missed day. This is the same as being marked any of the following:
- Absent
- Tardy and Left Early
If you either show up late to class or leave early from class, this counts as a half day of missed class. This is the same as being marked any of the following:
- Tardy
- Left Early
For part-time students, Sundays count as two days of attendance.
Your goal is to be On Time every day. That said, Epicodus provides a generous amount of allowed absences for you to use for any reason.
How Attendance Is Reported on your Transcript
Your attendance record will appear on your transcript, which will be sent to internship companies. We want to encourage you to take days off when you need to, so if your attendance is above 90%, your transcript will report the following:
Epicodus requires students to attend class at least 90% of the time. This student met that requirement.
Allowed Absences
All students are allowed a certain number of missed class days to use as needed:
- Part-time students have 20 days of allowed absences throughout the entire program.
- Full-time students have 10 days of allowed absences throughout the entire program.
Take note that if you are on a deferred payment program, you will have a different agreement with the school. If you are unsure of which payment program or agreement you have with Epicodus, please reach out to your teacher and advisor.
If you exceed the number of allowed absences, you may be expelled. Please reach out to your advisor or instructor with any concerns about your attendance.
Sign-In and Sign-Out Windows
There are specific time windows that we expect students to sign in and sign out by to be marked present for the day.
Sign In
Monday through Thursday, full-time students need to sign in between 7:30 am – 8:15 am. If you are not signed in by 8:15 am, you will be marked tardy for the class.
Monday through Wednesday, part-time students need to sign in between 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm. If you are not signed in by 6:15 pm, you will be marked tardy for the class.
On Sundays, part-time students need to sign in between 8:30 am – 9:15 am. If you are not signed in by 9:15 am, you will be marked tardy for the class. Since class time is longer and there's more content covered on Sundays, Sundays count as two attendance days.
Sign Out
Monday through Thursday, full-time students need to sign out between 4:45 pm – 5:30 pm. If you are not signed out by 5:30 pm, you will be marked as having left early for the class.
Monday through Wednesday, part-time students need to sign out between 8:45 pm – 9:30 pm. If you are not signed out by 9:30 pm, you will be marked as having left early for the class.
On Sundays, part-time students need to sign out between 4:45 pm – 5:30 pm. If you are not signed out by 5:30 pm, you will be marked as having left early for the class. Since class time is longer and there's more content covered on Sundays, Sundays count as two attendance days.
Pair Feedback
At the end of every class session, you will have the opportunity to fill out a pair feedback form for the other student(s) you paired with during class. Exactly how to leave pair feedback and the attendance procedure on Epicenter is in the next section of this lesson.
If you are working remotely, the pair feedback form will be presented to you upon sign out, and if you are in class, a link to the form on Epicenter will be sent to you by email at the end of class. It is optional to fill out this form, and the opportunity to complete pair feedback will expire at midnight each class day.
Epicodus provides a pair feedback system in order to improve communication pathways to discuss pairing successes and issues; because of this, this form is not anonymous. However, only Epicodus staff will see your feedback and they will never directly share this feedback with other students.
If (and only if) a student's pairs consistently share challenges working with that person, we will share the aggregate, common themes of the feedback with the student. There will never be any specific individual feedback or anything that could be tied to the person giving the feedback.
Take note that if you are having challenges with your pair that require immediate intervention (like not pairing anymore), don't wait to fill out pair feedback about this — reach out to an Epicodus staff member as soon as possible to get support. The support we provide is always centered on discretion and what we can do to help you that makes you feel comfortable.
Epicenter Attendance Process
The primary way your attendance is evaluated is through the Epicenter attendance system.
Signing In
At the start of every class session before your Dev Team Scrum meeting you will need to login to your epicenter account and follow these sign-in steps:
- Locate the Attendance today section and click Sign in.
- This will lead you to the screen to select your partner(s) for the day. You can select up to 4 other students. You are encouraged to reach out to members of your dev team to find your pair(s) before Scrum. If you haven't found a partner yet or if you have emailed your teacher about working alone for the day, you can select solo.
- If you sign in as Solo: Once you have found your pair for the day, go to Epicenter and update your attendance immediately to add your pair. Instructions on updating your pair are listed below.
- Seeing the screen below means your attendance sign in is complete. You may log out of Epicenter but do not sign out of your attendance until the end of class.
Changing Pairs
If you need to add your pair later in the class session or update them for any reason, simply click the change pair link as shown in the image above.
From here, you can update your pair information. The pair feedback form that you are prompted to fill out when you sign out is based on your selected pair so make sure this is accurate.
Signing Out
At the end of the class session, select the Sign out button in Epicenter to begin the sign out process.
When you sign out, you will have the opportunity to leave feedback about anyone you paired with for the day. If you are on campus, a link to this form will be emailed to you when you sign out. If you are working remotely, this form will be presented to you at sign out.
The pair feedback form includes four statements that we ask you to select a response to:
- My pair was on time and worked with me throughout the day.
- My pair was polite, considerate, and professional.
- My pair shared driving and considered my ideas.
- Additional comments? (optional)
If you paired with two students, you will have two forms to fill out. Remember that it is optional to fill out pair feedback. If you do leave feedback, please make it accurate and honest.
Once you submit your pair feedback, you should see a banner message that says goodbye along with your sign in and sign out times which means you have successfully completed the attendance procedure for the class.
Attendance for Independent Projects
For independent coding projects, you will not use the Epicenter attendance feature. Instead, your attendance will be based on your project's commit history, which you will learn more about in the first course section. General information on independent projects can be found in this lesson: Independent Projects and Code Reviews.
Attending Meetings
It is required to attend all meetings:
- Dev Team Scrum
- Cohort Scrum
- Career Services Info Sessions
Crucial information is often shared during these meetings and we don't want you to miss any of it!
Online students can run into issues with their internet connection that make it more difficult to take part in remote meetings. To mitigate this, we recommend the following:
- Best option: Your computer has a working camera and access to consistent internet. If your internet is inconsistent, try using a wired ethernet connection or move your computer closer to the router.
- Backup option #1: If you are having issues with connectivity or don't have a camera, you can use your phone instead. Download the Google Meet application on your phone and connect to the video meeting via the application.
- Backup option #2: You can also call into Google Meet video conferences. Check in with your instructor or advisor for the phone number to call in to the video meeting.
- If neither of the above work: Please contact your instructor or advisor as soon as possible.
Attendance Corrections
Students are responsible for making sure they are marked on time for every class session. However, we are aware that extenuating circumstances can come up, and because of this we offer attendance fixes. Each student can request teachers to fix a late sign in or a late/early sign-out a certain number of times:
- Full-time students can request an attendance fix twice in the entire 20-week program.
- Part-time students can request an attendance fix four times in the entire 40-week program.
If you fail to see the sign in and sign out confirmations for attendance, let your teacher know immediately. You are responsible for your attendance. Letting a teacher know there was an error an hour after the fact will still require you to use one of your attendance corrections.
We care about your well being and do not want you to worry about attendance if you are at risk.
If there is a fire, natural disaster, or any reason you need to leave your location to protect yourself, please do so immediately. Your attendance will not be affected!
Once you are in a safe place, contact your teachers to let them know about your situation.
Absences & Communication
As previously explained, Epicodus has a very generous attendance policy. Full-time students are allowed ten absences throughout the program, and part-time students are allowed twenty absences throughout the program. If you are on a deferred payment program, you will have a different agreement with the school. If you are unsure of which payment program or agreement you have with Epicodus, please reach out to your teacher and advisor.
If you need to miss class for a planned or unplanned reason, please reach out to your teachers by email as soon as possible.