Communication Tips
Academic adjustments following a University Approved Absence (UAA) approval, will look different depending on the course, instructor’s teaching methodology, student’s circumstances, etc. It is important to approach the conversation of academic adjustments with clarity and completeness.
Note: Faculty may chose to work with a student without requiring the absence to be university approved. While these tips and suggestions were constructed through the context of a UAA, they are also applicable to absences that do not qualify for a UAA.
Tips for Students
Clear communication can help ensure that your needs are met to the best of yours and your instructor’s ability. Here are some key tips to ensure your needs are clearly understood:
- Be proactive and timely: Reach out early, for more flexibility in the adjustment. Consider connecting with the Learning Center, Writing Center, Thrive Hubs, etc. for additional support.
- Explain the situation
- Detail your academic load: This should include other courses you missed, and any major assignments or exams that you are responsible for after your UAA.
- Discuss your other obligations (research, professional, personal): Let your professor know how your absence may have affected your involvement with research projects (lab work, data collection, research deadlines), professional or extracurricular activities (internships, conferences, work, etc.), and personal/family obligations (if you are comfortable sharing).
- Propose solutions and reasonable suggestions: Offer ideas on how you can make up for missed work or participation. This could include alternative assignments (podcasts, presentations, essays, etc.), rescheduling exams, or attending office hours to discuss missed content.
- Be willing to compromise: Be open to suggestions, since the goal is to find a solution that works for both of you.
- Follow up, and stay organized
- Confirm the plan: After your discussion, summarize the agreed upon adjustments in a follow-up email. This ensures that you and your professor understand expectations moving forward.
- Stay on top of deadlines: Make sure to meet any new deadlines or requirements set by the professor. Keeping your end of the agreement shows responsibility and respect for the accommodation provided.
Tips for Faculty
When faced with excused absences, alternative assessments may seem daunting. So much of the discussion depends on the specifics of the individual cases and what a particular student has missed. Planning for each one of the possible scenarios ahead of time may be impossible. But the individualized process doesn’t have to be ignored, even in large classes.
Communicating with the student about what else is on their plate, and prioritizing what work needs to be done so that the student can continue to be successful in your class is crucial. When discussing the makeup options with a student, remember:
- If they missed your class, they likely missed other classes as well and have to make up their entire classload, while trying to keep up with their current workload.
- Depending on the reason for the UAA (a family emergency or medical emergency might have a longer road to full health/focus than travel for sports event or religious observance), this can be quite overwhelming.
- Different students have a range of credit hours and a range of responsibilities outside of class (work, research, family obligations, etc.).
- The timing of the UAA in the flow of the semester makes a large difference – sometimes syllabi/schedules align such that all of the student’s classes have an exam the same week.
Referring students to the Learning Center and coaches there who can help with time management as well as Thrive academic advisors to support their ability to successfully complete the semester’s work is important.
Some creative alternative solutions to consider:
- An individual consultation with the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) to creatively find ways to assess a student’s mastery of material without having to wait on releasing the graded work for the rest of the class.
- An oral exam exam/discussion in office hours to cover the same content to assess student knowledge
- Have the student write (and create a full solution and/or rubric) a midterm exam that covers similar content
- Using the incomplete grade option and have the student take a midterm on the missed material the following semester (so you don’t have to create an additional makeup exam)