Syllabus Templates

Effective in Fall 2025, following the Faculty Senate approval, all faculty are required to include a student attendance policy in their syllabi.

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Bulletin update regarding student attendance policy:  

Passed by the Faculty Senate, January 21, 2025, Effective Fall 2025 Semester  

Attendance/Missed Work Policies  

Attendance and engagement in class meetings and class activities are vital to student learning. Students are expected to attend and participate during in-person and online synchronous or asynchronous classes regularly, as well as to take part in online class activities according to the schedule and timelines described in the course syllabus. Students should notify an instructor of scheduled absences, such as participation in university-sanctioned activities or religious observances, as soon as possible. They should let the instructor know of unplanned absences, such as those caused by illness, as soon as feasible. If a student does not complete assigned work due to an absence from class, they are responsible for making up that work in accordance with the policies established by the academic unit or instructor.    

Instructors are responsible for verifying the class roster at the beginning of every term to allow the university to comply with federal regulations associated with eligibility rules for federal financial aid. When instructors observe that a student’s lack of attendance or participation is affecting their performance in a course, they should notify the student and report their concerns to student support services through the early alert system.   

The faculty of an academic unit may adopt attendance/ missed work policies appropriate to that unit and particular field of study. Any unit policies must be consistent with the general principles outlined below, the faculty bylaws, and any other policies approved by the Faculty Senate. Individual instructors may adopt attendance policies appropriate to their unit, field of study, and course that should be described in the syllabus. The policies of individual instructors must be consistent with the general principles outlined below, the faculty bylaws and other policies approved by the Faculty Senate, and any relevant unit policies. Instructors adopting an existing unit policy are encouraged to indicate this in their course syllabus. In cases where an individual instructor has not specified an attendance policy and the unit in which the course is being offered has a unit policy, the unit's policy will govern.   

General Principles:  

• Attendance/missed work policies should be appropriate to the discipline, course mode, meeting pattern, and type of assignments. The goal of the attendance policies should be to support students in meeting the course’s learning objectives, facilitate fair assessment by the instructor, and allow the instructor a manageable workload, while also supporting the health and well-being of students and the campus community.   

• Students should be given advance notice of attendance/missed work policies in writing in the course syllabus. In the case of an academic unit, notice should also be given in the appropriate section of the Course Bulletin or in other materials provided to students for the purpose of informing them of the rules and regulations of the academic unit. In the case of an individual instructor, notice of an attendance policy should be given in the course syllabus. 

• Policies should be implemented equitably and consistently across students in a course. When there are multiple sections of the same course in the same semester, session (e.g., 8 vs 16-week session), instructional mode, and format, each section should have comparable attendance/missed work policies. Variations across sections of the same course when they are in the same semester, session, instructional mode, and format must be approved by the head of the academic unit.  

• Through the unit policies, the instructor’s policies, or a cohesive combination of the two, students in each course should have clear guidelines addressing:  

• Attendance and participation expectations for any on-campus course meetings or synchronous online meetings and how attendance or participation in these meetings affects a student’s course grade. 

• Expectations for what students should do if they miss class due to circumstances such as their own illness, the illness of an immediate family member for whom the student must care, death of a family member, being called to active duty as a member of the reserves or National Guard, religious observance, representation of UMSL in an official capacity, or other compelling circumstances beyond the student's control. 

• Guidelines regarding when and how work that is missed due to compelling circumstances beyond a student’s control may be made up. A student can be asked to complete an alternate assignment that meets similar learning objectives. However, instructors are not required to create new assignments to accommodate absences or missed work. Instructors may set reasonable deadlines by which make-up work must be completed. 

• Under what circumstances documentation of a reason for an absence or missed work is required (e.g., after a specific number of days or class meetings) and the kind of documentation that is requested. Instructors are asked to avoid requiring official documentation for isolated absences of a short duration as there are many situations in which it is necessary or prudent for a student miss class for a limited time, but that do not require a visit to a medical professional or allow for the creation of official documentation. Faculty are also asked to respect the privacy of students and their families regarding medical information and should not require that documentation of absences due to health conditions include information about specific diagnoses or medical conditions. Documentation from a health professional that a student is unavailable to attend school or work on specific dates is sufficient to establish that an absence may be excused.   

Faculty members’ responsibilities in situations where they must miss an occasional class meeting are described in the Faculty Absence During a Semester Policy available through Academic Affairs.  

The guidance in this document is provided to assist you in developing language for your syllabus that explains to students what will happen in the event that regular operations are interrupted. Please adjust the statements to fit your particular context and modality. 

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These new required statements ask faculty to state their timelines for returning student work with grade and feedback, and for responding to student questions over email. See the full policy here. Sample language below:

Communication policy language:

I aim to respond to student emails within 24-48 hours during the week and 48 hours on the weekend. 

Grades and feedback language:

Example 1: I aim to return grades and feedback on completed work within two weeks.

Example 2: I aim to return graded work with feedback in a timely manner. My goal is to give feedback on discussion board posts and other short assignments within one week. For bigger projects, I give feedback within two weeks in order to provide thoughtful responses

The guidance in this document is provided to assist you in developing clear and transparent policies on the use of generative AI tools in your course(s). Please adjust the statements to fit your particular context. Remember also to note in specific assignment descriptions where AI use is allowed or not allowed as a reminder to students as they complete coursework.

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This resource explains to students how you intend to use the web-based online proctoring system, Honorlock, along with instructions about preparing their computer and practicing ahead of time.

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This resource explains the HyFlex modality to students as well as clarifies expectations about attendance, participation, and engagement in a HyFlex course. 

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The CTL maintains a current list of recognized religious and holy days each academic year. We recommend adding language to your syllabus to communicate clarity about student absences relating to religious observances. Contact ctl@umsl.edu with questions about reasonable accommodations for religious holy days. Sample language below:

The University of Missouri-St. Louis is committed to creating an inclusive campus community that values and respects all its members and achieves educational excellence through diversity and nondiscrimination. This commitment to equal opportunity and diversity is evident in how we support our students, regardless of religious affiliation or non-affiliation, in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations. As part of this commitment, the University makes good faith efforts to accommodate a student’s religious practice or belief, unless such accommodation would create undue hardship. See more details about this policy here. See a full list of religious holidays here.