Academic Regulations

Veteran Attendance
Field Trips
Ownership of Course-related Presentations
Recording and Transmission of Classes
Credit Involving a Paid Activity

Class Attendance

In order to attend a given class, a student must be registered for that class for credit or audit. Exceptions to this policy are at the discretion of the instructor of the course.  See Validation of Enrollment for regulations concerning attendance to validate students' enrollment in a class.

Each instructor sets his or her policy with respect to class attendance, and excuses for absence from class are handled between the student and instructor. The instructor is expected to announce his or her policy at the beginning of the course. Generally, students are expected to attend all class meetings as scheduled.

Veteran Attendance

Students who receive benefits from the Veterans Administration are identified on class lists and are required by the V.A. to attend class regularly to maintain their V.A. eligibility. If the instructor knows that a student receiving V.A. benefits is not attending class, the instructor is obligated to notify the Office of the Registrar and a notification will be forwarded to the Veterans Administration. More information about veteran benefits is available on the Web, www.iastate.edu/~registrar/info/vabeneft.shtml

Field Trips

Trips away from campus are sometimes arranged as a means of enriching the students' learning experience in a given course. Such trips may not take place during the first or last week of the semester, nor may they extend over more than two consecutive class days (Monday through Friday); these regulations may be waived only by special permission of the dean of the college in which the course is offered. Faculty should check with their college office to find out who is authorized to grant approvals or exceptions on behalf of the dean.

In order to go on a field trip required in one of their courses, students must first obtain permission from the instructors whose classes they will miss. If permission to miss class is not granted, students cannot be required to go on the field trip nor can they be penalized for missing the trip.

Special fees are often charged to cover the costs of field trips. Field trip fees are noted in the Schedule of Classes.

Ownership of Course-related Presentations

The presenter owns course-related presentations, including lectures. Individuals may take written notes or make other recordings of the presentations for educational purposes, but specific written permission to sell the notes or recordings must be obtained from the presenter. Selling notes by students without the required permission is a violation of the Conduct Code as published in the Student Disciplinary Regulations at www.dso.iastate.edu/regulations/homepage.htm.

Recording and Transmission of Classes

Recordings and transmission of classes may take place for a variety of legitimate reasons, including providing educational opportunities for those who cannot attend classes on campus, assisting students with disabilities that impair classroom note taking, and giving the instructor feedback on his or her classroom performance.

Because the lectures of faculty represent their intellectual labors, individuals are expected to obtain permission to make recordings of lectures and other classroom interactions.Recordings may be used for the purposes of the particular class, although in some cases the recordings may be preserved and used for other classes as well.

Credit Involving a Paid Activity

Students may obtain credit for an activity, either on- or off-campus, for which they are also paid, provided the activity is academically relevant. This policy does not apply to registrations for R credit.

In order for an activity to be defined as academically relevant, prior arrangements for receiving credit must be made with a faculty member in an appropriate department.

The arrangements must include agreement on (1) the academic objectives which the activity is expected to achieve, and (2) the procedure by which the student's learning will be assessed.