Loyola students enrolled in online classes this semester must adhere to a new attendance policy instituted by the Office of Academic Affairs.

The new policy requires online students to participate in at least one assigned Blackboard activity no later than 11:59 p.m. on the seventh calendar day of class. If a student fails to participate in the online course by the required date and time, Loyola’s Office of Student Records will automatically drop the student from the course, according to an email to faculty from Maria Calzada, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Students administratively dropped from a course will receive a full reversal of tuition and fees. However, disbursements of federal financial aid will not be available to students dropped from online courses, according to Calzada’s email.

The policy change was in response to concern over students’ eligibility for federal financial aid, according to Calzada. In order to qualify for federal financial aid, there must be proof of a student’s class attendance.

The Federal Student Aid Handbook states “documenting that a student has logged into an online class is not sufficient, by itself, to demonstrate academic attendance by the student.”

“We do not want to disperse aid to students with no intention of actually participating, but we also do not want to delay getting students who need their aid those funds in a timely fashion,” Calzada said.

The Office of Student Records reminded students enrolled in online classes of the policy change before the beginning of the spring semester. Policy information is also displayed on LORA and Blackboard.

The full policy is available on the “policies and procedures” page of the Office of Academic Affairs’ website.