Managing Absences to Promote Public Health

A short-term absence can generally be understood as anything 2 weeks or less, OR as an absence that does not involve missing a significant percentage of the course material (such that it may trigger academic concession considerations). For some courses, such as full term clinics or intensive courses, an absence of 1-2 weeks may have a much greater impact. 

Absences that are longer than 2 weeks and/or which may trigger academic concession considerations are dealt with separately and must involve Student Academic Services or the Graduate Program. Students should contact studentservices@allard.ubc.ca (JD Students) or their Graduate Program Advisor (graduate students). 

Instructors will provide information for their classes on how they will be handling short-term student absences. Instructors are free to choose different arrangements to make class material available to students who must self-isolate for short periods for health reasons. Please review the information provided by each of your instructors carefully ahead of time so you know what to expect. 

If you are feeling ill or if your daily self-assessment indicates you should stay home and/or get tested for COVID, do not come to class. Contact your instructor as soon as possible and let them know how long you expect to be away. Your instructor will provide you with further information. If your absence is not expected to be long (e.g., 1-2 classes), you may be asked to obtain notes from your classmates. 

You do not need to provide any medical documentation, and you do not need to disclose the nature of your condition. Any short-term absences for health reasons are temporarily within scope.

Instructors, too, may need to self-isolate for short periods of time for health reasons, and may offer their classes in an alternative format. If your instructor is unable to teach in-person, they will notify you directly about any alternate delivery (e.g., Zoom, pre-recorded lecture). The assigned classroom and class time will remain available to you. Please ensure that you always bring a personal device (i.e., laptop) and functioning headphones.

If you are too ill to teach, please stay home. Notify Reception and the students in your class of the cancelation. Make-up classes can be schedule where appropriate.

If you must self-isolate at home but are well enough to teach, you can choose to offer your class via Zoom, or pre-record your lectures for students. Notify your students directly, letting them know about your alternative arrangements. You must also notify Reception that you will not be teaching in-person and for how long, if known.

For all of your classes, you will need to consider what arrangements you will adopt for students who cannot come in-person to class for short periods of time due to health reasons. The procedures document (PDF) outlines the options you can adopt and what is involved for each. Options include: 

•    recording lectures via the classroom AV system
•    student note-takers

View Allard Hall Lecture Capture – Guide (PDF)

Depending on the nature of your course, there are various things you will need to consider in deciding what is best for your class. You are responsible for reviewing the procedures document and for communicating to your students in a timely fashion (i.e., before the start of classes) how you will be handling these types of absences and what steps students will need to take. 

In addition, you should be aware that attendance components of your courses need to be flexible, i.e., they should not create a disincentive for students to follow public health measures. Students should not be penalized for missing class due to a short-term health related absence nor should they be required to seek an academic concession.

Allard Law does not offer an option  for students to take courses fully remotely and all exams are in-person. Reliance on recorded lectures as a substitute for in-person attendance is not permitted. Students who assert that they cannot attend an in-person program for reasons that might be the subject of accommodation should contact the UBC Centre for Accessibility.  

Academic concessions (for reasons of illness, bereavement, etc.) are handled centrally in the law school by the Chair of the Academic Procedures Committee and Student Services. You must not waive academic requirements, approve an alternate form of evaluation, or otherwise modify your course policies for an individual student unless required to do so through these formal processes. The only exception to this rule is that you should waive graded attendance or participation requirements for students who have short-term absences due to illness.  Ideally, course policies should be designed to account for the likelihood of these absences.