Student Attendance

Practicum hour completion is mandatory to achieve credit for practicum or capstone courses and a C grade is necessary to advance to the next level of practicum.

Time will be tracked and validated on the Student Tracking Hours form on your electronic timesheet.

Exceptions/Conditions:

• The student is required to make up their practicum time should they be absent from their practicum sites or seminars
• Both Site Supervisors and Faculty Supervisors must be given advance notice when the student will be late/absent from practicum
• A plan for make-up hours must be approved by the Site Supervisor and Faculty Supervisor prior to making up the hours
• Students are allowed wellness days (absences due to physical illness or mental health concerns) from practicum. Refer to Practicum course descriptions for the number of approved wellness days. If a student exceeds the approved wellness days, they are to create a plan with their Faculty Supervisor and Site Supervisors to make up the hours.
• All statutory and religious holidays recognized by Mount Royal University will be observed for practicum purposes. Students may request an accommodation of religious observance through Access and Inclusion Services, if they have religious celebrations not observed by Mount Royal University. Any other holiday time taken, that is not recognized, must be negotiated and approved by the Site Supervisor and Faculty Supervisor. The student will have to make up these hours. The Practicum Site and Faculty Supervisors must be notified in advance by telephone/email if the student is absent/late.

If the student has missed more than one-quarter of the required days by midterm, they risk failure in the course, regardless of make-up hours completed or planned. The student may also be required to meet with the Field Director and Faculty Supervisor to determine continuation in the placement. Missed/absence hours may be made up as the student’s timetable permits and as suitable and convenient for the practicum site. Site Supervisors, in consultation with the Faculty Supervisor, will decide if the opportunity for make-up days will be provided.

Make-up time should be completed in at least four-hour blocks of time, preferably eight hours/day. This is not to be done by lengthening hours on scheduled practicum days or attending during other regular courses. Please speak with your MRU Faculty and Practicum Site Supervisor to negotiate how your practicum hours will be made up. Permission from the Site Supervisor, Faculty Supervisor and Field Director must be obtained to make-up hours after the last day of classes. This must be completed by the end of the exam period.

Reading Week
You are not expected to attend practicum during Reading Week. This is a time MRU has set aside for students to rest, rejuvenate and work on their studies. If you choose to attend practicum to make up missed days this week or to get ahead for days when your practicum program will be closed, Tuesday – Friday are possible make-up days.

Statutory Holidays and Campus Closures
On any statutory holiday according to the Mount Royal University Academic Calendar, if it is a scheduled practicum day, count 8 hours on your timesheet. If the campus is closed and there are no scheduled classes, this is a day when you are not expected to go to practicum. Take the day! If your practicum site is open, and you wish to attend, the maximum hours that can be counted for the day is 8 hours in your timesheet,

Seminars

Attendance at all scheduled seminars is mandatory. In the case of unavoidable absence (medical reasons, funeral etc;), the student must provide a doctor’s note or other professional documentation.