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Attendance and Participation
Faculty members will state their policy in the course syllabus concerning attending class and
participating in the course discussion or activities as part of the adult learning mode. This means
coming regularly and on time, reading or preparing materials for class, working effectively in a
group task, making contributions in the class which enhance the learning of others, and helping
to effect student/instructor communication. Students are responsible for notifying course
instructors when they cannot attend classes. Students are reminded that e-mail is the official
method of communication within the MSW Program and on both campuses.
Class cancelations rarely occur; however, if a class is cancelled students will be notified via the
MSW Collaborative Listserve as soon as information is available. Faculty are the sole decision-
makers regarding class cancelation due to inclement weather. However, if a specific campus is
closed where a class is due to meet, then the class is automatically cancelled. If students do not
feel safe driving during inclement weather, it is up to them to make prudent decisions regarding
class attendance. Faculty may not necessarily accept inclement weather as a valid excuse for
missing class.
Confidentiality
In regard to student records, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (1974) regulates
access to individual student academic records. Under this law, students have the right of access
to their files and must give written consent before any material in the student file can be released
to anyone outside the University.
In regard to class discussion, students have the right to choose whether or not to disclose
sensitive personal information in a class discussion. They also have an ethical and legal
obligation not to reveal the names of persons who are clients at agencies where they serve as
interns. They have further ethical obligation to protect the identity of an agency employee whom
they may be critical of with respect to ethical issues. Furthermore, students have an obligation to
respect confidentiality regarding in-class discussions for learning purposes by not divulging
content outside of the classroom. Where violations of ethical conduct are thought to occur, the
student is encouraged to discuss them with the faculty instructor.
The specific policies pertaining to confidentiality in field education are contained in the Field
Manual. The student is also encouraged to consult the NASW Code of Ethics concerning the
principles governing professional confidentiality.
Distance Education
The MSW program has policies and procedures for implementation of on-line and hybrid MSW
courses (a mixture of traditional in-class and on-line learning approaches). If a course is offered
in an on-line format, this information will be noted in the campus registration system and
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