Guidelines for Federally Mandated Reporting of “Date of Last
Attendance/Date of Last Academic Activity”
1.
Definition of Academic Related Activity to be Applied in All Courses
For purposes of federal Title IV student financial assistance, the U.S. Department of Education
requires institutions to demonstrate that federal aid recipients have established eligibility for
federal aid by participating in academic related activities for all enrolled course work.
Academically related activities include, but are not limited to —
1. physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between
the instructor and students;
2. submitting an academic assignment;
3. taking an exam, an interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction;
4. attending a study group that is assigned by the school;
5. participating in an online discussion about academic matters and
6. initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject
studied in the course.
See 34 CFR § 668.22 (l)(7)(i)(A).
A.
What this means for live courses
Attending class is an academically related activity, so in most cases the last date of attendance
and the last date of academic activity are the same date. In the instance where a student stops
attending class, but continues to participate in academic related activities, the last date of
academically related activity should be reported. In classes where the instructor does not take
attendance, the last date of academically related activity should be reported.
Examples of academically related activity in live courses include
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taking an examination or quiz,
taking tutorials,
taking computer assisted instruction,
completing an academic, paper or project,
participating in the online component of a live course,
attending an assigned study group, and
initiating contact with a faculty member to discuss the academic subject studied in the
course.
In courses using an electronic publishers’ resource, a homework manager, course content located
on the campus LMS, or some other augmentation to the live class meeting time, it is possible to
participate in academically related activities through these tools.
B.
What this means for online courses
In most online courses attendance is not taken, so the last date of academically related activity
should be reported. See 34 CFR § 668.22 (l)(7)(i)(B)(3).
Examples of academically related activity in online courses include
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physically attending online instruction (in WebStudy through CourseLive or Big Blue
Button);
taking an examination or quiz, tutorials, or computer assisted instruction (including
instructional video, screenshares, YouTubes, interactive simulation etc.);
completing an academic paper or project;
participating in any online component whether or not said component requires a student
submission (such as using the Presentation, Teams, and MyTutor tools in WebStudy);
participating in a Teams or Group activity where attendance is recorded;
attending an assigned study group whether live or virtual;
participating in an online discussion; and initiating contact with a faculty member to discuss
the academic subject studied in the course.
Logging into an online course without doing more does not constitute an academically related
activity.
2.
How RVCC Faculty comply with reporting requirements
To comply with the federal guidelines for Title IV funding, RVCC requires that a date of last
attendance (when applicable) or date of last academically related activity (when applicable) be
assigned to every student who receives an F grade in a course. Faculty should comply with this
requirement at the time final grades are submitted in Banner by using the drop box to report the
date. Faculty who do not report the final activity date will be contacted by the Dean of Academic
Affairs or the Financial Aid office for the requisite information.
Note: Any student who receives all F’s and W’s as final grades is considered to be an “unofficial withdrawal” for
Financial Aid purposes. If a student completes 60% of any one class, s/he is entitled, per federal guidelines, to keep
all her/his financial aid. A student who engages in NO academic activity after the 60% calendar mark must pay
back some of the awarded financial aid, and will consequently owe the college a balance, as the college must return
these financial aid funds to the federal government (“return to Title IV”). When a student earns an F grade in one of
your classes, your marking the date of last academic activity is imperative.