Classes and Attendance Policy 

Our distinctive, versatile approach to instruction, Marywood’s HyBridge Education Model, will continue in the spring, with most courses operating in the HyBridge model but incorporating a few changes. The HyBridge 2 model will begin on Monday, February 1, with the same online and in-person  schedules that we observed in the fall semester with the changes that have been approved by  Academic Affairs. A small number of courses will run as fully online or fully in-person. In-person meetings can address new academic content; in that event, instructors will offer a parallel and equitable learning experience for “online only” students. Instructors may hold HyBridge students (that is, those who do not apply to attend as online-only students) accountable for attendance in the face-to-face on-campus meetings. Students who must quarantine at the start of the semester can fulfill this expectation by participating in the activities offered for online-only students. Faculty will detail their requirements and expectations on their course syllabi, available on Moodle, and as always you can contact them by email to ask questions.

A Spring 2021 Attendance Notification form is available to complete, and you can find it on the website under "Online Forms for Students." If you know that you will attend classes this spring as an "online-only student," please complete that form as soon as possible. 

Spring Academic Calendar: Please note the adjusted registration dates and the adjusted Spring 2021 academic calendar. The spring semester will begin a week later, on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, and will end, as normally scheduled, with Commencement on Saturday, May 15, 2021. Because of that and our obligation to comply with the Department of Education’s required number of instructional days, there will be no Spring Break; instead, there will be vacation days (no classes) on Wednesday, March 3, and on Friday, April 2 (Good Friday). Research Day will occur on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. In the event of snow days, classes will move online rather than be cancelled.

HyBridge Student Attendance Policy for Spring 2021

In accordance with Marywood’s HyBridge Education Model, explained above, students are expected to attend on-campus, face-to-face enrichment activities, unless their circumstances qualify for a waiver. Students may seek a waiver for medical reasons either at the start of the semester or whenever a situation arises necessitating such a waiver. Any student pursuing remote-only learning must complete the online Attendance Notification Form.

If the campus closes by government order because of a COVID-19 outbreak at any point in the semester, all on-campus, face-to-face enrichment activities will cease, and waivers will be unnecessary.

Waiver Qualifications:

1. The student will attend Marywood only as an online student for the Spring 2021 semester.

2. The student is immunocompromised or has another condition that places them in a higher risk  group for COVID-19.

3. The student lives with someone who is in a high-risk group for COVID-19.

4. Other (please explain).

For short-term absences from on-campus, in-person experiences due to temporary illness, students shall follow the attendance policies and procedures contained in their course syllabi. Absences will be considered as either excused or unexcused based on the policy of the department as described in the course syllabus. Students are strongly encouraged to promptly report an absence to their instructor.

All students who do not attend the in-person, face-to-face enrichment activities should do the equivalent online activities provided by their faculty.