University of Mid-Florida — Office of the Registrar
Why this SOP exists and who it applies to
This Standard Operating Procedure defines the responsibilities of the Office of the Registrar in publishing and maintaining the UMF academic calendar, and establishes the process for verifying student attendance and participation in all online courses — as required by federal regulation and UMF's Attendance and Participation Policy.
This SOP applies to the Office of the Registrar, all Program Directors, Coordinators, Lead Faculty, and Faculty at UMF. It governs all enrolled students in CIS, HMA, and MBA online master's programs.
This SOP implements 34 CFR §668.22 (federal attendance requirement for online courses) and is aligned with UMF's Attendance and Participation Policy (rev. March 2026). UMF is a non-attendance-taking institution; however, academically-related activity must be verified and documented at three points each term.
The Registrar's responsibility for publishing and maintaining key term dates
The Office of the Registrar is responsible for publishing the official UMF Academic Calendar at the start of each academic year. The calendar must be distributed to all faculty and university administration before the first day of each term.
Per UMF's Attendance Policy, the academic calendar must include the following dates for each term:
| # | Calendar Element | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Day of Term | Official start date for the term; courses become active in CampusOS |
| 2 | Drop/Add Period Start & End | Window during which students may enroll in or drop courses without academic penalty |
| 3 | Attendance Verification — Drop/Add Window | Faculty submit first attendance verification; used to confirm enrollment eligibility |
| 4 | Mid-Term Attendance Verification | Faculty submit second attendance verification at the midpoint of the term |
| 5 | Final Examination Week | Period designated for final exams, projects, or summative assessments |
| 6 | Pre-Final Attendance Verification | Faculty submit third and final attendance verification prior to final examination week |
| 7 | Last Day of Term | Official close of the term; grades due from faculty |
The academic calendar must be published in CampusOS and distributed via email to all faculty and program coordinators no later than 30 days before the first day of each term. Faculty must be notified of their specific attendance verification due dates at the same time.
What counts — and does not count — as attendance at UMF
In alignment with 34 CFR §668.22 and UMF's Attendance Policy, attendance in online courses is defined as participation in an academically-related activity. Logging in alone is not sufficient.
A student cannot attend classes without being officially enrolled in CampusOS. Attendance is only recorded for officially enrolled and active students. Students must be enrolled to access course materials.
Step-by-step responsibilities of the Office of the Registrar each term
What faculty must submit to the Registrar — and when
Faculty are required to design and deliver an academic activity aligned with each attendance verification window established by the Registrar. For each course section they teach, faculty must submit the following information to the Registrar:
| Verification Window | What Faculty Submit | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Drop/Add Period | Roster of students who completed the required first academic activity (assignment, discussion post, or exam). Mark students with No Activity for administrative withdrawal consideration. | By the last day of the drop/add period |
| Mid-Term | Updated roster showing which students have demonstrated academically-related activity since the last verification. Indicate last date of documented activity for any student showing no participation. | By the mid-term date on the academic calendar |
| Pre-Final Examination | Final attendance verification roster prior to finals week. Document last date of attendance for students who have stopped participating. Confirm active students remain eligible for finals. | Prior to final examination week |
Faculty who fail to submit attendance verification by the stated deadlines will be flagged to their Program Coordinator. Repeated non-compliance may affect faculty contract renewal. The Registrar will document all missed submissions.
Visual summary of attendance verification checkpoints within a term
Courses go live in CampusOS. Academic calendar already distributed. Faculty notified of verification due dates.
Faculty submit roster of students with confirmed academic activity. Registrar processes administrative withdrawals for students with no activity. Director of Student Services notified of non-participating students.
Faculty submit updated participation roster. At-risk students flagged to Director of Student Services for outreach. Last Date of Attendance documented for stopped-out students.
Faculty confirm active students eligible for final exams. Registrar documents any new non-participants. Final LDA records updated in CampusOS.
Grades due. Registrar closes term records. Retention and attendance data compiled for end-of-term reporting (see SOP-REG-002, Section 6).
All attendance verification submissions, Last Date of Attendance records, and administrative withdrawal documentation are stored in CampusOS (SIS) as official institutional records and retained per UMF's Student Records Policy (UASP-515.1) and FERPA requirements (34 CFR §99).
Version control and change log
| Version | Date | Description | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | June 2026 | Initial release — drafted from UMF Attendance & Participation Policy (rev. March 2026) and 34 CFR §668.22 | Office of the Registrar |