Student Absence Request Guide
The Student Absense Request feature is an optional function that allows students to make absense requests for sessions in their course. It can be activated within the plug-in settings: Admin > Plugs-ins > Plug-In settings > Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Enabled
Students make a course level request using a reserved set of attendance statuses, which then populate the attendance for the requested sessions. These statuses can be left as requested, or overwriten by faculty or administrators if an approval/denial type workflow is desired.
Before you get started:
It is essential that the statuses that students may request are configured in the Attendance Status page, and then set in the corresponding setting for the Request feature.
Admin > Attendance > Statuses
In this case, these statuses are set to be hidden from faculty selection. This means that the only way for these statuses to be set, is via the Student Absence Request process.
Following the setup of the statuses, they should then be added to the Student Absense Request settings.
Student Selectable Reasons / Statuses: Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Statuses
Within the Student View (for Canvas users, this will show in the aPlus+ LTI at course level).
To request an absence, the student selects: Request an absense.
- Enable Student absense requests: Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Enabled
- Show / Hide the "View absence requests" button: Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Enable Request History
- Custom header text (Shown as "Enter your absense requests here:)": Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Title Text
Students will select the Reason (from a reserved attendance status list), the date range (restricted to customers settings), and enter a comment (if enabled), then select next.
- Custom Page Title (shared on all request pages): Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Title Text
- Instructional Text: Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Step 1 Instructional Text
- Student Selectable Reasons / Statuses: Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Statuses
- Requestable Date Range: Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Relative Date Range - From, and, Absence Request Relative Date Range - Until
- Comments Enabled: Student Attendance UI >Absence Request Allow Comments Comments Required: Student Attendance UI >Absence Request Require Comments
- Comment Instructional Text: Student Attendance UI >Absence Request Comment Instructional Text
Students can select the sessions that they are requesting. Configuration options allow the customer to prevent sessions from being requested if an attendance status or comment already exists for that session.
- Custom Page Title (shared on all request pages): Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Title Text
- Instructional Text: Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Step 2 Instructional Text
- Prevent Overwriting of attendance for this date (overwrites are not allowed unless its a status set on this list): Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Overridable Statuses Prevent Overwriting if a comment exists for this date: Student Attendance UI > bsence Request Allow Overwrite Existing Comment
- Custom Page Title (shared on all request pages): Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Title Text
- Confirmation Message: Student Attendance UI > Absence Request Complete Text
A student can view their existing requests, and the status of those requests (if faculty are to approve/deny).
Select "View absence requests"
Faculty can see requests. If the customer elects to have an approval or denial workflow, then faculty can overwrite these requests with a status selection indicating an approval or denial (such statuses would need to be setup in the Attendance Statuses).
Administrators can use the "Student Absence Requests" report.
This report will show the current status of any requests.
This report can be setup similarly to other reports, with the varying filters allowing easy visibility of request types, and if there have been overrides.
