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Student Financial Aid

Participation Confirmation

United States Department of Education regulations require that students receiving federal student aid (i.e.: Pell Grant, direct loans and work study) are attending the classes for which they have registered. For a student to retain their financial aid, each of the student’s instructors must verify that the student has attended class at least once before the last day to withdraw without a W. 

What is participation confirmation?

Participation confirmation is the process by which Clemson University documents that a student has participated in each class in which they are enrolled within the designated period to retain their federal financial aid. 

Instructor Resources

Instructors are responsible for indicating if a student has participated in their class at least one time before the last day to drop a class or withdraw from the University without a W grade. Instructors are not required to take daily attendance, as students only need to demonstrate participation once to be confirmed. 

Participation Module Module Quick Guide View Learning Management System
  • What is considered participation?

    Participation is engagement in an academically related activity which may include:

    • Attending a synchronous class or lab, physically or online, where there is an opportunity for interaction between the instructor and students;
    • Submitting an assignment;
    • Taking a quiz, test, or exam;
    • Participating in an assigned study group, interactive tutorial, or online discussion; or
    • Interacting with the instructor about academic matters related to the course subject.

    Participation does NOT include:

    • Living in institutional housing;
    • Using a meal plan or swiping an ID card;
    • Logging into an online class without further participation; or
    • Participating in academic advising or counseling.
  • What courses require participation confirmation?

    Participation confirmation is required for all courses including on-campus classes, asynchronous online classes, study abroad, co-ops, internships, independent study, research hours or any course without a standard meeting time. 

    If a course does not meet prior to the deadline to submit participation confirmation, it is the responsibility of the instructor to provide an academically related activity for students to demonstrate participation prior to the applicable deadline. 

  • How do faculty confirm participation?

    Faculty will use the participation module located in the Faculty/Advisor Self-Service of iROAR to indicate if a student has participated in the class at least one day. This should be reported before or on the last day to drop a class or withdraw from the University without a W.

    For step-by-step instructions and helpful tips on navigating the module, please view the quick guide. 

  • Where can faculty view unmarked students or verify entries saved?

    In addition to sorting the iROAR participation module by 0% to see unmarked students at the top, faculty and instructors can view students with missing entries on the participation dashboard.

    Navigating the Participation Dashboard

    • Dashboard data refreshes every hour.

    • Filter the dashboard by the appropriate part of term.

    • Search by instructor email address at the top to pull incomplete participation entries. 

    • Unmarked students will be displayed by College, instructor and course.

    • If nothing is listed, this means all students have been marked, instructor entries were saved and no further action is required at that time. 

     

    Participation Dashboard

     

  • What do I do for students who drop after participation has been confirmed?

    If the student has withdrawn from the University, no further action is required.

    If the withdrawal from the course is backdated before the participation confirmation freeze date, the student could lose partial aid eligibility.

Participation Deadlines

Part of term Student must participate once between listed dates Instructor deadline to confirm participation

Fall

August 19 - September 2

 September 2

First Fall

August 17 - August 28

 August 28

Second Fall

October 14 - October 26

October 26

Fall Mini A

August 19 - August 20

 August 20

Fall Mini B

 September 16 - September 17

 September 17

Fall Mini C

October 14 - October 15

 October 15

Fall Mini D

November 11 - November 12

 November 12
Part of term Student must participate once between listed dates Instructor deadline to confirm participation

Spring

January 6 - January 20

January 20

First Spring

 January 4 - January 19

January 19

Second Spring

March 1 - March 12

March 12

Spring Mini A

January 6 - January 7

January 7

Spring Mini B

February 1 - February 2

February 2

Spring Mini C

March 1 - March 2

March 2

Spring Mini D

April 5 - April 6

April 6
Part of term Student must participate once between listed dates Instructor deadline to confirm participation
Summer

May 11 - May 18

May 18
First Summer

May 11 - May 17

May 17
Second Summer

June 29 - July 6

July 6
Summer Mini A

May 11 - May 12

May 12
Summer Mini B

June 1 - June 2

June 2
Summer Mini C

June 22 - June 23

June 23
Summer Mini D

July 13 - July 14

July 14

    Student Frequently Asked Questions

    This is a list of frequently asked participation confirmation questions by students, but every scenario may not be covered. Please reach out to your instructor or the Office of Student Financial Aid if you have additional questions.

    Questions?

    For questions about participation confirmation, aid adjustments connected to participation or navigating the iROAR module, please contact finaid@clemson.edu.