No absence is excused in the sense of relieving the student from course responsibilities. If absence is unavoidable, the student is responsible for asking a peer to take notes, get handouts and details about assignments, etc. Absences in excess of two may result in a lowered grade for the course. Exams are to be taken at scheduled times. Make-up tests will be allowed only when arrangements have been made prior to the scheduled test time for reasons approved by the instructor.
Work is due at scheduled times.
Getting behind with work tends to diminish student learning and increases record keeping time for the instructor. All learning activities, whether written assignments or in-class experiences, are useful indicators to the instructor as to how much each student is learning.