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1000.13 TANF MANUAL 7/19 Page 58

Example 1: Client is enrolled in an undergraduate social work program. The professor in one of her classes encourages (but does not require) students to volunteer in their communities. Volunteering is not a class requirement and does not impact class hours or grades. Client volunteers two hours a week at the public housing site where she lives. The client’s volunteer hours do not count toward participation.

Example 2: Client is enrolled in a associate’s level occupational therapist program. One of her classes requires the students to volunteer two hours a week in a nursing home as part of the course requirement. Since the two hours of volunteer time are a requirement, they can be counted as participation. Hours for unsupervised study or homework cannot be counted for the volunteer activity unless the study or homework is specifically required by the class instructor.

Hours for distance learning classes will be counted as participation if attendance and participation are documented on an Education and Training Activities Attendance Report which is signed by the instructor or can otherwise be verified by the provider. It is the responsibility of the worker to determine through contact with the institution and/or instructor that the hours for a distance learning class can meet the documentation requirements. Distance learning hours that cannot be documented cannot be counted toward meeting the participation requirement.

Documented hours for distance learning can be counted under the following three circumstances: • when the individual logs in by computer to a class delivered on a specific day and at a specific time. The hours tracked for an individual participant can count as hours of participation. • when “clock time” is tracked for an on-line class as long as the clock is stopped when there is no interaction by the student with the on-line course material. The hours tracked as “clock time” for an individual participant can count as hours of participation. • when an institution tracks “seat time” for participants based on progress in an on-line course. The hours counted as “seat time” for an individual participant can count as hours of participation.

Other types of distance learning courses offered through virtual classrooms or as independent tutorials will be evaluated and approved on a case-by-case basis. Hours of participation will be reported only if attendance and participation can be verified by the instructor or school.

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