[ARCHIVED] Taking attendance for multiple sections/ groups in a class

[JustinChoi]

This question is more of a SOP / best practices than a technical question. I am sure other schools have encountered this situation.

1. A class is divided into 2 or more sections - could be lab sections in a very large science class; or in my case, 2 groups of nursing students going to 2 different clinical sites for training.
2. Ideally, groups A and B, go to the clinical site on the same day(s) - Tues. 
3. In Canvas - in the class course shell, on that Tuesday June 1, the teachers/ TA/ clinical supervisors mark all the students as Present/ Late/ Absent, etc.
4. But what if groups A and B do not have class on the same day? That is, lab group A meets on Tuesday night and group B meets Wed night.

Question: would group B be considered "Absent" on Tues and vice versa?

How do your respective educational institutions handle situations like this? I noticed Canvas allows "gray" - unmarked = absent?