This study examines the academic achievement and attendance duration status of formal education students taking distance education courses using structural equation modelling (SEM). A total of 842 video recordings of online courses attended by 304 students on the MS Teams video conference platform were analysed. It was revealed that 29% of the attendance period was explained by course duration, lateness duration and course type, while 41% of grade point average (GPA) could be explained by course duration, lateness duration, course type and duration of course. The most significant impact on class attendance was lateness to class. Data showed that gender had a moderator effect on the effect of course type on GPA. Results also indicated that the method of teaching has a moderator role in the effect of attendance time on GPA and that the effect of attendance time on GPA is higher in asynchronous classes.