Attendance policy fallacy

While scanning a class syllabus there is only one truly devastating phrase: attendance is mandatory.

This is usually followed by “class participation is encouraged.” These phrases are set in place by teachers who are afraid that their material isn’t interesting enough to bring students to class.

This bland, uninspiring set of rules sets the tone for the rest of the semester. It’s going to be a long one, full of long glances at the clock every four minutes.

If a student can learn all of the material without coming to class, there is no reason to punish them for not attending class. It would be their decision on whether or not to soak up the lesson for that day.

In theory, the same result could be accomplished by teaching prospective test answers to the students in the class, with no mention outside of the classroom.

The students who were not there that day would not learn that specific lesson, thereby losing points on the test — just as they would have with attendance.

However, this cannot be accomplished because most of the classes with mandatory attendance don’t teach original concepts. Instead, these classes are regurgitations of text in a book. Class attendance is the only way the professor can assert his or her own “teaching.”

Teachers don’t want students who don’t come to class to earn A’s. You could know all the material perfectly, but a professor who thinks listening to their voice is important will give you a B. That’s not right.

Mandatory attendance does not force any student to learn. It only forces some to move from the couch to the classroom, browsing Facebook on their laptop all the while.

There are students who are going to go to class no matter what, as well as students who are going to skip class no matter what the situation.

When class isn’t mandatory, time can be better allocated as well. I’ve skipped class to have extra time to study for a test in my next class.

But with mandatory attendance, I’ll sit in my class as I do the half-listen, half-read, half-stare-blankly-at-the-professor-to-make-him-think-I’m-listening dance.

That’s not beneficial for anyone.

Mandatory attendance does not make students learn, pay attention or care. It just
makes kids not want to go to class.

So professors, I implore you to take out mandatory attendance from your syllabus.

Reward your students by teaching things in class that you can’t find elsewhere.

Make class interesting. Your classes will be more full than ever before.

­— lewicole@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Cole Lewis on Twitter @ColeThenLewis.