3 ms·

Why does attendance matter?

by t34543 7y ago

astura 7y ago
That's where you learn the material? Beyond that most of my anthropology classes (I minored in anthropology) had class discussion as part of the grade. I even had one professor who had us move the desks into a big circle as we entered (and put them back as we were leaving) in order to better facilitate discussion. Also you'd have to be there to hand in previous assignments and get new assignments. Most of my classes (in all classes) had assignments due either every day or at least most days. You'd also have to be there to hear about changes in the schedule. If you only show up for tests and the day of the test changes you'd need to know. Plus pop quizzes. They aren't used much in college, but I think I had one or two.
- blihp 7y ago
  Attendance is irrelevant to most of your points: 1) Some can learn the material without attending. If they don't learn it, their grade will reflect that. 2) If one is present but doesn't participate, how does taking attendance help reflect that? (This is just a lazy prof/TA as they really should be noting participation, rather than attendance, if it's relevant to grading for a course) 3) If your assignment(s) don't get handed in, they don't get handed in and your grade will reflect that. 4) If you don't attend and show up on the right day for tests etc, your grade will reflect that. 5) If you're not there for a pop quiz, your grade will reflect that. Taking attendance is a weak mechanism at best to address any of these issues. One of the things that college should be doing is preparing people for the real world where they won't have paid babysitters. Classes are proxies for meetings etc. where you may, or may not, show up but are responsible for the content covered either way. Taking attendance just reinforces the view that the students are still children.
  - sys_64738 7y ago
    How does one get the material without attending? Where I studied, the courses were not simply following the course text as the course. Perhaps at lower tier schools that’s all they do.
    - banads 7y ago
      Professors post slides and documents containing the lecture material online. However, some professors would purposefully leave out key words out of the slides to force you to come to class and fill to fill in the blanks
sys_64738 7y ago
Attendance was mandatory for almost all classes when I was at college.

Why does attendance matter?

by t34543 7y ago

Why does attendance matter?

That's where you learn the material? Beyond that most of my anthropology classes (I minored in anthropology) had class discussion as part of the grade. I even had one professor who had us move the desks into a big circle as we entered (and put them back as we were leaving) in order to better facilitate discussion. Also you'd have to be there to hand in previous assignments and get new assignments. Most of my classes (in all classes) had assignments due either every day or at least most days. You'd also have to be there to hear about changes in the schedule. If you only show up for tests and the day of the test changes you'd need to know. Plus pop quizzes. They aren't used much in college, but I think I had one or two.

blihp 7y ago
Attendance is irrelevant to most of your points: 1) Some can learn the material without attending. If they don't learn it, their grade will reflect that. 2) If one is present but doesn't participate, how does taking attendance help reflect that? (This is just a lazy prof/TA as they really should be noting participation, rather than attendance, if it's relevant to grading for a course) 3) If your assignment(s) don't get handed in, they don't get handed in and your grade will reflect that. 4) If you don't attend and show up on the right day for tests etc, your grade will reflect that. 5) If you're not there for a pop quiz, your grade will reflect that. Taking attendance is a weak mechanism at best to address any of these issues. One of the things that college should be doing is preparing people for the real world where they won't have paid babysitters. Classes are proxies for meetings etc. where you may, or may not, show up but are responsible for the content covered either way. Taking attendance just reinforces the view that the students are still children.
- sys_64738 7y ago
  How does one get the material without attending? Where I studied, the courses were not simply following the course text as the course. Perhaps at lower tier schools that’s all they do.
  - banads 7y ago
    Professors post slides and documents containing the lecture material online. However, some professors would purposefully leave out key words out of the slides to force you to come to class and fill to fill in the blanks

sys_64738 7y ago

Attendance was mandatory for almost all classes when I was at college.