Just show up.
Attendance is mandatory.
It's right there, written out, in the syllabus. "Mandatory" is highlighted as well. And anybody who was there on the first day of class saw it.
Yet some people don't bother to show up. It's not too much of a time commitment. It should be a no-brainer.
By the end of the semester, I'll have several asking what they can do to raise their grades. It happens almost every time. And my response is that attendance is part of the course grade. It's mandatory. That means it's necessary.
"But what about an extra-credit assignment?"
What about it? Showing up to class all but negates anything like this happening. If I assign extra-credit for being to lazy to come to class, what lesson is learned? Well, besides me punishing myself with extra work at the end of a semester, when things are hectic enough as it is.
"Attendance policies are bogus!"
Really. Really?
If you call 9-1-1 to report a fire, but the operator says that nobody showed up at the fire department because they didn't think it was that important, you'd probably think they were crazy.
If you own a restaurant, but the staff didn't show up because they didn't think it was important enough, you'd probably wonder why you bother keeping them on the payroll.
Yeah, attendance is important. It's a good habit to develop.
Out in the working world, it's vital.
Just show up.
TLDR; Want a better attendance? Become a better professor.
ReplyDeleteArguing for the Student side I must say that the main reason why students fail to show up to class is because of the poor performance of OSU's professors. If your attendance is low you should first look at HOW and WHAT you teach before blaming students. I mean... this is fucking 2016 and you guys are teaching Web forms... Also most professors waste time talking about whatever they like and going off topic rather than teaching the subject.