Class attendance
One of the differences between high school and college is in college; few professors consider class attendance as mandatory. They believe that college students are adult and should be responsible for their own actions. Unfortunately some college students are not matured enough to be responsible for their own learning as they often skip class. Some students believe that they can still do well by reading textbooks and do homeworks. Based on my experience, regular class attendance helps students to learn more and retain the course content more effectively and the lack of attendance is the main reason why some students received bad grade.
To keep students attending class, on the first day of class I explain exactly how grading is done in my class with a policy that allow 10% of the grade is based on attendance. This way student know from the start that attendance is part of their grade calculation. I also let them know that I will give “unannounced” test in class to encourage students to prepare for each class and keep a basic understanding of the current concepts. If students miss the class, they miss the test and receive a zero. When students miss class, they will receive an e-mail asking for reason for missing the class. By actively checking attendance, I keep most of the students in class.
To encourage them to study, I prepare my lecture by adding current events that grab student interest. I ask students about their opinions on these events and try to tie them in course material with real-life examples that students can relate to. I believe that students will learn more when they talk about it so I encourage them to read technical magazine, websites and blogs and these technical news to discuss in class. By sharing information with each others, they also learn soft-skills and presentation skills. When they try to explain something to somebody else, they end up understanding it better themselves.
By having class discussion, it is easier to see how the news relates to materials that they learn in textbooks. It make the class more lively and making it more meaningful to students. If students like the class, they will attend it regularly and by attending class, they will learn more. And sometimes it is easier for students to learn from each other than from the professor because it is easier to ask questions of a friend than a professor.
By having class discussions, I encourage students to study before they come to class. By asking them to talk about these materials, it allows them to connect their thinking with the class content. This is how some students first discover that a particular content area interests them. Class discussions also help break through the anonymity of a large class where students do not know each. Talking with other students about course content is a good way to measure their knowledge. By listening to others, student may think “It seemed everybody know this but I do not so I better learn it” or “I'm not the only one who doesn't understand it well.” Class discussion puts some perspective on individual efforts to learn. It reduces stress, and motivates learning.
By having class discussion, it creates a sense of teamwork where each member has something to contribute and where disagreement is tolerated. By adapt the lesson to current events; it makes the subject interesting and relevant. Encourage student feedback so I can eliminate some work that has minimal learning benefits. If students like this type of class they will attend more and learn more.
My 30 years of college teaching experience has taught me that maintaining a high level of student attendance and class participation has significant benefits. Of course, monitoring class attendance, giving unannounced tests, give attendance points will not be popular with some students. Many students told me: “We are in college not high school and you should not treat us like high school students.” I told them: “You are in my class and this is the way I teach, if you do not like it you can enroll in another class with another professor.” However, by the third year, most that are initially resistant to this approach realize its value and often thank me for doing it. One student admitted: “When I was in the first year, I hate your class since it makes me study hard and go to class every day. However if it was not for that, I probably will not do well today and I really appreciate your efforts.”
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
