Attendance issues
I teach a 4 hour class block and have trouble with students coming significantly late or leaving significantly early. What is the best way to handle this, especially when giving tests & quizzes? I don't feel it's fair to those who show up on time to drag tests out over the entire 4 hours, but I don't want to give out a bunch of zeroes either.
Mya,
Like your approach. I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I can relate to your challenges of getting students to class and keeping them engaged. It takes a lot of planning as you know to keep their interest for that length of time after they have worked all day. I like yourself like to compare my class with employment in terms of having to be in attendance or suffer consequences just like in the workplace.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My Classes are 5 hours long. and attendance is a bit of an issue specially with evening classes - 6pm to 11pm.
I make participation and attendance part of the grade. Students tend to take it more serious that way.
part of my class policy is if they miss the deadlines for a project they have until the next session to submit it with a reduction, after that it's a zero.. For me, this method has been working so far..
You miss work, you don't get paid. You miss class, you don't get points.
Stormy,
The lockout idea can be used effectively if it fits within the culture of your school. I use Professional Points that make the different of a grade that the students can earn over the duration of the course. They work in my situation and get the students to class. I can see how they could impact the test taking effort though so you raise a good point. It is a tough situation to try and gain control over. Another thing you might want to try is to give a quick quiz at the beginning of the class where the students can earn a number of points by being on time and responding to the questions, which generally are based upon the review of the previous class.
Back to the lockout when I used this format I had over 15 students sitting outside my classroom very unhappy the door was locked. I let them in when we took our first break. The next class meeting there were only about 8 and by the end of the week everyone was there on time so it worked very well. If a student was going to be late as a result of a family situation, illness, etc. they were to email me so I would know they were going to be late and I would admit them. Once they got a hold of the fact that class was going to start on time they never abused their lateness by using family situations to be consistently late.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like the idea of a positive spin. Professionalism is exactly a character trait that needs to be understood as well as developed. But how does one go about this?
When I use the bonus point for those who arrive on time and complete the quick task, I am inadvertently also creating slacking in test taking, cause the bonus points are used to add to the test totals.
I've thought about the lock-out so many college professors use. If class starts at 8am, the door shuts at 8am or 8:05. Any response to this idea?
Marilyn,
Thank you for these comments about student responsibility. Students need to see that it is up to them to attend and put forth the effort needed to be successful in school. They often seem to think that they are entitled to an A because they paid tuition. By telling them the operating policies and follow them consistently then the students will see that you are upholding a standard that is consistent for the field they are preparing to enter.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Students need to understand consequences of their choices – in this case, arriving late to class or leaving early from class. They should be informed on day 1, both verbally and in writing, what your expectations are, including your policy is on attendance and exams/quizzes. If a student fails to adhere to your policy, you simply enforce it with consequences you outline. As a broad example, our department (which must follow specific state board-approved requirements) recently instituted a universal policy on attendance, which is announced and written into each course syllabus. Students are informed that a certain number of tardies equals an absence and a certain number of absences leads to a letter drop in course grade. It’s amazing how much attendance has improved since then.
Bill,
I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I can appreciate having a class that runs that long. After the two hour lecture and review session what do you do during the other three hours? Is that lab time?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach a five hour class once a week.I basically spend the first 2 hours with lecture and reveiw.After our break we come back and take the test.If they dont show up or leave early ,they get a zero
Kim,
I teach a 6 hour block so I have the same issue as you with attendance. I have Professional Points they earn through their attendance which are based upon participation and attendance. The points are enough to move a student an entire grade so they work hard to earn the points. You are on the right track with you method so keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I also teach in 4 hour time blocks where attendance becomes an issue. I have set my course so that 1/3 of their grade relys on classroom participation and attendance.
I think that is great advice. Perhaps even adding hands on activities for participation points. If the students seem to be gettin zeros, also ad extra credit to those that do put forth effort and come in on time. That will also teach the students that dont seem to take the class seriously the value of extra credit. The small things can really add up, do they want them to be positive or negative?
Anthony,
Good advice for beginning instructors. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Teaching in four-hour blocks presents its own challenges, and I have encountered this issue before and discovered that the previous instructors were extremely lax about attendance and punctuality, and it was like I was beating my head against a wall repeatedly when attempting to conduct the class within the stated time-frame. I explained how they were short-changing themselves and were not getting the best return on their investment and instead of deducting points, I added points for professionalism with some success.
Honestly, I did not wholly resolve this situation until I taught first-term students and set the standards. Good luck!
Cathryn,
You are going to have to set a policy about attendance and test taking and then enforce that policy. Be consistent in your enforcement. Start with a smaller quiz and if the students miss it then give them zeros so they start to believe that you are going to enforce your policy. After a few of these types of quizzes the students will see that you are serious and that they have to be on time and not leave early if they are going to be successful. If you accommodate them and their attendance issues you are letting the control the class and your behavior. You are the learning leader so set the rules, enforce them and let the students deal with the consequences of their own behaviors.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
