Skipping Class

David Lai

One significant problem found in universities today is student attendance to class lectures. While some teachers enforce grade-dependent class attendance policies, many teachers do not, leaving the responsibility of attending entirely up to the student’s desire to learn.

In general, skipping class has obvious negative implications on the student’s academic performance. A study conducted by Gary Wyatt demonstrated an inverse relationship between student absenteeism and student academic performance. Despite the fact that this is relatively common knowledge, student absenteeism still occurs on an astounding scale. One informal study conducted by Dr. Blair Hedges showed that “forty to 50 percent of students weren't attending his classes.” In general, for classes with optional attendance policies, this phenomenon occurs readily.

While a seemingly obvious answer would be to make attendance mandatory, this isn’t always the best solution. There are many times when students have legitimate reasons for missing classes (i.e. medical, interview, completing assignments or studying for an upcoming exam, family emergency). In addition, students are in essence paying for the class through tuition and other related fees. Even though each missed lecture may cost the student hundreds of dollars, by paying for a class, students should be awarded the freedom of determining when it is in their best interest to skip a given lecture.

An ideal solution would be to adopt an optional lecture policy, and offer grade incentives for attendance. Few teachers use this type of policy, despite the fact that it provides the flexibility that students require while still providing encouragement for students who might otherwise skip.