Dear professors, stop requiring attendance

It’s only week 4, and I’m sick for the second time. My fever is raging at 102 F, but I scarf down several ibuprofens and force myself to roll out of bed and head to campus where I can spread my illness to 10 more people. Why? I have an attendance-mandatory lecture.

I have never understood grading attendance in college. A grade should reflect understanding of the material. For the vast majority of classes, attendance is not part of this. Some people may learn better by showing up to lecture, but others may prefer reading the textbook or using outside sources. If someone learns better this way, then lecture ends up being a waste of time. Students are adults and should have freedom to choose how they want to learn.

Many professors also post videos of the lecture that students have the flexibility to watch at their own time and pace. There is no reason to require attendance if this is an option. If that is not an option, the class has an accessibility issue for people who cannot make it to every lecture due to a variety of reasons, such as having a compromised immune system.

This brings me back to my anecdote. Grading attendance encourages students to show up sick and spread their illness to others, which is part of the reason why there are always viruses going around Isla Vista. It also makes the sick person stressed out about having to come to class, aggravating the illness. Even when a few sick days are provided, students stress out over when to use it.

Some professors may grade attendance to provide extra points that are not exams. There is a better way of doing this, though, and that is called curving the class. It fixes all the problems I mentioned before and fixes the logistical problem of having to record attendance in a massive lecture hall. It would also remove students fumbling around on iClicker.

For a minority of classes, grading attendance makes sense, like lab or field work classes. In these classes, developing the skills requires being in person, and this cannot be replicated over Zoom. Attendance is required to understand the material, so it should be graded. Even here though, there must be a system in place to discourage people from showing up sick, such as dropping the lowest grade.

I do still encourage students to attend class, and I personally learn best in person. However, the best professors I have had, even in classes where attendance was important, all built in systems to avoid harsh grading on attendance, such as by letting people join via Zoom, working with students when there were extenuating circumstances or making attendance worth extra credit. On the contrary, I have found that inflexible attendance policies all came from subpar professors, and I believe such policies are an instant red flag for a poorly designed class.

Ben Wollack is saving his sick day for the inevitable third illness.

Attendance is important, so it should be graded

The point of school is attending classes. While some might prioritize assignments, exams or making connections with other students, all of that still revolves around attending class.

So it’s a bit shocking to see how rampant the skipping culture is on this campus. I have heard of a friend group of five not having anyone attend class. I question what knowledge someone would gain without going to class.

I imagine how I would feel learning if my professor skipped class everyday. All the confidence I have in their ability to teach the class would plummet. 

Additionally, we are on a college campus. Mess around on a Friday night or on the weekend, but on a weekday? What could you be doing at 10 a.m. on Tuesday that you can’t make it to class?

Besides, most classes or sections only last for an hour to 75 minutes. Yes, I hate being locked in a location for an extended period of time, but I know some people who love spending an hour or more in De La Guerra Dining Commons. So with that in mind, I think it makes sense for attendance to be graded.

Just stay in the building for 75 minutes and do something else. I’ve seen people do online shopping, playing the New York Times’ Wordle or watch a movie. At least if you’re in the room you might catch something from the professor as opposed to nothing.

Some of the stories I’ve heard about skipping class are crazy. I’ve heard of people making group chats for access codes or running by the building in time to hit the iClicker. Why spend energy finding all of these workarounds instead of just going to class?

Admittedly, I’m in classes with less than 30 people, where your absence will be noticed, making it silly to skip. Also, I came from a school where classes would be two-and-a-half hours long, so it feels noticeable how short the classes are here.

I know there are sometimes policies that are too strict with attendance, like some classes do not allow you to make up points when you are absent.

I also understand there are times where you might not feel like going to class or times when you genuinely can’t find a way to make it out of bed. It’s 100% okay to prioritize your health first. If you are in a class that is 200 people or less, feel encouraged to email the professor or TA so you can inform them of what’s going on. I sympathize with the feeling of your body draining. Thank you, senioritis. 

This message is more for the people who will skip class any chance they get. If you are often having the thought process of “I just don’t wanna” be the precept of your decision making, then that is a cause for concern. Imagine class is like a job: It might not be fun, but it’s important to be there to get your paycheck.

Malia Guy loves the easy points that attendance gives.