Removing Attendance Policies in College Courses

Last semester, I watched a classmate argue with a professor about why she deserved a B

over a C. She did all the work, took every test, and spent hours outside of class studying the

material, however, had to miss more than a few classes due to work obligations. The professor’s

attendance policy stated that missing a certain number of classes resulted in a 10% grade

deduction, and so he stood firm with the C.

Today, many professors on college campuses nationwide enforce an attendance policy. In

the past 40 years, studies have proven a positive correlation between attendance and

performance. However, attendance doesn’t always guarantee a student’s academic achievement.

Other factors—motivation, interest, intelligence, persistence—play a huge role in a student’s

success so attendance should not be a key factor in determining a student’s final grade.

Undoubtedly, administrators and professors want students to attend class. By attending

class, a student has a better chance to do well because the material is presented to them and they

have the option to either listen and learn, or to not. However, by forcing students to come to

class, you’ll find students who show up because they have to, and not because they genuinely

want to be there, which can affect how much effort they put into the class.

A student may spend four hours a day studying for a class outside of its designated

meeting time, but miss a class or two due to family obligations or not being able to get out of

their job at that specific time. Their lack of attendance does not reflect how much effort they put

into the class, and so professors shouldn’t let attendance be such a huge factor in a student’s final

grade.

Jennifer Takeda is a student at California State University, Fullerton studying Public Relations.