Every student knows the feeling of having one extra absence affect his or her grade. For many professors the difference between three and four absences is enough to deduct a letter grade.
The attendance policy in the Student Guide states that students must attend 80 percent of their classes to pass. It says nothing else about attendance. No mention of four absences being more significant than three can be found.
ACU has one attendance policy, but within the colleges, departments and individual professors are numerous attendance policies. This creates confusion among the students. Much like federal law sets a standard throughout the country, so should an attendance policy be made that holds the same standards for every class and professor.
Because ACU keeps students accountable for their absences, why do professors feel the need to make attendance more valuable than it needs to be?
Students are responsible enough to make decisions about class attendance without punishment from a professor. The grade a student ultimately receives should be all the encouragement or punishment he needs without the added grade deduction from a professor.
Attendance is important to students when missing a class means getting behind or missing a quiz grade. However, high school is in the past and students can make their own choices about class attendance.
Professors sometimes think enforcement of a strict attendance policy forces a student to be more disciplined and learn to cope with the “real world.”
In reality, strict policy only makes the student feel more like a high school student again who can’t make responsible decisions about himself.
Professors feel attendance is vital in class participation and the students’ chance to stay up to date with the material.
A class with a professor who has a slack attendance policy lets the student decide when to come and when not to come to class, thus feeling more like an adult. A student can deal with the consequences of not going to class.
Classes with an attendance policy outlining how many points each absence costs condescend students, turning them off from the professor and the class for restricting their freedom in decision-making. It is impossible to assess the value of a missed class on a point scale.
Students should be allowed to make their own choices regarding class attendance. A student’s grade should depend on their own competence and understanding of the material. Passing grades along with a solid understanding of the material should not be hindered because of what the professor thinks are excessive absences.
ACU prides itself on being a university of caring students, faculty, professors and so on, but with the caring needs to come a sense of letting go. Professors should loosen the reins and let students pass or fail because of the work they have done. Not for the classes they attended or not.
