Attendance requirements Studying at university can be very different from school, sixth form or college. Your term time will be different, as will your classes. Whether attendance is mandatory or not will also vary. Your classes will be divided into lectures and seminars. You will also have study sessions and inductions each year. Failure to attend mandatory sessions could have implications on your progression towards your degree, so it is important to understand what is mandatory and what is not.
Most universities do care about attendance. Universities generally associate good attendance with good academic performance, and therefore strongly encourage students to attend all of their seminars and lectures. Many universities will have an attendance threshold which students must reach. Likewise, module tutors may use a register to log and monitor the attendance of students for each seminar and lecture.
The real world has attendance requirements, too. If you don’t meet those expectations, you will get penalized. Jobs, for example, have required attendance. If you skip a day of work because you’re not up to it, you will probably face consequences. You have to be actively present to achieve your career goals, you can’t coast through your career like you may in college. College prepares you for the real world, so class attendance benefits your education and your future. That’s why many people think class attendance should be mandatory – to ensure students are engaged in their academic studies.
But, even without required attendance, it is your job to show up. Tests often reflect lectures, so being in class can help you more easily answer test questions. Most classes use participation to discuss topics in class, which goes beyond just needing to know it for tests. Attendance also makes it easier to work with fellow students and professors, so as to better understand the topics.
Active participation is not just for jobs and school. It can help you in life as well. Attending class would help emphasize that people need to be active in their role in society. This includes participating in things like elections, community service, and volunteering.
Most notably, we must pay for the classes we take, so missing a class means we hurt ourselves by wasting money, time, and educational opportunities. Not everyone gets to attend a uni, so why not take advantage of this opportunity?
On the other hand, if attendance is not required, you can choose whether or not to get out of bed in the morning and make your way to class. I must admit that there are days I may really want to choose not to go to class. But it is required, so I feel as though I have no choice at all. Maybe I feel a cold coming on but can’t make it to a doctor for a sick note, or I had to work extra late at my part-time job the night before. Most frequently I need some extra time to catch up on the overwhelming amount of homework I have been assigned in all of my classes.
Regardless of the reason, the choice should be mine. I understand that going to class is beneficial in many ways. But burnout is real. Many full-time students work just to make ends meet, and you can’t always predict illnesses well enough to get a university approved absence.
The requirement to attend classes can negatively affect grades and cause a great deal of stress for students that are under enough stress already. Many students who are not able to attend every single class still deserve a decent grade, and they work very hard to maintain one. We are adults. We are choosing to further our education. Therefore, we should also be given the choice to attend class or not – without it being detrimental to our grades. |