2008 Woodie Awards
Dependence on attendance: Some professors force students to attend class, others more lax
Samantha Pysher, Reporter
Issue date: 2/12/08 Section: News
Students know every syllabus designates a space for the attendance policy section, which may or may not be the key to an A. Some professors uphold policies where students can miss a maximum amount of days before attendance begins affecting their grade. Others enforce policies where a certain amount of points of the final semester grade is based on attendance.
John Russo of the management department is one of the professors who doesn't have an attendance policy.
"Students pay good money to attend classes, and I don't believe in artificial prompts to get to class," Russo said.
He said he feels that students haven't taken advantage of his "no-attendance policy" attendance policy. His theory for why his policy works is because if students are put in a position to do the right thing — in this case attend class — they will.
John Buoni, professor emeritus and former chair of the department of mathematics and statistics, said things happen and students should not be penalized if they are unable to attend class.
Buoni's attendance policy for his Math 1571 class this semester reads, "Although I feel that it is essential for you to attend class, no direct punishment will be assessed to your final grade if you choose not to attend class."
Over 10 years ago, Buoni tried an attendance policy that rewarded students with good attendance. If students had an attendance rate of over 90 percent they were able to drop a test grade.
"This was an idea borrowed from the North Carolina State University department of math's attendance policy. The chair at the time didn't think that it was quite legal, so we didn't use that policy," Buoni said.
"I've never had any problems with my attendance policies," he added.
The Academic Policies and Procedures section of YSU's 2007-2008 Undergraduate Bulletin states that "excessive class absence concerns instructor and student, and consequently requires their mutual effort."
John Russo of the management department is one of the professors who doesn't have an attendance policy.
"Students pay good money to attend classes, and I don't believe in artificial prompts to get to class," Russo said.
He said he feels that students haven't taken advantage of his "no-attendance policy" attendance policy. His theory for why his policy works is because if students are put in a position to do the right thing — in this case attend class — they will.
John Buoni, professor emeritus and former chair of the department of mathematics and statistics, said things happen and students should not be penalized if they are unable to attend class.
Buoni's attendance policy for his Math 1571 class this semester reads, "Although I feel that it is essential for you to attend class, no direct punishment will be assessed to your final grade if you choose not to attend class."
Over 10 years ago, Buoni tried an attendance policy that rewarded students with good attendance. If students had an attendance rate of over 90 percent they were able to drop a test grade.
"This was an idea borrowed from the North Carolina State University department of math's attendance policy. The chair at the time didn't think that it was quite legal, so we didn't use that policy," Buoni said.
"I've never had any problems with my attendance policies," he added.
The Academic Policies and Procedures section of YSU's 2007-2008 Undergraduate Bulletin states that "excessive class absence concerns instructor and student, and consequently requires their mutual effort."
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