Impact of the Stringency of Attendance Policies on Class Attendance/Participation and Course Grades

Article Sidebar

cover image
PDF
Published: Jan 25, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v19i1.23717
Keywords:
Academic success, Attendance, Participation, Course policies, Face-to-face courses, Online courses, Engagement, Motivation

Main Article Content

Liugen Zhu
Indiana University
Edgar Huang
Indiana University
Joseph Defazio
Indiana University
Sara Anne Hook
Indiana University

Abstract

The purpose of this preliminary study was to investigate the impact of three diverse attendance and participation policies in face-to-face and online courses and the effect on students’ final grades in each course. We examined nine different undergraduate courses taught between Fall 2010 and Spring 2015. The results suggest that a more stringent attendance policy significantly impacts student attendance, absences were negatively correlated with course grades, and that course delivery methods were not predictive of either attendance/participation or course grades.  Additional research is needed to determine what other factors might influence attendance and participation and correlation to course grades.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Zhu, L., Huang, E., Defazio, J., & Hook, S. A. (2019). Impact of the Stringency of Attendance Policies on Class Attendance/Participation and Course Grades. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v19i1.23717
Issue
Vol. 19 No. 2 (2019): Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Section
Articles
  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL) right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC-BY) 4.0 International, allowing others to share the work with proper acknowledgement and citation of the work's authorship and initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
     
  2. Authors are able to enter separate, additional contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

  3. In pursuit of manuscripts of the highest quality, multiple opportunities for mentoring, and greater reach and citation of JoSoTL publications, JoSoTL encourages authors to share their drafts to seek feedback from relevant communities unless the manuscript is already under review or in the publication queue after being accepted. In other words, to be eligible for publication in JoSoTL, manuscripts should not be shared publicly (e.g., online), while under review (after being initially submitted, or after being revised and resubmitted for reconsideration), or upon notice of acceptance and before publication. Once published, authors are strongly encouraged to share the published version widely, with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Author Biographies

Liugen Zhu, Indiana University

A Senior Lecturer in the Department of Human-Centered Computing, Louie Zhu currently teaches several core courses in the Informatics Bachelor of Science program. He regularly teaches INFO I201, INFO I210, and INFO I211. Before joining IUPUI in 2009, Louie was an associate professor at Vincennes University, Indiana, teaching information technology courses.

 

Edgar Huang, Indiana University

Associate Professor in the Department of Human-Centered Computing, Dr. Huang has taught media convergence, online video streaming, video production and editing, photojournalism, photography, web publishing, graphic and layout design, research methods, computer-assisted reporting, and news writing courses at IUPUI, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Northern Illinois University, Indiana University, University of California, San Diego, and the Institute of International Relations. Huang started his college teaching career in 1984.

Joseph Defazio, Indiana University

Associate Professor in the Department of Human-Centered Computing, Joseph Defazio has been involved in project development and management within the School of Informatics and Computing, Media Informatics. His focus is multi-faceted in that it encompasses graphics, animation, sound, video, 3D environments, authoring, programming toward interactive simulation and game applications. His project development efforts have been primarily Media Informatics students; both graduate and undergraduate. Together they have worked on informative, instructional, entertaining, and simulation productions.

Sara Anne Hook, Indiana University

Sara Anne Hook is Professor, Department of Human-Centered Computing at the Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing, IUPUI, where she has developed a suite of online courses in the emerging field of legal informatics. She is Adjunct Professor of Law in the Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indiana University, where she taught courses in intellectual property law and professional responsibility, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of American Studies, School of Liberal Arts, IUPUI.

References

Baum, J. F., & Youngblood, S. A. (1975). Impact of an organizational control policy on absenteeism, performance, and satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60, 688-694.

Berenson, S. B., Carter, G., & Norwood, K. S. (1992). The at-risk student in college developmental algebra. School Science and Mathematics, 92, 55-58.

Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university (3rd ed.). Berkshire: McGraw Hill, Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press.

Butler, A., Phillmann, K., & Smart, L. (2001). Active learning within a lecture: Assessing the impact of short, in-class writing exercises. Teaching of Psychology, 28, 257-259.

Chenneville, T & Jordan, C. (2008). Impact of attendance policies on course attendance among college students. Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8, 29-35.

Clark, G., Gill, N., Walker, M., & Whittle, R. (2011). Attendance and performance: correlations and motives in lecture-based modules. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 35, 199-215.

Clump, M. A., Bauer, H., & Whiteleather, A. (2003). To attend or not to attend: Is that a good question? Journal of Instructional Psychology, 30, 220-224.

Cohn, E. & Johnson, E. (2006). Class attendance and performance in principles of economics. Education Economics, 14(2), 211-233.

Corbin, L., Burns, K., & Chrzanowski, A. (2010). If you teach it, will they come? Lay students’ class attendance and student engagement. Legal Education Review, 20(1 & 2), 13-44.

Dalelio, C. (2013). Student participation in online discussion boards in a higher education setting. International Journal on E-Learning, 12, 249-271.

Devadoss, S. & Foltz, S. (1996). Evaluation of factors influencing student class attendance and performance. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 78, 499-507.

Friedman, P., Rodriguez, F. & McComb, J. (2014). Why students do and do not attend classes: myths and realities. College Teaching, 49(4), 124-133.

Gbadamosi, G. (2015). Should we bother improving students’ attendance at seminars? Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 52(2), 196-206.

Golding, J. M. (2011). The role of attendance in lecture classes: you can lead a horse to water … Teaching of Psychology, 38(1), 40-42.

Gump, S. E. (2010). The cost of cutting class: Attendance as a predictor of success. College Teaching, 53(1), 21-26.

Hammen, C. S. & Kelland, J. L. (1994). Course attendance and grades in human physiology. Advances in Physiology Education, 267, S105-S108.

Hancock, T. M. (1994). Effects of mandatory attendance on student performance. College Student Journal, 26, 326-329.

KunhiMohamed, B. B. V. (2012). Student participation and grade performance in an undergraduate online learning environment (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ERIC (ED 552196).

Kupszynski, L., Gibson, A. M., Ice, P., Richardson, J., & Challoo, L. (2011). The impact and frequency on achievement in online courses: A study from a South Texas University. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 10, 141-149.

Larkin, H. (2010). “But they won’t come to lectures …” The impact of audio recorded lectures on student experience and attendance. Australia Journal of Education Technology, 26(2), 238-249.

Launius, M. H. (1997). College student attendance: Attitudes and academic performance. College Student Journal, 31, 86-92.

Lyubartseva, G. & Mallik, U.P. (2012). Attendance and student performance in undergraduate chemistry courses. Education, 133(1), 31-34.

MaGarr, O. (2009). A review of podcasting in higher education: Its influence on the traditional lecture. Australia Journal of Education Technology, 25(3), 309-321.

McKinlay, N. (2007). The vanishing student trick – the trouble with recording lectures. Paper presented at the 6th Teaching Matters Conference, University of Tasmania.

Meulenbroek, B. & van den Bogaard, M. (2013). Attendance and attainment in a calculus course. European Journal of Engineering Education, 38(5), 532-542.

Rogers, J. R. (2001). A panel-data study of the effect of student attendance on university performance. Australian Journal of Education, 45(3), 2001, 284-295.

Sawon K., Pembroke M., & Wille, P. (2012). An analysis of student characteristics and behaviour in relation to absence from lectures. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. 34(6), 575-586.

Thomas, P. V. & Higbee, J. L. (2000). The relationship between involvement and success in development algebra. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 30(2), 222-232.

Van Blerkom, M. L. (1992). Class attendance in undergraduate courses. The Journal of Psychology, 126, 487-494.

Westerman, J. W., Perez-Batres, L. A., Coffey, B. S., & Pouder, R. W. (2011). The relationship between undergraduate attendance and performance revisited: alignment of student and instructor goals. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 9(1), 49-67.