Course Planning: Attendance and Participation

The following variables need to be considered when setting and evaluating attendance and participation expectations.

• Course level (100s to 700s)
• Course content
• Course modality (how the course is offered by the instructor, e.g., on-campus instruction)
• Course prerequisites
• Class size
• Class location (field, internship, on-campus, studio, lab, lecture hall)

• Questions Related to the Rationale Behind Class Attendance and Participation Policies
  • To what extent are activities in class aligned with assignments and learning outcomes?
  • How do you create a culture of learning versus one predicated on grades and earning points?
  • How does learning happen in your classroom?
  • In what ways do students engage with content in the class? With other learners? With you as the instructor?
  • How is class participation related to learning?
  • How are students’ demonstrations of learning related to assessments?
  • Why should students attend class? How is their attendance related to participation, the course learning goals, and measurements of success? How does not attending class impact students’ learning in the course and/or demonstrating learning outcomes?
  • What are students missing by not attending and participating in a class that they wouldn’t gain from reading the text or other material? For example, perhaps your concern is that they would miss out on the opportunity to engage with you and other students in group discussion. However, are the past participation rates for these activities high enough to indicate that students found these helpful and motivating enough for them to come to class?
  • How do career-related expectations factor into your course? For example, A K-12 teacher gets 3 personal days per year and only 10 sick days. You have to go to work even when you don't feel like it. How does this expectation translate into the 38 class sessions for your class per semester? If you require that a student notify you if they are going to be/are absent, help students understand how this is commensurate with professional behavior expectations.
• Questions Related to Setting/Enforcing Class Attendance and Participation Policies
  • What does participation look like in your learning environment(s), e.g, face-to-face vs. remote?
  • How do you evaluate participation?
  • How is student reflection on participation addressed (if it’s appropriate)?
  • How do you differentiate between students simply attending and physically being present in class and actually participating during class?
  • At what point in the course are incomplete and/or withdrawal options for students appropriate? How and when are these options communicated to students?
  • How can students make up learning outcomes from missed classes without it falling on you as extra work? How can students be provided opportunities to continue their learning while being held accountable for the class content?
  • How are resources that work to discourage student absences and support learning communicated to students?
  • For laboratory and studio instruction, how are you factoring in access and space limitations as you plan late and make-up work procedures? How are these procedures and their rationale communicated to students?

• Devise strategies for communicating and interacting with students. Review this template adapted from the University of Utah to create a communication and interaction plan to support student engagement and learning.
• Ensure that the course structure is clearly communicated on the first day/during the first week, including what a “typical” class period might look like.
• Help students understand that from Day 1 they are strongly encouraged to raise questions when clarification is needed.
• Make expectations clear. Communicate what you expect of students, and what students can expect from you. Create an official or unofficial “contract” to hold each other accountable.
• Remind students of course procedures and the rationale behind them. The midpoint of the semester, particularly when presenting midcourse evaluation data to students, is a good opportunity to help students connect learning opportunities and resources with the course culture, structure, and routines.
• Ensure that the course syllabus is clear and consistent on dates for dropping with a W or Incomplete. Ensure that this information is aligned with the accompanying course Canvas site.
• Integrate weekly student reflections into the course to allow students to demonstrate mastery of learning objectives. Remind students of the metrics used to evaluate their success and what resources are available to support their learning.
• Ensure that there are frequent and varied opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery of learning outcomes rather than just a few high-stakes assessments.
• Communicate campus-wide resources that support meeting students’ needs and their physical, mental, and emotional health:
  • Dean of Students Care Team: The Care Team serves as a centralized coordinated body for discussion and action (through intervention practices) regarding students exhibiting behaviors that indicate distress, cause a disturbance in the community, and/or present a danger to oneself or others.
  • Guide from Student Life for instructors: Supporting Students in a Post-Pandemic World
  • Instructor resource from Student Counseling Services: Help a Student (look at this first) and Menu of Services.
  • Article from The Chronicle of Higher Education: Students Struggling With Mental Health Often Confide in Professors. They Want More Guidance on How to Help.
  • Student and Family Resources page (caregivers, foster care alumni and emancipated youth, utilities, housing, food, apparel, and laptops).
  • Student Wellness website and Dimensions of Wellness.

• Exit slips/low stakes activities to promote student learning, attendance, and engagement. Note: Points assigned need to be weighted enough that these are of sufficient “point value” for students to attend. Article 3 talked about the value of points/impact on grade.
• Dropping the lowest grade on a set of assignments (e.g., lowest lab, lowest quiz)
• No Questions Asked (NQA) policy: Extend the deadline for up to 3 assignments
  (“I do not need to know why”).