As a college student, I strongly oppose mandatory class attendance. These strict requirements, set by professors, often inhibit learning, bring unnecessary stress and can jeopardize student health.
Attending lectures may not always be the most effective way for individuals to learn. For some students, reading the textbook or working on practice problems may be more beneficial than sitting through a large lecture with little interaction.
“Individuals should be able to learn in whatever way suits them best as long as they achieve the ends of learning,” said Benjamin Lion, a senior staff writer, in a 2022 op-ed in the Guardian at the University of California, San Diego. Grades should “not be used to incentivize students to conform to a certain style of learning.”
“Even a baby can sit in a lecture,” wrote student Ari Webb in a 2021 article in the Stanford Review. “Why should a Stanford University student be awarded credit for doing something a baby can do?” He said grades should reflect a student’s understanding of the material rather than his attendance or participation in class.
Eliza MacKnight agrees. She was a student at James Madison University when she wrote in 2018 that strict attendance policies can spread illnesses across campus. “In an age when everyone is overworked, overbooked and overstressed, professors should encourage students to put their health first, not make them feel even more stressed about the potential of their grade dropping every time they miss class,” she said in the Breeze, a student publication.
Professors often argue that mandatory attendance promotes learning. “The existing research on class attendance consistently demonstrates an association between students’ regular class attendance and academic performance,” says the University of Massachusetts Center for Teaching and Learning.
However, this argument fails to consider the individual needs of students — and how such requirements can affect some students. Alejandra Osegueda, a student at the University of North Texas, wrote last year in the North Texas Daily, “The attendance requirement establishes the expectation all will succeed if they attend every class. For students who do not adequately absorb information from lectures, this can leave them with feelings of ineptness, which can develop depression and potentially discourage attendance altogether.”
Professors should trust their students to make responsible decisions about their attendance and prioritize their health when necessary. Students should choose how they engage with course material in a way that best suits them. It’s time for professors to shift their focus from attendance to more meaningful learning experiences.
Justin Dudley, of Windsor Locks, is a senior at Central Connecticut State University. He majors in communication.