There are two types of classes at NJIT: ones with mandatory attendance policies and those without them. This dichotomy exists in both general education classes and upper-level electives across all majors and schools. This begs the question: what is the significance of mandatory attendance policies?
Attendance has no true bearing on a student’s performance in class. Students who do not go to class are just as likely to fail an exam as students who attend lectures and complete other tasks, play games, or doomscroll while the professor is teaching. This is why I, and many other NJIT students, believe that attendance should stop having an impact on students’ grades; it does not truly reflect the student’s ability to learn and apply the course material. Attendance simply implies physical presence, not their willingness to learn.
Additionally, many NJIT students have commitments outside of their regular courseload commitments, which enhance their overall learning at NJIT and prepare them for work in their respective fields. While material taught in a lecture is necessary to build foundation, the application of the same material has to be in a real-world setting. While it is unacceptable for students to consistently plan their other commitments during the time of their lectures, it is possible that they bleed into lecture time. Why should students who are able to learn the material themselves be penalized for committing to another opportunity once in a while?
At the end of the day, whether a student attends classes speaks about their priorities. Students’ grades should not be based on their choice in priority on any given day, whether that be their mental health or a bullet on their résumé. For classes such as labs and seminars, the commitment is shown through physical presence, but this can not be applied to classes such as lectures, which are able to have a separate metric: exams. The commitment to the class is shown through students’ understanding of material.
Another consideration must be made for students’ unique learning styles. There are those who can follow along with the lecture and learn effectively from the PowerPoint, while others like myself, have a hard time focusing on the lecture. With a mandatory attendance policy, this is at least an hour and half time commitment. At a later time, the same hour and half could be used to effectively digest the material at the student’s personal pace.
Professors who value class participation in lectures should consider including an extra credit section for attendance. If implemented, it has bearing on the final grade, but not in a detrimental way. As students, our presence in lectures should be to our benefit rather than used against our grades.
