ing
g & Learn
r Teachin Volume 1, Issue 3
Center fo
April 18, 2009
TEACH TO REACH
Why Don’t They Come to Class?
Students’ absenteeism is a major concern for educators at higher education institutions. At-
tendance is important in student success and in one research the mean GPA for students
with strong attendance was, on average, one entire letter grade higher than that of students
with poorer attendance (Romer, 1993).
Research looked at various variables that were statistically significant predictors of why stu-
dents miss classes (list of research references at the end of this newsletter). The findings were
the following:
Smaller classes had less absenteeism.
There was more absenteeism in the principle courses than in the upper level courses.
INSIDE THIS
The better the quality of the instructor, the less the absenteeism. Classes that were not
ISSUE:
challenging enough where lectures were the most predominant activities. These classes
were seen by students as boring, irrelevant, and a waste of time and therefore, more ab-
Class attendance 1 senteeism.
Students' perceptions: Either they don’t value college or they know that they can miss
class days and still receive credit.
Strategies for atten- 1
Students' academic self-concept– those who feel inferior academically may attend classes
dance less.
Family conflict– students who experience family conflict and or have a problem balancing
DU Faculty Voices 2 between work and university tend to miss classes.
Social competence in class: Absentees are less likely to feel socially competent in class,
have poor relationships with teachers and other students.
Ways of Getting Feed- 3
back Can you Bring them Back to Class?
One-Minute Paper
Model the desired behavior. Be on
There are a number of strategies that instructors time and present, both in class and
Ways of Getting Feed- 4
can use to increase class attendance: during office hours.
back
Mid-Semester Evalua- Have a discussion about homework expecta-
tion
Use a variety of techniques such as
tions and proper study habits in your course. small discussion groups, mini-
projects, case-studies, etc. Students
The Pareto Principle 5
Make Academic life more appealing and excit- are more likely to attend a class when
80-20 rule
ing, so students attend more frequently. there are a variety of learning activi-
ties.
Encourage attendance with clearly stated
References 5 policies on attendance and put them in writ- Create an atmosphere of respect and
ing in the syllabus. community in the classroom where
students feel free to share their ques-
Encourage attendance by certain course
tions and comments.
practices such as testing extensively from
material presented in class, class discussion Learn students' names. This increases
rather than material from the text; use of in- both their level of comfort and their
class quizzes and other exercises worth only feelings of accountability. a respect for
a few points that reward attendance (Sleigh & class times.
Ritzer, 2001).
Require more homework and reading .
PAGE 2
Voices from Our DU Faculty
How to keep a good students’ attendance in your class?
Good attendance at the University is vital for students to achieve their full educa-
tional potential. Students with good attendance records benefit much and normally
achieve high scores. To achieve this target, the normal procedure I do personally fol-
low is that I work hard to memorise the names of students since the first class in the
semester. Calling on a student by his name is one of the magical techniques that
help to attract the students to my class. This simple gesture gives the student iden-
tity and conveys the idea to the student that he is important in the group.
When one of my students misses a class and fails to attend, I ask his colleagues
about him. The next time he shows up, I usually inquire from him about his ab-
sence last class. These procedures give the student an impression that his presence
is vital in the group. This boosts his self-confidence and encourages him to avoid
any future absences.
Classroom activities and regular assessment exercises at the beginning of each ses-
sion encourages students to attend and lets them think twice before missing a class
with no valid reason.
As any good teacher
knows, the methods of Finally, just to mention, a dynamic live character instructor plays a key-role in at-
instruction and the
range of material tracting students to class and avoid missing a single session.
covered are matters of
small importance as
compared with the Dr. Heba Hassan, Assistant Professor
success in arousing
the natural curiosity College of Engineering
of the students and
stimulating their
interest in exploring
on their own.
A HELPING HAND
-- Noam Chomsky,
As a Thanksgiving assignment, a teacher asked her first graders to draw a pic-
ture of something for which they were grateful. One boy’s picture puzzled her.
Eddy was a timid child, always found close to her shadow at recess. He had sim-
ply drawn a hand. The class was captivated by the sketch.
“I think it must be the hand of God, that brings us food,” said one.
“A farmer,” said another,” because he grows food.”
The teacher was pleased to see her class so responsive, that she had almost for-
gotten Eddy himself. But, when the other children were quietly at work, she went
over to his desk.
“What did the hand mean to you, Eddy?” she asked.
He mumbled, “It’s yours, teacher.” Silently, she clasped Eddy’s small hand.
She had something to be thankful for, too.
The impact conscientious teachers make and the influence they wield on
young minds, hearts, spirits and lives of those whom they educate is immense,
incalculable and enduring.
Suchi Gopalan, Instructor at the Foundation Program
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 PAGE 3
Ways of Getting Feedback from Students
The One—Minute Paper
Often university faculty work under the assump- When to Use One-Minute Paper
tion that they know what they think their stu-
dents are getting from their class sessions. How- At the END of a class - students reflect back and
ever, how often does each one of us addresses think more deeply about the most important con-
how close are students’ understandings to our cept discussed in class that day. A number of re-
own expectations? Do faculty wait till there is a search studies indicate that a short review of ma-
quiz, test, or a final to find out. In other words, do terial presented to students at the end of a class
they wait for the end of the semester to find the period, helps them retain almost twice as much of
answer? the factual and conceptual content when tested
The “one-minute paper” may be defined as a very for it at a later point in time (e.g., two months
short, in-class writing activity (taking one-minute later) (Menges, 1988).
or less to complete) in response to an instructor- At the BEGINNING of class—activate prior knowl-
posed question, which prompts students to reflect edge and probe into ideas and feelings students
on the day’s lesson and provides the instructor may already have about the material to be cov-
with useful feedback. ered in the upcoming class.
DURING the class period, especially right after
This strategy was originally developed by a Phys-
discussion of a key point. This allows for student
ics professor at the University of California,
reflection on that point before another point is
Berkeley (cited in Davis, Wood, & Wilson, 1983),
introduced. It also gives students an exercise in
then popularized by Cross and Angelo (1993) as
which they have to respond to the ideas they are
one of a wide variety of quick “classroom assess-
hearing. Research indicates that student atten-
ment techniques” (CATs)—designed to provide
tion and comprehension are strengthened by
instructors with anonymous feedback on what
short pauses that encourage mental activity in
students are learning in class. For example, stu-
the middle of class presentations—for example
dents write a one-minute paper at the end of a
“Tear out half a sheet of paper and write your re-
session in response to such questions as, “What
action to the presentation thus far” (Bligh, 2000).
was the most important concept or useful, mean-
ingful, or intriguing thing you learned in class
today? Or, “What was the ‘muddiest’ or most con-
How to Use
Distribute index cards or ask students to use a
fusing concept covered in today’s class?”
half-sheet of paper to write their responses.
The one-minute paper serves many functions Student names aren’t necessary
Ascertain students’ understanding of a par- Act on the feedback.
ticular class.
Get a sense of how students would rate the Examples of questions as prompts for 1-minute papers
course. Without looking at your notes, what was most memora-
Improve the quality of class discussion by ble that stands out in your mind about today’s class?
having students write briefly about a concept What was the most surprising and/or unexpected idea
that was discussed in class today?
or issue.
For you, what interesting questions remain unan-
Involve all students in class simultaneously. swered about today’s topic?
It ensures equal participation of each and During today’s class, what idea (s) struck you as things
every class member. or ideas you could or should put into practice?
Promote class attendance and attentiveness. What example or illustration presented in today’s class
Promote writing-across-the curriculum. could you relate to the most?
Promote greater reflection and deeper think- Was there a position taken in today’s class that you
ing in the classroom. strongly disagreed with, or found to be disturbing and
troubling?
Over the years, the one- minute paper has been What idea expressed in today’s class strongly affected
used for other purposes than a content-centered or influenced your personal opinions, attitudes, or val-
or instructional feedback strategy. It has been ues?
used as a student-centered reflection strategy de- Write two quiz questions about the material covered
signed to help students discover their own mean- today.
ing in relation to concepts covered in class, and During our class (or small-group) discussion today,
what thoughts came to your mind that you did not get
to build instructor-student rapport.
the chance to share verbally?
PAGE 4
TEACH TO REACH
Mid Semester Evaluation
Another way of getting feedback from students regarding the quality of instruction is by
asking students for their honest and constructive opinion. You could use:
A- Questionnaire Format for Students
How much did the following help your learning?
Use the following scale (5 for a great deal to 1 not at all, 0 for no opinion/not applicable
Lecture
Feedback I received
Discussion in class
Number of tests
Group work
Textbook
Hands-on activities
Readings
Labs of the internet
Use
Grading system
Quality of contact with the instructor
How much has this class added to your skills in the following areas?
Use the following scale (5 for a great deal to 1 not at all, 0 for no opinion/not applicable
Writing Papers
Problem solving
Critically Reviewing Articles
Working with others
Presentation
Oral
Designing Experiments, Reports
To what extent do you agree with the following?
5– strongly agree to 1 not applicable
grading is fair, impartial and well-
The instructor is willing to help me
The
defined.
instructor encourages me to learn
The
Comments on returned assignments
are helpful. instructor gets the class involved.
The
textbook is easy to understand
The
material covered is presented in
The
an organized way
What percent of the classes have you attended so far this semester? __________
What grade are you expecting in this course? _________
B– Open Ended Questions.
1. What have you learned in this course that you have found so far particularly interesting
or exciting?
2. Is the pace of the course too fast/too slow/ just right?
3. What would you like to see more of between now and the end of the semester?
4. Are the topics of interest to you? Am I knowledgeable in the subject matter?
5. What is it that I am doing that is helping you learn in this course?
6. What is it that you would like me to stop doing since it is making it difficult for you to un-
derstand?
7. What challenges are you facing in this class? What do you need (from yourself, me, class-
mates, etc.) in order to meet these challenges?
8. If you could change one thing about this course, what would it be?
9. At this point in the semester, what has been taught that is still confusing or unclear and
you feel needs more coverage in class?
PAGE 5
TEACH TO REACH
Makes You Pause and Think
I would like to share with you something I learned during one of my readings. It is the “Law of
the Vital Few and the Trivial Many”. It is also known as the 80-20 rule. This principle is cred-
ited to Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923), an Italian economist who studied the distribution of wealth
in countries around 1900. Simply put, it means that few are vital and many are trivial. This
applies to many aspects of life; wealth, businesses, workplace, education, others.
Think about these
A minority of input produces the majority of results.
80% of the wealth in most countries is controlled by about 20% of the people
80% of an instructor's time is taken up by 20% of the students
80% of the decisions made in meetings come from 20% of the meeting time
80% of the outfits we wear come from 20% of the clothes in our closets and drawers
80% of what we produce is generated during 20% of our working hours
80% of the profits come from 20% of the customers
20% of staff will cause 80% of problems
Basma Faour
Director, CTL
References
Angelo, T. A. & Cross K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques (2nd ed.). San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bligh, D. A. (2000). What’s the use of lectures? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Davis, B. G., Wood, L., and Wilson, R. (1983). ABC's of Teaching with Excellence: A
Berkeley Compendium of Suggestions for Teaching with Excellence. Berkeley: Office of
Educational Development, University of California,
http://teaching.berkeley.edu/compendium/
Deci, E., Vallerand, R., Pelletier, L., and Ryan, R. (1991). Motivation and Education: The
Self-Determination Perspective. Educational Psychologist. 26 (3 & 4), 325-346.
Kang H. Park and Peter M. Kerr, (Spring, 1990). Determinants of Academic Perform-
ance: A Multinomial Logit Approach . The Journal of Economic Education. 101-111.
Levine, Judith (1992). The Effect of Different Attendance Policies on Student Attendance
and Achievement. Paper presented at Eastern Psychological Association.
Menges, R. (1988). Research on teaching and learning: The relevant and redundant. Re-
view of Higher Education.11, 259-268.
Romer, David (Summer, 1993). "Do Students Go to Class? Should They?" The Journal
of Economic Perspectives. 167-174.
Schlenker, Dale E. and Norma Coles McKinnon. (1994). Assessing Faculty Perform-
ance Using Student Evaluation of Instruction. (ERIC Microfiche ED 371 667)
Schmidt, Robert M. (May, 1983). Who Maximizes What? A Study in Student Time Allo-
cation. American Economic Review. 23-28.
Sleigh, M. J. and Ritzer, D. R. American Psychologist Society Observer. "Encouraging
Student Attendance." Accessed August 27, 2007.
http://ww.psychologicalscience.org/observer/1101/tips.html
Wyatt, Gary. (July, 1992). Skipping Class: An Analysis of Absenteeism Among First-
Year College Students. Teaching Sociology. 201-207.