FYI - for small classes, absences seem to be a real problem. One strategy I have used with success is to require that students submit a detailed outline of the chapter/reading missed when they arrive at the NEXT class. Most students prefer to be in class, but the detailed outline keeps them on track if they must miss. I tie it into points for class preparation/participation.
I agree with others - make the first few minutes very valuable but you can even start with humor (cartoons) or a puzzler - most students are embarrassed to come in and have missed something everyone else has found funny or interesting. I also required assignments to be put on my desk at the beginning of class - after very few grumblings, students bring begin to have them there throughout the semester. I put them away in my briefcase about 5 minutes into class. Late assignments are then graded down, if not turned in at the beginning of class. (I give latitude for one late assignment, but they know a second one will be penalized.) Susan St. John, Assoc. Professor of Sociology Corning Community College 1 Academic Drive Corning, NY 14830 (607) 962-9526 or secretary 962-9239 ----- Original Message ----- From: Linda Derksen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Saturday, September 17, 2005 5:31 pm Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: late arrivals > Hi Sarah, > > Just off the cuff, most of your solutions give students the meta- > message > that you don't mean what you say about punctuality. If you're > going to wait > for latecomers, you are encouraging people, and even rewarding > them, to > come late. And you are punishing the ones that are on time by > making them > wait for latecomers. There's no incentive to being on time. > > How about a reward for being on time? You could talk about > material > extremely pertinent to exams in those first few minutes. Once, > when half of > my class did not show up, and I was really annoyed, I realized > that I was > showing my annoyance to the wrong people -- the students that > showed up! > So, the class made up some exam questions that only the people in > attendance would know the answers to, and I put at least one of > those > questions on the exam. > > Message to the latecomers and the ones who skipped class: you lose > if you > don't come to class on time, or at all. > > That's my suggestion! > > Linda Derksen, Ph.D. > Malaspina University-College > > At 01:02 PM 9/17/2005, you wrote: > >Hi all... > >Here's the down side of a small class -- having more than half > the class > >enter the room 15 minutes late! In a class of 25, 5 slipping in > late is > >annoying -- in a class of 10, with only 8 in attendance on a > particular > >day, 5 walking in late is totally disrupting to the flow of the > class.> > >What do I do to stop this from happening again? I teach a > Saturday class, > >with some students who've had me before and who signed up because > I was > >teaching this class. Today was the second class, and I really > could not > >begin instruction with only 2 there (a third came in about 5 > minutes > >late). I am extremely punctual myself. > > > >Here are some thoughts I had: > >I won't begin class without at least 5 in the class (unless more > than 15 > >minutes has expired), and will hold the class over for the > corresponding > >length of time. > > > >I'll tell them class now begins at 11:15 instead of 11, and will > run 15 > >minutes later. > > > >I'll begin each class with an informal discussion of pertinent > current > >events, and wait for the others to trickle in before beginning > the lecture. > > > >I'll start each class with a 15 minute writing assignment, and > tell the > >ones who don't finish because they were late that they'll have to > stay > >after class to complete it. > > > >The need for punctuality is clearly stated on the syllabus, and I > told > >them plainly today that I didn't appreciate the lateness. > > > >Which tactic should I employ -- or are there better ways? > > > >Sarah Murray, adjunct > >William Paterson U of NJ > > >
