(See “Critical Reading” in Chapter 1)

1

Attendance in college classes should be optional, not mandatory. Students pay a lot of money for their courses, so they should be able to decide whether and how to take advantage of them. Also, although class participation can help many students, not all students learn through class participation. If they learn better on their own or if they already know the content of a course that is required for graduation, they should be able to decide for themselves whether to sit in class hearing about things they already have learned. Finally, optional attendance would benefit the students who want to go to class because the student-to-instructor ratio would be lower, and students would get more personal attention.

2

First, students pay tuition, fees, and the cost of books and materials to enroll in a class. Because they have paid for the class, they should have the choice about whether to attend. Isn’t it a basic right of a consumer to decide how to use the things he’s bought and paid for? Also, students’ lives are complicated, and there are many good reasons that they may have to miss classes, even if they want to attend. For example, this semester I have missed several classes because of my child’s ongoing battle with severe asthma. I cannot jeopardize her health in order to get to a class. On the other hand, I do not want to fail because I have missed more than the allowed number of classes. Such a policy does not seem fair.

3

Also, it seems unfair to require students who already know the course content or who learn it on their own to waste their time hearing about it again. Although most students attend classes because they want to learn, there are some required courses that students have to take whether they want to or not. For example, I have had to attend basic computer classes to teach me procedures such as how to turn on a computer, what e-mail is, and how to access the Internet. I have known these things for years. Why should I sit through classes that repeat what I know when I could be spending my time doing the many things I really need to do? Why should I fail if I miss too many of these classes? Such policies do not benefit me or anyone else. In addition, although colleges do not like to admit this, attendance does not always correspond to grades. For example, some students can read and understand the materials assigned without any help from the teacher. If the goal of a college course is to learn, and a student can learn without attending class, why should that student need to attend lectures?

4

The best reason for making attendance optional is that students who do choose to attend could benefit from smaller classes and more personal attention. Classes could include more one-on-one instruction, which might improve students’ grades and their ability to understand and retain course content. Many students struggle with course content and really need more of the instructor’s time. However, with large classes, instructors do not have much chance to spend lots of time with individual students.

5

For all of these reasons, I believe that attendance should be optional in college courses. Students do not all learn in the same way. Some students learn best by studying a lot rather than sitting in class. With more study time and less class time, some students will achieve better results on tests. Attendance should be the students’ choice. If they need to go to class to pass, they will attend; if they do not need to go to class to learn, they should not be penalized.