Students at Northern Arizona University who hope to skip large lecture courses may have more trouble doing so this fall: The university is installing an electronic system that measures student attendance.
The university is using $75,000 in federal stimulus money to install the system, which will detect the ID cards students are carrying as they enter large classrooms, The Arizona Republic reported on Tuesday. (The cards can be read by an electronic sensor.) Faculty members can choose to receive electronic attendance reports.
Karen Pugliesi, vice provost for academic affairs, says the project will help improve attendance, which is key to higher academic performance.
Research, she says, shows a real link between good attendance and student achievement. She says the system will improve student engagement and participation, putting more students on track to graduate.
“We want every one of our students that enrolls in a class to realize their potential and be successful in the completion of that course,” she says. “It’s not in the student’s interest for them to drop out of a course or to fail a course.”
Privacy Concerns
But many students are opposed to the new system, which they say invades their privacy. Rachel Brackett, a sophomore, started the Facebook group “NAU Against Proximity Cards,” which has over 1,300 members.
Ms. Brackett says participation is more important in some classes than others, and students should be responsible for making their own decisions about attending lectures.
“Students should be able to choose to go to class, and if they fail, they have to live with those consequences,” she says. “Part of growing up and becoming more mature is knowing you have to go to class.”
Kathleen Templin, president of the university’s student government and a junior, says she recognizes the importance of attendance, but it is hard for her to attend every class because of her extracurricular commitments.
“I’m sure students will come up with a way to get around that system,” she says. “They’re paying for credit hours to be here and if they choose not to come, it’s their own choice.”
But Ms. Pugliesi doesn’t expect students to try to game the system by, for instance, giving their ID cards to friends who will attend the classes.
“The extent to which that happens is most likely to be very minimal,” she says. “I don’t believe in designing a policy or a system to address the outliers.”
Tracy Mitrano, director of information-technology policy at Cornell University, says she worries that such a system treats college students like elementary- and secondary-school students.
“Higher education loses its meaning if it’s just continuing to emphasize or even rely on a rote approach to learning like attendance,” she says.
But Ms. Pugliesi says universities should be thinking about how technology can help improve student attendance, as well as further creative-learning strategies.
“It’s more than just enforcing compliance with attendance through the proximity readers,” she says. “We intend to make our classes compelling and attractive.”
52 Responses to Skipping Class? Sensors Are Watching
texasmusic - April 27, 2010 at 5:18 pm
So if attendance is the key to better performance in class, won’t students simply make better grades if they just show up? Why all the big brother antics?
kaplan_mike - April 27, 2010 at 5:25 pm
What is it with Arizona and tracking their people? What’s next: sensors that detect if students are paying attention in class? Software to figure out who’s taking notes and who’s text messaging during class?
geochaucer - April 27, 2010 at 5:25 pm
In light of last week’s vote by its legislature, I think the Arizona schools should go a step further and require passports and birth certificates to enter classrooms. Thank heavens for the Arizona legislature; whenever I think my state’s is a dumb as rocks, Arizona consolingly outflanks it.
frtop45 - April 27, 2010 at 5:35 pm
This plan overlooks one big piece of info…college students do not always carry their IDs with them. I used to work in an office that required students to show their IDs before receiving services. At least three times a day I would hear “Oh, I lost my keys and I haven’t found them yet.”I’d hate to be the student that loses their ID and fails a class because they wanted to wait a few days to look for it before they bought a new one.
brezenoff - April 27, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Some 20 years ago (or more), the students at my institution initiated a note-taking service. Attendence dropped. Then the institution supported podcasts, camcasts and the like. Attendence dropped further. My initial reaction to this was highly negative. From an instuctor’s viewpoint, there is not much worse that lecturing to a quarter of the class. Then I realized that the students could indeed learn what they needed to pass exams by reading the class notes and even watching the occasionally horrendous videos. The quality assigned to the lecturer by previous classes made only a small difference. The “pearls” tossed out to those present were generally not testable in large-class format because they required more understanding and writing than applicable in a short answer test (or more work on my part to come up with the right question). Thus, I have come to the conclusion the students get out what they put in; and if the ultimate goal is to pass the course then it should not matter how the student learned the material. The one advantage of the attendence monitoring is that I should not have to respond to questions and e-mails submitted by those who did not attend the presentation.
derekbruff - April 27, 2010 at 7:47 pm
“Research, she says, shows a real link between good attendance and student achievement.” Does research show a link between *enforced* attendance and student achievement?
jpmtexas - April 27, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Hmmmm… how long will it take the brilliant Arizona students to realize that they can simply pass along their ID’s to their friends who will be attending the class.
eelalien - April 28, 2010 at 3:44 am
I cannot believe that people have issues with this – privacy? Well, then perhaps all students should not provide names, either – everyone an anonymous number! Attendance is typically mandatory, and part of a course participation grade. Three unexcused absences, you’re out, so many tardies equals an unexcused absence, etc. Instead of having the instructor waste 5-10 minutes of a class to either call out names or count heads, and noting latecomers, an electronic attendance system is great, in my view. Frees up the time wasted, and slackers who don’t show up get their due one way or the other.
bcdelidow - April 28, 2010 at 6:27 am
Disgusting! What’s next – tracking the faculty, too? Is this a university or a minimum security prison?
mbelvadi - April 28, 2010 at 6:43 am
To crossref this with an earlier Chronicle topic this week, maybe NAU can use this data to disallow students who skipped class from completing the course evaluation form (if they offer it online).Responses seem to divide into two camps: those who think mandatory attendance is a reasonable policy at the higher ed level, and those who don’t. I think the fact that we can still be having a debate on the subject says a lot about the perceived maturity of today’s undergrads (emphasized by the sophomore quoted in the article who apparently thinks part of her college experience is about “growing up” which she assumes wasn’t expected of her already at admission). This should bring into question the rationality of inviting said students to participate in importance governance procedures as well as being entrusted with the power to support or derail a faculty member’s career.
sclaroff - April 28, 2010 at 6:45 am
This will be easily hacked and circumvented. What a waste of stimulus funds. Why not instead use the funds for supporting open courseware? Outfit the hall to capture/record the lectures so that all students (both those who attend and those who do not attend) can then watch these lectures and refer to them.
chemmilt - April 28, 2010 at 6:59 am
Here is a possible scenario:1) 200 students enrolled.2) 10 students show up.3) Sensors detect 200 students present.What happened? Look for the guy with the bulging pockets holding 190 student ID’s…
forest87 - April 28, 2010 at 8:11 am
Another 75,000 dollars bites the dust. We’re letting instructors go and taking livelihoods away, but let’s institute a system that will not be followed. I am an adult – I do not have to go to class if I chose not to. Period.
markecky - April 28, 2010 at 8:31 am
Consider this: As NAU is a public institution, the AZ populace has an interest in seeing its tax dollars. Might state aid be reduced/denied to those not attending? Pretty hefty consequences. And a business opportunity for chemmilt’s guy with the bulging pockets.Never underestimate student ingenuity.
penn4 - April 28, 2010 at 9:08 am
If a student accept financial aid of any sort, the student also accepts the obligation to use the money for what it was intended; to obtain an education. If a student accepts financial aid to obtain an education and doesn’t attend class, the student is defrauding the taxpayers and donors who are subsidizing the educational opportunity.
tridaddy - April 28, 2010 at 9:14 am
markecky – we’re on the same page, some student is going to see this as a way to make a few bucks. Even at $2.00 per class this guy could easily make his lunch money.
timlincoln - April 28, 2010 at 9:22 am
A body of research suggests that students who “show up” for class lectures learn more than students who do not. Research also shows that students themselves may not make this connection. So, perhaps this heavy-handed approach is a way to assist students into doing what I think is in their own best interests.
fdcapobianco - April 28, 2010 at 9:38 am
So, some schools want to monitor attendance. So what? Perhaps these initial tests might have better been offered on a volunteer basis. Education and Psychology majors might be especially interested in trying them out just to observe and experience the affect and outcome in their classes.
willismg - April 28, 2010 at 9:38 am
Let’s see. Student does not come to class but passes. What consequences should there be? Or again, student does not come to class and fails course. What consequences should there be? Or finally, student comes to class but fails. What reward should there be? I’m sorry, I think this is really a stupid idea, and I don’t use that term very often.
ventromil - April 28, 2010 at 9:40 am
There are many new ways of incorporating technology in the classroom and it’s going to take some time, research, and yes, resources to see what sticks. I don’t think we are going to see the day when publics are going to “force” attendance, but I do see universities heading in the direction of using technology to connect and engage students in the classroom, especially large ones. This is also a move towards assessment and measuring student outcomes in our classrooms and instead of fighting it, we would better spend our energy getting in front to help steer it. There is a reason NAU is experimenting with this — there is a problem…
doclopez99 - April 28, 2010 at 9:46 am
I did not read anywhere in the report that NAU was implementing mandatory attendance, it states it will simply track attendance. As someone who teaches and works in academic support, I believe this system can provide some valuable feedback. When working with a student I can determine whether they are attending class or not and then develop an action plan based on the information. A student who is attending class but is still having academic difficulties needs a different type of support (i.e. strategic reading and note taking skills) than someone who is simply not going to class. I will be very interested in seeing how NAU uses this data.
11245928 - April 28, 2010 at 9:55 am
SWhat we do now will reflect what our society looks like in the next generation. If students are sued to being “tracked by sensors” now, they will be used to it when we have RFID cards for all other aspects of our lives. I hate it, but it wioll be the future…
katereit - April 28, 2010 at 9:56 am
Are you kidding? $75,000 and no better way to spend it? — this boggles the mind. Even IF this was a good idea, it won’t work . . . “Here, Jake, carry my card with you to class today.”
patyson - April 28, 2010 at 10:27 am
I am not sure what the big deal is…I attended a small school and taught at a small school and attendance was always mandatory. On the other hand, I believe it should be up to the professor to determine his/her attendance policy. In this case, if they want the printout of who was there and who was not in order to track attendance, they can do it…but I think there will be many who do not even bother with it. I think they will run into problems, though, with the technology…students whose ID’s do not get read for some reason, and students creatively trying to get their ID into class without bringing it themselves…it will be interesting to see how this pans out…
mummertc - April 28, 2010 at 10:29 am
Two people have pointed out the “they can simply pass along their ID’s to their friends” issue. This is not as serious a problem as it seems. At many schools (I don’t know about Arizona), you need your ID card to:* Gain access to your dormitory* Use your meal planThese are both particularly important to freshman and sophomores, who are both more likely to be in large lecture classes and more likely to live on campus. Both of the items above a somewhat burdensome to give up. So having your friend carry your card to class means that your friend has to meet you again to give you back the card after class.
lwenchell - April 28, 2010 at 10:29 am
Having been in education my entire career, I am now a believer in attendance records for myriad reasons. I would once have agreed that attendance is a function of primary schools, but after reviewing student complaints about failing grades for professors unwilling to ‘re-teach’ missed work, labs, and exams, or for missed interpretations and explanations, I no longer agree that attendance for the academy is optional.First, if the federal and state govts. are supplying funds to pay for some students to get a college education, it is my understanding that the student must go to class – as other students do not receive funds and can’t go to class. Second, if we employ faculty and ask that they prepare a subject for instruction over 14 weeks, and the professor is conducting class, then yes, students must be present – not simply for rote instruction, but for further discussion and interpretation of material covered. Finally, if a student has no need to go to class, then it would seem neither does a professor. If knowledge can effectively be learned by reading a book, or subject notes, then why have classroom experiences at all. If the discourse that can only happen in the classroom construct when both student and professor are present, then attendance matters, whether it be a physical or virtual classroom.While there are always going to be explained absences, and professors will always retain the discretion for grading, if there is no measure applied to absence and the value of classroom participation, I believe that the educational experience is diminished in every way.
mjhampe - April 28, 2010 at 10:32 am
What about an RFID implant in each student? Cannot be lost nor forgotten. Greetings from George Orwell: We reach 1984 with 26 years delay.
angelaprocures - April 28, 2010 at 10:32 am
How sad…As a parent and higher ed admin. Young adults being treated like children. Have faith…raise the expectations for our young adults…don’t keep lowering them. The 75K could have been put to better use, i.e. funding a class (How to be a responsible college student). Instead of spending the money to “scan people” like supermarkets scan groceries. And for what purpose??…No doubt…to capture the info and selling it to the highest bidder & coming up with more useless stats. Pray for those in decision making positions to get back in touch students’ needs. EDUCATE!!!
11122741 - April 28, 2010 at 10:44 am
I wonder what parents and others who pay the student’s huge bills including the federal and state government would think of this system never mind employers. The majority of the above comments assume that undergraduate students in particular are adults earning the money for their education themselves and paying for their own education rather than the pampered,highly indulged, and irresponsible hippies of the sixties in that brief bubble called the age of affluence. Most the the arguments here are at about stage 2 on Kohlberg’s moral/ethical development scale. If these students were employees at a company they would haveto punch in with a time card. When is this country and higher education in the country going to stop postponing adulthood and start letting these way past childhood students feet touch the ground ….the longer you carry undergraduate students like 2 year olds the younger it is going to take them to get out of their parents’ basement after graduate and at the rate things are going that is soon going to be in their forties. There are many positive benefits in this idea that are being ignored including the social education and civic engagement benefit of learning to be a functioning adult who clocks in and out on the job and accepts the consequences of not showing up never mind how much easier it would make the profs job and that attence could be used as a covariate on course evaluation so you could sort out the evaluations from those students who actually took the course and those who didn’t but rendered their highly informed opinions anyhow …yet another consequence to be faced of not showing up.Time to start getting real folks; the bubble’s long bust and the transition period is going to be diffcult and even unpleasant but sobering up always is.
willismg - April 28, 2010 at 11:26 am
Since evaluations are anonymous (or ARE they?), this idea could in no way allow for the beneficial use of “ignoring” evaluations from attendance-phobic students. I do, however, see the point of using such data as a means of ensuring that our tax dollars are not frittered away on grants for slackers. However, another way to do this is to simply scale grants by GPA, either cumulative or previous semester. This is the deal I make with my own children over repayment of student loans (by me or them).On the other hand, how long do we think it will be before this data starts to be “requested” by potential employers. On balance, I side with privacy.
supertatie - April 28, 2010 at 11:28 am
I have a sign-in sheet, and it is very useful when I student comes to complain about their grade, and I can point out that they night have done better had they come to class.But I think we’re missing a larger point here. I kicked a student out of class many years ago for being unprepared, and another student said to me, “We PAY to be here, and we can choose to be prepared, or not.”Venturing a safe bet, I said, “You mean, your PARENTS pay for you to be here, and I want to be in the same room with them when you tell them that they spend $28,000/year so you can blow off your coursework.” I offered her the opportunity to leave the room in solidarity with her unprepared classmate, and she opted to stay.Here’s my point: students who think it’s their “right” not to come to class; that they’re “adults” so they don’t need to prepare; who “game” the system no matter what the system is? Maybe the problem isn’t too much technology or monitoring. Perhaps the problem is that we have too many people going to college.If students don’t care enough about their education to do the work of attending, preparing, etc., then I would argue that they shouldn’t be there, and CERTAINLY not on someone else’s (parents, taxpayers, student loan) dime. Let them work for awhile, or enter the military, or learn a trade or skill. THEN, when they realize what a college education can do for them, they can pay for it themselves. I guarantee you, they will be in class, and there would be no need for “monitoring” software or systems.
mbelvadi - April 28, 2010 at 11:56 am
To angelprocures: how naive! If you want to understand why so many in this comment area are so cynical, try reading just a few of the thousands of postings in the Chronicle forums area – even just keyword “snowflake” within them to get a really good sampling of why profs feel the need to treat college students like children. Don’t judge until you’ve been the one listening to whining childish excuses one after the other, which could be copied verbatim from conversations taking place between students and teachers in a middle school.To willismg, I think you’ll find that schools using online eval systems (as I disclaimed) have to be able to link submission of the form to a particular person enrolled in the class, otherwise there would be no way to prevent students who aren’t in a class to post bogus negative evals against a prof they dislike (eg because roommate hates the prof, they hated him in a diff class previous semester etc.). Certainly the one example of an online eval system that I’m very familiar with did have that link, although no one outside the IT sysadmins would be able to follow it, and that level of anonymity seemed satisfactory to students when it was discussed with the student govt.
lwalton - April 28, 2010 at 12:21 pm
As an administrator and the parent of two college students, I try to impress upon them the importance of attending every class every day (after hearing them both whine about Friday classes). I shared with them that only one percent of the world’s population has the opportunity to attend college. If they didn’t think that they needed to go go class, there were plenty of others who would be overjoyed to take their places — and their scholarships. When they realized that college attendance was truly a privilege and not a “right”, they both shut up and went to class.
burdoj - April 28, 2010 at 1:09 pm
The biology courses I teach range in size from large intro bio sections to small, interactive labs, and my educated guess is that there’s an even more positive correlation between small class size and academic performance than there is between attendance in large lectures and academic performance. Maybe the federal stimulus money would be better spent if it was used towards reducing the student/faculty ratio in these large coures.
optimysticynic - April 28, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Research shows that attendance in class is CORRELATED with performance. That is, those students who tend to show up in class tend to do better than those who do not. What else do you suppose distinguishes those two classes of students? Why assume that attendance is the critical variable? Probably the ones who attend are also the ones who: have a copy of the syllabus, read the textbook, care about their GPA, go to office hours, had higher admissions scores, etc. etc. In fact, it is most unlikely that attendance by itself produces those differences in outcome, given the large number of other more significant variables that are nested within the attend/nonattend groups.
hijole - April 28, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I guess the NAU administrators are unfamiliar with a couple of witticisms from A. Einstein: “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.” and “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”BTW, if I were an enterprising NAU student — I would immediately sign up to be the notetaker for these megaclasses (non-classes). I’d very happily walk into each and every one of these classes with a bulging messenger bag.
jesor - April 28, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Is forcing attendance (and that is what this is) really for an educational goal or to mask the obvious question that “if nobody shows up to a class, but everyone can learn what they need to pass, then was what is being taught enough to warrant a class, or important enough to require for a degree?”
headmin - April 28, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Maybe one of all the responses mentioned attendance as an important aspect of the financial aid process. This is especially true for students who sign up for a class and either never attend or stop attending. Federal financial aid law requires a calculation be made to determine last day attended for Return to Title IV, which can translate into significant revenue lost, seats which can’t be sold, and a grim wakeup call for students who will have to pay back grant dollars. In some cases the financial backlash can be so onerous the student would have been better off never attending college in the first place. I’m not sure what is driving the decision for scanning but it may be a sad commentary on having to move to automation as a response to faculty unwilling to take attendance. If they are willing then why waste the money on something that is akin to building a better mousetrap when students will in turn respond by building a better mouse?As for the other students attending or not attending class and what faculty choose to do with taking roll outside the need for those in the Financial Aid Office or for Early Alert, it totally depends on what faculty decide if requiring attendance as mandatory. If not it’s the student’s decision to miss class sessions and manage to pass the course. It can be strongly argued that in the cases of Aid and early indication of failure, it is critically important for the college to determine attendance information to assist students who are struggling or who unwittingly have dug a deeper hole of debt they had not planned on. No fancy scanning system required. A simple email from faculty that Jonny needs help, is no loger attending as of “x” day or never showed up would suffice. I would agree with many of the comments, creating an automated system may appear to be practical on the surface but what ultimate privacy price is paid if faculty relinquish (at least in smaller class sections) the intimate learning relationship they enjoy with students, which when called upon, (and for good reason) includes reporting at-risk and MIA’s.
anonscribe - April 28, 2010 at 5:39 pm
weird reactions to this. i think it’s just because of the proximity scanner: it creeps people out. attendance is already mandatory in most courses. how strictly it’s enforced is up to the instructor. most big classes already have sign-in sheets or have roll taken in smaller sections. this just saves faculty and ta’s the trouble. odds of this popping up at Yale: low. Odds of it popping up at large public U’s: high. they’re two different cultures, for good or ill.
aaroncj - April 28, 2010 at 6:53 pm
To headmin:I don’t think the article suggested that faculty teaching large lecture courses were “unwilling” to take attendance. Rather, in large lecture courses it is impractical, to say the least, to expect them to do so. A 300-student, chem 100 lecture would take a minimum of 15 minutes to do a roll call-type of attendance count (assuming one second to call the name, one second for the student response and one second to check them off or not). Or, you’d have to employ a seating chart and use “spotters” to count attendance during class. Neither approach is very efficient.
lexisaro - April 28, 2010 at 6:55 pm
What a ridiculous waste of money. I just don’t see the point in monitoring adults to protect themselves from themselves. So what if they don’t want to go to class? If it impacts them, they made the choice and if they can’t manage this basic decision for themselves, they probably are not yet ready for college.
lexisaro - April 28, 2010 at 7:00 pm
I would also like to add: as a professor, I do not take attendance. Why should I care if one comes to class or not (if it not impacting anyone else)? I care about what students learn, I assess what they have learned, and their mark is based entirely upon what they have learned. Why on earth should they get ‘credit’ for physical presence? What a terrible message to send to them. I should add, I design my classes so you do well if you attend, and probably not so well if you do not. If one can do well in my course without attending, it says I’m probably not doing a very good job in the classroom and I need to change what I deliver in the classroom.
david2007 - April 28, 2010 at 7:41 pm
If the USA wants to become number 1 in Education, Science and Tehnology, students must take education seriously and attend their classes. Being a member of the Higher Education Community and attending school is a previledge. Students, please do not fall into the cracks, take the mediocre route. Stay in school and attend!!
apollos713 - April 28, 2010 at 8:08 pm
I think a lot of people are missing the main point of all of this.If better attendance means students are more likely to succeed in classes, and if succeeding in classes means less students drop out of college due to grades, then:Mandatory attendance = Better retention = More $$$ for NAUIt’s that simple.Personally, I like this method of (likely) increasing revenues without greater fees or tuition hikes.
anonscribe - April 28, 2010 at 9:43 pm
lexisaro – “If one can do well in my course without attending, it says I’m probably not doing a very good job in the classroom and I need to change what I deliver in the classroom.” and how would you ever know if you’re not taking attendance?
vernaye - April 29, 2010 at 6:23 am
Andy Warhol observed that the great works of art, in today’s world, tend to be reproduced over and over. So, he decided, I can make my art great simply by reproducing it in great quantities. Of course, while Warhol’s strategy worked, it only did so because it was an implicit parody of the system of artistic fetishism.In the same way, observing that attendance raises academic performance may bear out in the research. But, in the same way that reproducing your own art does not make you a great artist, so too raising attendance does not translate into better academic performance.The desire to learn has to be intrinsic. Enforcing it perverts everything that higher education is supposed to be about.
sharonmurphy - April 29, 2010 at 10:13 am
Supertatie – right on! Maybe too many people DO go to college, to “pick up a degree,” whether undergrad or grad, with the goal of making more money when they graduate. They want to be pampered with the nicest rec centers, the coziest residence halls, the best cuisine, the most friendly “home away from home” student services, and the most entertaining courses and professors. Read books – in the library? Write essays longer than eight pages (and with bibliographies and citations!!)?Stay abreast of current events, national and international? Speak without using “like,” “goes,” and other such garbage phrases? Take the consequences of failures and/or skipping classes? Well, no. But they and their parents DO want preparation for “the REAL world.” Electronic surveillance is probably not the answer. More honesty, by university officials, high school guidance counselors, parents and students, is a more likely response to the problem ASU and so many other institutions – along with their faculties and students – should explore.
cifra - April 29, 2010 at 12:57 pm
coolGeeks in Minutes
hhcuster - April 29, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I find it very interestingn that everyone places the responsibility for learning on the student–whether they attend class or not. If students are engaged in learning, they’ll come to class. So where is the responsiblity of the faculty? The university? Isn’t there a message in this attendance argument about large lecture classes and their effectiveness? Let’s have a discussion about how to improve teaching and learning, and how to make both teacher and studnet responsibile for learning? The attendance issue is only a symptom. We need to be concerned about the cause.
lbeetle - April 29, 2010 at 11:32 pm
How about smaller class sizes?
chgsons - May 1, 2010 at 4:23 pm
The time has come for college students to be accountable for their attendance and grades without institutional control. If the student attends the appropriate post-secondary institution and is equipped with the skills, curiosity and maturity to succeed, then why would classroom control tactics be necessary? Before colleges choose their students and students choose their college, please understand that the academic, campus and community cultures need to be a good ‘fit’.
arrive2__net - May 3, 2010 at 1:53 pm
I think it is better for colleges to stay colleges, and not turn into high schools with unwilling-to-be-there students looking for diversions. Also, how many student ID cards can one student carry into class? It might make sense for a group of sorority, frat, or dorm students to sign-up for the same section so they can take a break while a fellow student carries their id card through the sensor. I have to question how much influence just being there should carry on grades. Profs will still want to give the good grades to students with high test scores or brilliant papers, but should another student get a boost just for showing up? Some students are present, but disruptive, how many points is that worth? And just showing-up may not prove that much … especially in the age of texting and laptops with wireless internet. Prof should strive to make being in class a worthy experience, and grading ought to be designed to make sure the lecture matters. How can attending class not matter … unless it really doesn’t matter to the assessment results? On the other hand, there is another argument that, at public universities the tax-payer is footing the bill, and has a reasonable expectation that the students being subsidized will at least show up for class and do their best. Still, I think the students should show up, but the reason should be for the learning, not due to coercion. Perhaps this will turn into another reason to take online courses and distance learning. Bernard SchusterArrive2.net