Elizabeth Woodward

Attracting students to come to class has been a challenge in recent years, especially in our post-pandemic world. Attendance at lectures is frequently low, and many faculty feel strongly that students should be in class. This essay explores some reasons for absenteeism and approaches that have worked for me in the classroom.

First, I ask: Why aren’t students coming to class? Low attendance is multifactorial, but one main driver is that most lectures in the modern classroom are recorded. Recordings are incredibly valuable for students who are sick or for students wishing to review difficult topics, but videos are a double-edged sword when it comes to attendance, as they enable students to stay home. Is this what we want? Is the benefit worth the disadvantage? Each instructor may have a different response to this question. In my classroom, I limit the nature of what is recorded. Didactic lectures are recorded, but active learning and review sessions are not. Attending these activities in person is most beneficial, and I see little reason to record them.

Students tell me that they are trying to manage their time to increase efficiency. They state that in the face of information overload, it is sometimes easier to learn from home, watching lectures at 1.5x speed, or during times of the day when they feel most able to absorb information. With that, the academic load should be reasonable. With the ever-increasing amount of available knowledge, it can be difficult to determine which topics to cut. One review summarizes the importance of finding an appropriate workload to encourage deep learning. When deciding what content to present, I recall which points were most helpful for me when I was first learning the material and which didn’t add to my understanding. This is not to say that these extras are irrelevant, but that they may be more appropriate for the learner who has mastered a basic level of understanding. For example, when teaching reproductive physiology, I could go down many (exciting!) rabbit holes in the classroom. However, overindulging in these can overwhelm and confuse students, given their level of mastery at that time. 

In my lectures, I consult with clinicians and other experts in the field as I develop content, adding clinical context to help concepts “stick.” As they learn, I help students connect across topics to easily chunk material. I like to think that with a challenging yet manageable workload, students may be more inclined to come to class. 

Another commonly reported reason for not coming to class is that lectures are not engaging in a way that requires in-person attendance. To address this, I have adjusted how I interact with students in the classroom, moving beyond strictly didactic lectures. I make time to engage with students to solidify difficult concepts. Even pausing a few times mid-lecture to ask students to answer a few questions energizes them. Doing this does not drastically stray from the traditional lecture format or require making a new lesson plan.

Activities can be more developed, requiring group work. For example, I lecture on how electrical impulses are initiated and transmitted through the heart when teaching cardiac physiology. Students learn the basics of an electrocardiogram (ECG) and what each wave represents. I then move into the active learning component of the lecture and define some deviations from normal (tachycardia, bradycardia, and heart blocks). Up to this point, they have no understanding of the diseased heart, and that is what I want: a blank slate so they can exercise their critical thinking of normal mechanisms. I ask them to draw what they think the ECG might look like for each individual with the defined conditions. We discuss. This activity takes 15-20 minutes, engages students in class, and helps me identify their misunderstandings.

Second, I ask: Why do we want students to come to class? Understanding our own “whys” is important. Colleagues have shared with me that they feel students learn better when in the classroom, benefiting from the ability to ask questions during lectures, hear their peers’ questions, and catch important details discussed in class. However, this assumption may also carry with it that if a student does not attend class, that student is also not watching the lecture. In my experience, this is largely inaccurate, and students do watch the recordings. Many studies report a positive correlation between attendance and performance, while others do not.  

Also, how much of my desire for a full classroom is for my own gratification? Given the immense amount of energy and time that creating a good lecture requires, it is disheartening when a fraction of the class attends. However, absent students listen to our lectures and pour over our slide sets, albeit remotely. One survey investigating reasons for low attendance found that students heavily relied on recorded lectures and course materials. Does knowing that help us feel less underappreciated as instructors? 

One option is to require attendance. This approach is not my preference. It artificially buffers grades; being in the classroom does not equate to paying attention or putting forth effort. Further, it does not address the reasons for missing class, which I feel is a more prudent approach to take. Our students are adults and should be permitted the autonomy to decide what to do with their time. 

Instead, I see attendance as a reflection of my abilities. Am I engaging? Is the material presented in an interesting and inspiring way? Am I delivering the right amount of material, or are they so overwhelmed that they stay home? If attendance is low, I see it as a personal challenge to improve my skills, and I am motivated to create an experience where students feel that showing up is the best use of their time. 

In closing, the issue of poor attendance is a hot one. It is no longer enough to give a traditional didactic lecture and expect a full house when lectures are recorded.  Open communication is important to understand the student experience and the reasons for absenteeism. We would benefit from exploring our motivations for wanting students in class. Once we understand those things, we can create materials and teaching approaches that entice students through the door. Finally, we ought to let go of any angst for the students who don’t come to class, so as to be fully present for the ones who do show up. Have a wonderful and engaging year!

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Elizabeth Woodward is a clinical associate professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine. She won the Zoetis Distinguished Teacher Award in 2022.

This essay continues the series that began in the fall of 1994 as the joint creation of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Lindback Society for Distinguished Teaching. 

See https://almanac.upenn.edu/talk-about-teaching-and-learning-archive for previous essays.