I also have quizzes and class exercises that are worth points. When
they are missed they are gone. This has reduced the lax attendance
problems. I would suggest to the student that they look over the notes
of others to get the material she has lost, and then ask if she has a
particular question that you can help her with. Guide her to relevant
concepts or some questions that you might help her with, but without
essentially redoing your lecture for her (which would still be passively
received anyways). Just a thought, Gary Peterson
"Michael J. Kane" wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> I've got a question for how you all handle (or would handle) situations
> like this.
> I teach a course in which attendance is not mandatory; that is, I don't
> take attendance.
> However, on the syllabus and throughout the semester I emphasize to
> students that I often
> lecture on material that's not in the book, so while they are free to miss
> classes, they will also miss important course material that they are
> responsible for.
> Unfortunately, I've never thought to have an *explicit* policy about my
> role and theirs in
> "responsibility" for missed material.
>
> I provide students with a study guide before each exam, which is
> essentially an outline
> of all the important topics, themes, theories, experiments, etc. that will
> be fair game for the
> exam. Yesterday, a student emailed me asking me to explain one of the
> topics in the study
> guide. I asked whether she didn't understand part of it, or just plain
> missed those
> classes, and she wrote back that she'd missed them altogether.
>
> So, here's my question. Do I write her a long explanation of the topic,
> essentially providing
> her with the text of my lecture? Do I simply tell her it's her
> responsibility to get the notes,
> etc., from another student? The overworked faculty member in me leans
> toward the latter,
> but the teacher in me can't help considering the former.
>
> Any thoughts would be appreciated. Perhaps there's a middle ground I
> haven't considered.
>
> -Mike
>
> ************************************************
> Michael J. Kane
> Department of Psychology
> P.O. Box 26164
> University of North Carolina at Greensboro
> Greensboro, NC 27402-6164
> email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> phone: 336-256-1022
> fax: 336-334-5066
