- I do not force anyone to attend my lectures: it is voluntary.
- But since regular attendance has been shown to be a major factor in academic success, I incentivize it by taking attendance regularly, and 5% of your overall grade is based upon your attendance score.
- 5% amounts to a full ½ grade, please note.
- I have this policy in all my classes, from 100-level to 400-level.
- I only have three attendance codes:
- “A” means absent;
- “E” means excused;
- “P” means present.
- I pass around a roll sheet at the start of every lecture. If you forgot to sign it, you are logged as absent.
- Anyone arriving more than 5 minutes late may at my sole discretion be marked absent.
- During the first week (when students are still enrolling), the last week of class (when I am busy grading) and on test days I do not take attendance. On those days I log everyone as excused.
- On any day you are absent for a legitimate reason (illness, job, interview, school activity or such like), give or send me documentary evidence (doctors note, appointment letter, cellphone picture of accident, etc.) of that reason and I will log you as excused.
- The exact curve for your attendance grade depends upon the number of days a week the class meets:
- Classes meeting 3 times a week:
attendance grade = (100 ”“ 6x)%, where “x” is the number of times you were marked absent.
- Classes meeting 2 times a week:
attendance = 100% if x = 0; 95% if x = 1; 85% if x = 2; 75% if x = 3; 65% if x = 4; and (100 ”“ 10x) for x > 4
