- What is the value for students attending your class in person, as opposed to watching a recording or obtaining notes from classmates?
- How will your policy account for a student’s need to miss class due to common occurrences such as illness, interviews, or a religious holiday?
- Does a student need to tell you if they miss a class, and if so, how should they communicate that information to you?
- How will you track attendance, and what is the penalty for non-compliance?
22Feb’22
What Is the Value of an Attendance Policy?
Having an explicit policy is an effective way to communicate expectations for attendance. Penn has no official policy regarding excused or unexcused absences from class, with the exception of religious holidays.
Questions to Consider
Sample Secular and Religious Holiday Policy
CETLI and the University Chaplain's Office have created a sample policy instructors might consider for use on their syllabi.
This course will follow the University Policy on Secular & Religious Holidays which can be found in the PennBook. No exams or assigned work will be required on those holidays listed in sections 1 & 2 of the policy. Students who plan to observe any other holiday should contact the instructor within the first two weeks of class so that alternative arrangements can be made.
Policy Examples from Penn Professors
PSCI 4200: Political Psychology, Upper- Level Seminar
Attendance and active participation will make or break whether this course (or any discussion-based course) is successful. As such, attendance is required for all healthy individuals. That said, please do not come to class if you are feeling sick. Please email me to let me know if you won’t be in class. In order to provide flexibility to students who cannot attend class, everyone has two “free” class absences whereby the participation grade does not factor in their final grade.
CIS 1100: Introduction to Computer Programming (Python), Large Undergraduate Lecture
Published evidence and anecdotal experience indicate that there are many pitfalls related to viewing lecture recordings in lieu of attending lecture, especially when watching the recordings at higher speeds or with diminished focus. We respect your independence as learners, but we believe that there is significant benefit to attending lectures, tackling sample exercises, and asking questions. Consequently, you are expected to attend all the lectures in person. Recitation attendance is mandatory.
HIST 0240: Rise and Fall of the Russian Empire, Undergraduate Lecture
I would rather have students attend class—even if they have not done the reading—than to skip class. So: every student has THREE FREE PASSES. All you have to do is write me before class and say that you were not able to get to the reading, and I won’t call on you with questions about the reading. You don’t need to provide any reason at all when you write to me to inform me that you will be using one of your three passes.
RELS 1020 Sacred Stuff: Religious Bodies, Places, and Objects, Undergraduate Seminar
This is a conversation class, which means a major part of the work of the class comes from our discussions. The texts are not the class! Attendance at all sessions is important. You may miss up to two sessions for any reason—illness, religious observance, sporting events—with no penalty. Beyond these two, each absence will lower your grade by three points unless we've come to an agreement in advance (regarding medical concerns, for example.) You'll be responsible for making up missed work and material for any missed class by liaising with your peers.