Absences sometimes make instructors ponder

By Gayle Golden

By this time in the semester, rosters have stabilized. You're learning student names. Assignments are building one skill to the next.

If only every student would show up to every class according to plan.

But that's just not how life, or college, goes. Students miss classes. Instructors have to figure out a way to deal with that. Every year, the policy surrounding a student's ability to complete make up work for such absences receives the most queries of any university policy involving teaching and learning.

That makes sense. Students who have to miss class for legitimate reasons, such as illnesses or funerals, worry about the impact on their grade if an instructor won't allow them to make up what they miss. Instructors, meanwhile, sometimes feel confused about how to keep students accountable yet stay sensitive -- all without adding boatloads of extra work to keep track of who has missed what when.

To spread some light, and less heat, I asked a few HSJMC faculty how they handle absences in their classes. The good news is that we all have a few choices, so you can pick whatever suits your style and your course. The important thing is to let students know you are watching.


Build attendance into the coursework
Missing class in Hubbard Senior Fellow Scott Libin's Jour 1001 comes with a price over time: He assigns in-class exercises nearly every session that end up equaling 20 percent of the semester grade. Students with excused absences have one week to make up those exercises. In his smaller broadcast classes, he simply notes when students arrive late, leave early or miss class entirely without offering an excuse -- all of which cost participation points that account for 10 percent of the semester grade.

"I make my attendance practices explicitly clear on the first day of class, as well as in the syllabus and on Moodle," he says. "I try to make private contact with students whose attendance is on the verge of causing serious damage to their grades or whose absences seem out of character or otherwise worrisome. Beyond that, I put the responsibility on individual students to catch up on what they miss."

Signing in for accountability
Lecturer Mark Jenson assumes the students in his ad strategy and account planning classes are ready to step up into the professional world. So he simply has them sign into class as if they were logging into a meeting.

"My philosophy is that they are now adults and they can take responsibility for showing up to class," Jenson says. "Missing class will hurt their grade if they do not do the required work." If a student's grade suffers, he can pull out the class log sheets and show how missing class may have factored. That's a real-world lesson that can pack more a punch than docked points.

Betsy Neibergall Anderson, assistant professor, has also asked students in her Jour 4243 Digital Content for Brand Communications and Jour 3279w Professional Writing for Strategic Communications classes to sign in, which works for her as long as the instructor monitors the sheet, she says.

"One semester I did have students signing in for each other, so I warn them about that, and now try to look over the signed list to make sure it's accurate before the end of class." She has also experimented with phone apps for attendance.

Notably, Canvas has a tool called Rollcall, which can also work attendance into your grade sheet. (Something to look forward to when you transition!)

Two birds with one stone
Assistant Professor Sid Bedingfield uses 17 in-class exercises distributed through the semester, similar to Libin's strategy, in his large Jour 1001 course to build in attendance. "The system is not perfect. But on average, it does penalize those who miss class frequently," he says. It's important that any grading system using such exercises for attendance allow ample points for the other, more meaningful assignments such as exams and short research papers, he says. For example, the 140 points for the in-class exercises are part of 800 total points for the entire course.

But in smaller classes, Bedingfield has experimented with a technique that brings multitasking to the absence patrol. He asks students to propose an exam question based on the day's reading. "This method provides an attendance check each day," he says, "and the quality of the proposed exam question give me some indication of how closely the student engaged with the reading."

Bedingfield uses those exam-question attendance tallies to deliver consequences to students who fail to show up: those who miss class more than three times without a good excuse lose five points from their final point total in the class, which drops them half a letter grade. Meanwhile, the students who show up are turning into earnest contributors to the learning environment.

"So far, I have been pleased with the quality of the proposed exam questions," he says. "I plan to adapt several of them for use on the actual exams." 
 
Be realistic about student motives
Associate Professor Giovanna Dell'Orto uses two forms of attendance in her Jour 3614 History of Media Communication class: quizzes and a sign-in sheet for attendance when students are giving presentations.


Her best advice to those trying to figure out a way to hold students accountable? Make sure something, anything, matters in the long run for student grades. "I know from experience that students are smart at profit-cost calculations, and most will skip classes if they know there are no consequences whatsoever," she says.



Know what's legitimate
While we're on the subject of attendance, it's a good idea to review the FACTS about the absence policy itself.  Formally called the Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences policy, it lists the kinds of absences for which instructors may not penalize students. In other words, instructors must allow students to make up the missed classwork if a students absence is because of:

• illness, physical or mental, of the student or a student’s dependent;
• medical conditions related to pregnancy;
• participation in intercollegiate athletic events;
• subpoenas;
• jury duty;
• military service;
• bereavement, including travel related to bereavement;
• religious observances;
• participation in formal University system governance, including the University Senate, Student Senate, and Board of Regents meetings, by students selected as representatives to those bodies; and
• activities sponsored by the University if identified by the senior academic officer for the campus or the officer’s designee as the basis for excused absences.

Voting is not an unavoidable or legitimate absence, although instructors are expected to accommodate students who want to participate in party caucuses. And for circumstances not listed above, the instructor has the primary responsibility to decide on a case-by-case basis if the absence is legitimate and to grant a request for makeup work.

In other words, it's your choice.

That's important to remember. Instructors are still in the driver's seat when it comes to how to handle many absences, although it's important to know the policy and be sensitive to students who have legitimate concerns. You can usually spot the difference pretty easily. Students who miss class for reasons not listed as legitimate will have to live with the consequences, and usually understand that.

What's up with the single-episode medical absence?
Instructors have a right to request verification for absences, including the ones listed above, to determine if they are indeed legitimate. For example, you have the right to request documentation for to prove that the week-long trip to Miami was indeed for a grandmother's funeral. As difficult as that request may be, most students can easily provide an obituary or some other evidence that the absence was based on a real event.

But one circumstance, students do not need to provide documentation. Last year, the university added a provision to the policy allowing students to request makeup work for a "single-episode medical absence" without providing any documentation. This threw many instructors into a panic: An absence with no verification? Yikes!

The policy change arose because students were flooding Boynton Health clinic for flu or cold symptoms that were often best treated at home. Fear not, though. The policy doesn't leave instructors helplessly watching as scores of students claim seemingly endless single-episode medical absences without notes while demanding makeup work week after week. (What a nightmare!)

If you actually read the policy, you'll see that the instructor does have the right to ask for verification if the student has more than one single-episode medical absence OR if that single-episode medical absence involves missing a lab session, an exam or an important graded assignment. So really, the effect is quite limited. Instructors are still in charge.

And in ALL cases, remember the student needs to inform the instructor of the reason for any absence as soon as possible and to make arrangements to catch up with missed work as soon as the student is able.

Too many absences?
It's possible that a student misses so much coursework that passing the course is, well, not possible.

The policy states that sad reality and backs an instructor's right to determine when that is the case. The best strategy is to let the students know how absences are impacting their status in the course as soon as its becoming an issue. Again, the instructor is in charge. As long as the instructor has communicated clearly with the student every step of the way, it's the student's responsibility to follow through and accept the consequences.

We'd all like students to show up and never face a glitch. But sometimes life doesn't work that way. What we can do is communicate clearly, set the consequences and then show up with compassion and a clear explanation about the cost of missing out.

If you have a question or a comment for ProActive Teaching, please post one below or email me at ggolden@umn.edu. I'll be back at you soon.

A quick tech tip to improve student learning

By Gayle Golden

We should all take time to embrace technology when it leads to better interaction with students.

Claire Segijn

The university suggests many technologies you can work into your classes, including helping you with the transition to Canvas that will be inevitable next fall. (Psst. Canvas is mucho easier and more effective than Moodle, so you've got nothing but fun ahead of you.)

But using technology in a way that benefits students -- without overwhelming them or you -- can sometimes get tricky. Here's a quick blog post with a simple tip you can use from Assistant Professor Claire Segijn.

Segijn has figured out a way to use technology to help students do a better job remembering what she teaches them. (And that seems pretty relevant.) Using an open-source presentation tool called mentimeter.com, Segijn creates interactive polls, word clouds and banner displays to give students immediate in-class feedback on their understanding after a lecture. She can also use it to spread awareness among the class about their questions or even just their positions.

Sometimes she just breaks ice with it. On the first day, for instance, she might ask students to pull out their laptop or smart phone, go to the menti site and then input a special code she gives them for that exercise. When they put in the code,  they'll see a place they can enter their answer.

Once the class finishes answering, up pops the word cloud:

That sounds like fun, doesn't it?  But the tool can also be used to reinforce learning. (And yes, this is similar to the clicker approach. The CLA also has a tool called ChimeIn that allows similar polling in class.)  After lectures, Segijn will sometimes create polls about key points she tried to convey. She then gives asks those polls to see whether she got through to them.  If a sizable number of students do not understand a concept, she knows to reinforce it.


Segijn also wants to know what students are curious about too. So at the end of the term, she uses the tool to solicit open-ended student questions about the course and about the upcoming final exam. The questions help her address gaps she might not see otherwise and give voice to what students might not feel comfortable raising in class.

The power of the technology is evident, she said, in the feedback she gets about it, especially in a large class where it's sometimes hard to get student input.

"In my student evaluations, almost every student writes that this was helpful in retaining information in the class and in retaining information for the test," Segijn said.

These tools are useful when used in small doses. But here's something to consider: Although it may be hard to fathom, some students may not have smartphones or laptops. No policy at the university requires students to have these devices in class. So it's important to be sensitive to the students who will surely not call attention to the fact they rely on university computers, not their own bank accounts, for their technology needs.

In Segijn's case, none of these interactive quizzes count for a grade. One can always provide index cards or ask students to confer with others for input as well to capture the full range of student response.

For more information on courses or resources on innovative technology in the classroom, visit the Center for Educational Innovation website.

Do you have a tip for using technology in the classroom? If you have a question or a comment for ProActive Teaching, please post one below or email me at ggolden@umn.edu. I'll be back at you soon.

Boiled-down syllabus boilerplate

By Gayle Golden

Welcome to another semester. We at HSJMC of course want to help you with all your teaching needs, from keys to email to room assignments to instructional advice, Canvas training or copy access. Whatever you desire or need.

And, of course, there's always this request we send every semester in an email:

Please paste the accompanying massive block of boilerplate text as an appendix to your syllabi. 

Thank you. 

Syllabi have become pretty long and complicated, it's true. By the time you finish detailing the course's descriptions, competency expectations, competency goals, textbooks, grading standards, schedule and long list of policy statements, it's not unusual for a syllabus to be more than 10 pages, and often too long for students to absorb fully.  (As a side note, last semester I wrote about Professor Kathy Hansen's habit of creating a syllabus quiz to help students master the details of it, which is a great strategy to review.)

The syllabus is a contract
It's obviously critical for faculty to take syllabi seriously as a contract with students. So paying attention to the details of what's in a syllabus is important. Students might not pay attention to a syllabus' details on deadlines or file name requirements, but they are quick to point out when something in it -- especially something not stated clearly -- disadvantages them.

To avoid problems, put all your policies in writing. The boilerplate material is no exception.

Yet some adjunct instructors who don't teach every semester are confused by updates in university policy or whether they can amend some parts of the boilerplate to mesh with their classroom style. Frankly, the boilerplate seems like a giant tangle of something vaguely important trailing after all the main stuff you tell students.

Fair enough.  That's why I thought it might be fun -- well, useful -- to unpack the boilerplate to give a little context before you begin teaching.

Why so much information about grades?
It's probably not surprising that grades are of great interest to students. Using the syllabus to spell out the details of how you grade will NOT be a waste of paper, I assure you. In general, you should:

• Reinforce the university's grade policy, which governs faculty decisions but leaves the details, such as what constitutes outstanding, to your discretion. 
• Add specifics about your point calculations that relate to your course
• Detail how you calculate plus or minus grades, which are not specified in the university's policy. (For example, I tell students I calculate minus grades within each letter grade from .00 to 3.5; and plus grades from 7.5 to .99. I also tell them that, as a rule, I don’t round up. You are free to decide whatever you wish or to not give minus or plus grades at all. Just tell them what you do.)

What if I want to let them use laptops?
You'll notice statements banning laptops and mobile devices from classes. Those are to discourage technology disruptions, which are increasingly a problem in classroom environments. (See my conversation last semester with Assistant Professor Amy O'Connor on the subject.)

But if you want to allow students to use those devices in your class, you are free to change those policies. Just be thoughtful about the impact of technology on other students as well as the learning environment. There's no one solution for every class.

What policy statements aren't optional...and why?
Good question. It's very important every syllabus include the university policy statements on the following (and here's why, with some links that might help you understand how to understand them):

• Academic freedom and responsibility: This sets the groundwork for open, civil discussions in your classroom.
• Student conduct code and definitions: This establishes the students' responsibilities to act in compliance with the Student Conduct Code.
• Grades (we've mentioned this, so nuff said)
• Extra credit: This makes sure they know you won't secretly offer extra points to one without offering the opportunity to all.
• Attendance and excused absences: This outlines when they can expect makeup work for legitimate absences -- a policy that was changed last spring to include one "single-episode medical absence" that does not require a note but is eligible for makeup work.
• Adviser access to Moodle/Canvas gradebook: This tells them we will be tracking Moodle or Canvas grade book to assist students who fall behind.
• Disabilities: This is an important statement about access to accommodations, which you may receive for mental health or other disability reasons. Read my earlier post about how to handle those.
• Student mental health and stress management: This is a university policy to urge students to seek referral for stress and mental health concerns.
• Sexual harassment: This is a university policy statement notifying students where they can relay concerns about harassment.
• Equity, diversity, equal opportunity, affirmative action: This is notifying students about the university's policy of inclusiveness and equal access.
• Email protocol: This is a reminder that students must communicate with faculty only via the official university email account.

Why so much on HSJMC writing expectations? 
Our school has spent a great deal of time as part of the university's Writing-Enriched Curriculum program thinking about our writing expectations for our students. Those statements are a product of that process. In other words, this is truly what we value and what we expect students to understand about writing in our program.

The statements should be in every syllabus so students understand how seriously we view these expectations. We also want our instructors to use those expectations to teach and grade writing assignments.

Why the strict syllabus format?
Finally, you might wonder: What's the big deal with putting this in a format? Why can't I create a graphic novel depicting my class? Or just write a few sentences in haiku telling students the essence of what they'll learn.

The truth is that such approaches may indeed enlighten students about your class. However, the university has a syllabus policy. And we must follow it. For further information, you may read the policy here.

Whatever you do with your syllabus, be sure it's a clear contract with your students. And if you find you need to clarify something once the semester begins, don't worry about making additions or corrections, as long as you put it in writing and it doesn't disadvantage the students.

The point is to be transparent and fair.

If you have a question or a comment for ProActive Teaching, please post one below or email me at ggolden@umn.edu. I'll be back at you soon.