Student Essay on Should Class Attendance Be Optional to University Students?

Should Class Attendance Be Optional to University Students?

Summary:   The mandatory attendance policy imposed by colleges and universities is useless and burdensome. The policy does not enhance students' school performance as expected; it discourages independent thinking; it impedes on the ability of students who must pursue "distant learning" outside the college campus; it impinges on students' abilities as purchasers of education to study when they want; and it does not allow students to make the most out of their time. An optional attendance policy would enable students to get the most out of their time and their education.

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Nowadays, universities are open place for all people. More and more educational chances have been created for those who want to acquire knowledge from colleges and universities. While registering for a college course seems to be no longer complicated, there still remains an obstacle that has been triggered so much controversy in academic environment: mandatory attendance policy. This policy, which is imposed by some schools or some professors, requires that college student must attend class regularly enough or their exam papers will be extracted some attendance points (that usually count for about 15 or 20 percent of the total grade evaluation). In my opinion, this policy is useless and burdensome to many people involved. University students should be free in choosing which classes to attend.

1. Mandatory attendance policy does not really enhance students' school performance as it's usually expected. Some teachers and schools believe students would study better if they come to class regularly. They argue that all lessons in text books should be explained, discussions should be held with full class. If students do not come to class, they would study nothing or make no progress. Some even think of students as lazy creatures who play truant to do everything they like but homework or assigned reading, so they take roll-call to ensure that all students come to class and work with them. What i can say is that attending class regularly does not mean you will have better understanding or performance. Some students sometimes miss class but they still study well. That's because there are some lessons they can study by themselves at home without spending too much time as those who study in class. On the other hand, some students study almost nothing from textbooks or what their teachers explain even though they did attend class more often. That's simply because they do not have good preparation at home. They just jot down what their teachers say without much understanding. Or they may not be interested in this subject and they want to stay at home and enjoy themselves. However, they have to come to class lest their grade would be decrease due to poor attendance. How can you put knowledge into the heads of these students. They sit in class, but they feel very distracted. They even disturb other students who are paying good attention to the lessons. Does it worsen the situation? If teachers let such students be optional whether to attend class or not, maybe the class environment will be better. Classroom is where students raise ideas, ask questions about what they are still unclear after reading assigned books or doing homework, etc. It's not the place where those who lack of interest be forced to listen to what they do not like. For this reason, students should be given right to decide whether to attend class or not.
2. Mandatory attendance policy discourages independent thinking, self-discipline, self-study. Students are adults. Of course they can decide which is better for them. With younger students this policy is necessary for many reasons (such as safety reason). However, you can not force an adult do whatever you like despite his unlikeness. That will form in him a habit of dependence on other person's wish and thinking. In other words, if we force students go to school regularly, we are violating his right of making decision, that will soon turn him a person lacking of self-discipline. Moreover, students are more dependent on teachers as they have to spend most of their time just listen and write down what their teachers think, not what they think and discover. Gradually, this habit of copying teacher's thought would result in a weakness in self-study. Some recent press surveys have shown that a large percentage of Vietnamese students are very passive in learning, for example, they meet a lot of difficulties when searching for materials on internet. Some even do not know what Google is.

   Scholars point out that just because students are too much familiar with easy acceptance of provided information, they are not good at finding out what they want. As adults, students should be know make decisions by themselves and suffer from what they did. In other words, students should take responsible for his decisions such as missing a class. That is an important lesson in life that everyone should know.

3. Optional attendance policy means open educational opportunity.

Nowadays, distant learning is no longer strange to people, especially academic people. In a distant learning, students can earn a degree from some college that he can not go there to attend due to many reasons (for example: that is in a foreign country and the student can not afford enough money to study there). A student who takes part in such program studies the same curriculum and takes the same exam as native students. The difference here is that he does not have to attend the real class because everything from the schedule, books, materials, lecture are available on net. In fact, distant learning a good example of optional attendance policy. Then as you can see, the result is obviously good. The student can study something he likes that seem impossible to study if there is a strict attendance policy. Now many people have enough money and determination to go to college, but the problem is that everyone seems to be very busy. You are really limiting their opportunity if you say that" all students of my class have to attend at least 80 of all time or else you will be failed." An optional policy would be necessary to open college's door to everyone. Is the education better with this perspective?

4. Education is like business. Students pay tuition and get knowledge from teachers. Compared with business, students are customers, teachers (or Universities) are suppliers. Then students must be free to choose what he wants to "buy." In other words, they must be free to study what they feel necessary and not study what they do not like or need. Do you buy something that do you do not need? Usually no. If yes, I think you are irrational or that you are strongly persuade, or trick, to by it by the sale person. Anyway, just as customers are not forced to buy goods they do not need, so students should not be forced to study what they do not like. If there is any subjects you think you do not like to study, then as I said you should have right to say no with it. In reality, education is not as what I said. But I think it's time to take action.
5. Last but not least, free policy on attendance would means all people concerned can make the most of their time. Time is of supreme essence. It must not smart at all to spend 2 hours to study a lesson you can do in just 30 minutes. Attending a class regularly now is synonymous with wasting time: taking bus to and fro, go to campus, waiting time between classes, class schedule unexpected changes.... All these things do nothing but kill your time day by day. Now I am studying at a University where teachers rarely notify to students when there's some change in schedule. We students just get up early, go to class and are told that now we have no class as usual. That's so trivial but that annoys many people. If we do not have a strict policy, then no more getting up early, no more hustle and bustle on bus and no more waste time like this. Furthermore, teachers may have more free time if students just stay at home and do homework. They just sit at the table with a Internet-connected computer and communicate with their students via email or such thing. Then they will have more time for scientific research - is it more productive? Vietnam now has very few scientists - many of whom just rush in teaching and be trapped with heave work-load. If we relieve the policy, then we will have more part-time scientists-that are teachers.

That's the end of my presentation.

This is the complete article, containing 1,348 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page).