Jonathan Razzano has skipped upward of 20 classes this school year.

Razzano’s situation is not unique, according to an online article published by The Chronicle of Higher Education that found skipping class is a growing trend among college students. The article, titled ‘Actually Going to Class, for a Specific Course? How 20th Century,’ was published Feb. 27.

The availability of lecture slides online have given students an excuse to miss classes regularly, according to the article. A senior at the University of Maryland at College Park said in the article that he won’t attend class if he doesn’t have to because technology continues to give students more reasons to skip.

Razzano, a sophomore geography and economics major, said he disagrees. He skips classes regardless of whether professors post their lectures to Blackboard or not, he said.

‘It definitely helps, but it’s not the end-all factor,’ he said.

Instead, a host of other influences help determine Razzano’s decision to skip class. Lack of sleep, being too busy and being drunk from the night before play more significant roles than technology, he said.

Razzano said his lack of class attendance has not yet adversely affected his GPA because none of his classes mark absences. He usually refrains from skipping two consecutive meetings and feels he is up to date on all of the class material, he said.

As a paying student, Razzano said he thinks it’s his right to skip classes at his discretion.

‘I’m paying for the school, so it’s my choice if I want to go to class or not,’ he said.

Vanessa Amigh, a freshman public relations major, offered a similar take. Amigh has slept through three class sessions this semester and said it’s easier for absences to go unnoticed in large lectures that do not require ‘clicking in.’

The availability of lectures online is not the main motive behind her absences, but it does make her decision to skip class easier, she said.

‘No one’s checking up on you. It’s easy to get notes from people. Notes are online,’ she said. ‘It makes it easier to know you’re not going to miss as much.’

Samantha Ackley, a freshman accounting major, said there was a legitimate reason behind her only absence this school year. Ackley skipped class the day before a test to study, she said. Skipping classes on a regular basis would make Ackley feel guilty, she said.

‘I feel like I’m paying for these classes,’ she said. ‘I should go and learn what I’m paying for.’

Ackley said the online accessibility of lecture slides would never factor into her decision to skip class. Slides posted to Blackboard do not convey as much information as a live lecture would, she said.

‘If I’m there, I feel like I learn more, even if the slides are on Blackboard,’ she said.

Patricia Burak, a professor of Russian literature in translation in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the conversation-based aspect of humanities courses makes it difficult for students to skip multiple classes.

‘Anything that deals with life issues, you can’t post on Blackboard,’ Burak said.

Burak recognizes situations like illness, emergencies or school-sponsored functions may force students to miss sessions occasionally. But she said students should only skip class for a ‘really legitimate reason.’

Steve Blusk, an associate professor of physics, said he uses clickers to ensure attendance in large lectures. He said though it is difficult to keep track of faces in a 250-person lecture, clickers that track student identification numbers manage attendance just as effectively.

Blusk is opposed to micromanaging student lives, as they should make decisions for themselves, he said. However, he said students have to ‘live and die by those decisions.’

In smaller 20-person lectures, Blusk said he is more aware of individual attendance records. Poorly performing individuals with low attendance are judged more harshly than students with high performance and low attendance, he said.

Said Blusk: ‘They’re not taken all that seriously as a serious academic student.’

dbtruong@syr.edu

 

 

 

 

 

Published on March 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Debbie: dbtruong@syr.edu | @debbietruong