1. How to Increase Class
Attendance
GBS Teaching Community of Practice
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Peter Woods
2. Objective
That participants will adapt teaching
strategies that will improve class
attendance
3. Why?
Why should I attend if I just want to
pass this course?
Why should I attend if hardly
anyone else attends?
Why should I attend if my learning
style is better suited to private
study?
Why should I attend if I am
distracted during class?
4. Why should I attend if I just want to
pass this course?
Just passing is a wasted opportunity
Expand career awareness in class –
industry speakers, wage/ consultancy
scales, input from industry seminars/
news
Relate content to career goals
Relate teaching and learning activities to
professional realities (project teams,
critically evaluating meeting ideas,
presentations)
5. Why should I attend if hardly anyone
else attends?
Assessment reasons + personal benefit
reasons
Course outlines and class attendance
categories – explain why attendance will
be beneficial in outlines
Tell stories of past student experiences
Present previous course evaluations
Avoid focussing on the complainers
6. Assessment Reasons
Lecture/ workshop quizzes – very clear
rules are needed, especially the ‘failure to
attend’ rules, link to previous delivered
lectures
Reflective journals – limited number of
submissions needed
Case studies in exam – must make exam
procedures very clear from the beginning
Content structure – must tie in each
week’s content to a content/ module
structure, linked to learning objectives
and assessment tasks
7. Why should I attend if my learning style
is better suited to private study?
Learning activities cater for all learning
styles
Develop learning activities that cater for a
variety of learning styles (visual, audio,
active, reflective)
Lectures – application discussion groups,
stories/ cases, problem-based
discussions, ask hard questions
Tutorials – How would a reflective learner
benefit?
8. Why should I attend if I am distracted
during class?
Because most students find the lectures
interesting: -
Short video clips (5 mins) followed by
discussion
Use a central case study in each lecture
Develop the art of story telling
Break up lecture into 5min blocks
Present latest research in class
Provide an outline only in notes
Manage class participation
Control classroom noise
9. Why should I attend if I am distracted
during class?
Because most students find the tutorials
interesting:-
Produce a clear tutor guide with outlines and
activities
Train and meet regularly with tutors
Record attendance and use student names
(communicate regarding attendance)
Use a variety of activities – games, debates,
hypotheticals, quizzes, case studies
Present information visually as well as verbally –
record student ideas on power-point
Expect preparation and separate the prepared
from the unprepared
10. Conclusion
Students ask ‘why should I attend?’
rather than ‘why shouldn’t I
attend?’
Teachers must be able to provide
clear and feasible answers to this
question and structure class
activities and content accordingly