Illness, emergency and not doing the homework are common reasons to skip class, but students are increasingly using a new excuse: "The notes are already online."
As more professors have been posting lecture notes or PowerPoint presentations - and at some schools, even Podcasts - of their classroom materials, students have been skipping class because they can access all the covered material from their home computers.
The problem is, they're missing out on classroom interaction - and they're taking chances with their educations. Technology is an aid for the classroom, not a substitute for it.
There are a number of immeasurable benefits to going to class that cannot be made up for by reading through a professor's notes. In fact, being in the professor's actual presence has one huge, if obvious, bonus: getting to ask questions. A list of notes can't explain things when you don't understand, and it can't elaborate when you're confused. Sometimes an insightful comment by the student sitting next to you or an off-the-cuff example made up by the professor is what finally clarifies a concept.
Not going to class just because the notes are available goes beyond irresponsibility; it denies students the opportunity to connect with professors and peers, as well as classroom content.
Many professors have caught on to students' tendency to skip class if full notes are available, and they're posting only partial notes or leaving blanks for students to fill in on their own. This solution is more reasonable than pop quizzes because it doesn't require professors to do extra grading, and it still gives students the extra incentive that might be necessary to get them in those desks.
Offering fill-in-the blank notes or outlines also relieves students from scrambling to copy every word the professor says, while still requiring they pay attention rather than zone out.
"I see a lot less of the tops of their heads and a lot more of their eyes," Melinda Messineo, an assistant professor of sociology who uses online notes to augment instruction, said.
After five years with Blackboard capabilities, still less than 60 percent of Ball State professors use the program. It's an under-used technology that has a lot of potential to improve classroom relations and material comprehension - but it must be used smartly and efficiently.
With that in mind, professors and students can use this technology to benefit classes, rather than detract from the learning process - or miss out on it entirely.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
