Policy on Class Attendance for University Students

[Yoga Taruna]

:question: Question :

Some people believe that university students should be required to attend classes. Others believe that going to classes should be optional for students. Which point of view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.

:idea: Idea :

Different universities apply different rules and policies on class attendance to their students. Most universities require their students to attend classes, while a number of universities make class attendance only optional for their students. I tend to support the former policy because from my observation, I find that mandatory class attendance benefits students more than optional class attendance. Here are my reasons.

Firstly, most subjects in universities require real life experience, not only theory from books. For example, medical students can’t learn how to perform surgery only from books. They have to practice it in real life. Similarly, student teachers can’t learn how to teach effectively if they only rely on theory from books and hardly ever practice teaching in real life. By making class attendance mandatory, universities can ensure that their students really get the right opportunities to learn gradually from real life experience. Students can’t get and make the best use of such opportunities if they attend classes only when they want to.

Secondly, most subjects in universities require group works or team works to prepare their students to enter professional world, because many professional jobs require ability to work in a team. For example, jobs in construction, legal fields, or social work usually demand team work. If universities make class attendance only optional, it is likely that group works won’t function as expected.

Thirdly, class attendance can serve as a tool to build students’ discipline. Classes are so scheduled that students have to build good habits of organizing themselves and arranging their schedules wisely if they want to succeed in their studies. In the long run, students will benefit from those habits in that they will become well-organized and expectedly more prepared to face professional world which demands punctuality, efficiency, and effectiveness. If students are free to choose whether to attend classes or not, they tend to attend only classes which interest them and skip classes which bore them.

In conclusion, fact shows that most universities decide to make class attendance mandatory because they are aware of the benefit students can gain from class attendance. Not only does that policy help students to concentrate on their studies, but it also instills good habits to prepare students to enter professional world.

:)

[vic4ever]

I'm studying for the TOEFL too. Your essay is very good [clap]. However, I don't know whether "student teachers" is the right word.:rolleyes:

[wasleys]

I don't know whether "student teachers" is the right word.

In UK 'student teacher' is the usual term for someone training to be a teacher. I don't know about US usage.

[Yoga Taruna]

Dear vic4ever and wasleys,

Thank you very much for your comments.

They are very helpful. I really appreciate them.

:) :)