Classroom | Photo by Qusai Takuri | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University policy does not indicate university-wide attendance guidelines, prompting mixed responses from the Dayton campus community.
No standard attendance policy
There is no standardized attendance policy at WSU; instead, instructors determine and evaluate attendance for individual courses, according to University Policy 3430.2.
According to University Policy 3430.2, attendance policies and absence penalties are to be provided at the first class meeting for in-person classes or the first day of the term for online classes. Students must establish attendance for each individual course.
The lack of a university-wide policy is one that promotes healthy dialogue between faculty and students, according to Faculty President Dr. Brian Boyd.
“I think what our policy is trying to encourage is that kind of interaction between faculty and students,” Boyd said. “It does encourage us to have a discussion, to have a good relationship, work through the challenges of that.”
Boyd explained that the excused absence policy was crafted by the Undergraduate Academic Policy Committee, a group of faculty from every college with various other individuals who work in the registrar and provost offices. The committee changed the policy in 2021.
According to Boyd, a lack of universal policy could mean a lack of clarity for students; however, the loss of established nuance in the student-faculty dynamic is a downside to standardized rules.
“There’s some real benefits to encouraging those discussions about what the expectation of the course is,” Boyd said.
The Ohio State University, Ohio University and Bowling Green State do not have university-mandated attendance policies either. OSU allows departments or schools to make rules on attendance, while OU has determined that those decisions be left to instructors. BGSU places the responsibility on departments with a firm first-day policy.
Faculty perspective
The lack of an official university attendance policy has prompted mixed opinions in the Dayton campus community. The pursuit of both clear communication and flexibility can be difficult to navigate for some faculty members.
According to business professor Dr. David Hall, there are benefits to having an outline for a standardized policy, but establishing one would take time.
“Different disciplines and professors and departments and administrators probably have different opinions about what is acceptable,” Hall said.
While acknowledging that having a standard policy would provide more consistency for students, Hall also mentioned that life events happen, and the lack of an official attendance policy allows professors the flexibility to make exceptions for students in special circumstances.
Absence of an official attendance policy across WSU is beneficial because it also promotes trust of faculty to make decisions pertaining to courses, according to English professor Dr. Andrew Strombeck.
“I think that faculty need to be trusted to come up with attendance policies that work for their particular, what I would call, pedagogical situations,” Strombeck said.
According to Strombeck, the nature and level of courses also contribute to areas of distinction in attendance policies for each instructor. There is variability in not having standardized attendance requirements, and Strombeck also noted that different areas of study will determine different attendance needs.
“English courses tend to be very discussion based, and so I think for us attendance tends to be really important, but it may be that in another context, attendance is not as significant when you’re just talking about kind of absorbing the information,” Strombeck said.
Student perspective
The lack of a mandated attendance policy elicits positive opinions from some WSU students.
Motion Pictures major, Bryson Schultz, enjoys the flexibility in the lack of an attendance policy.
“I personally opted to take more online based classes if they didn’t pertain to my major as with being busy with film projects, trying to find work and balance in my own personal life, it lends me some flexibility and helps with regulating my stress and freedom,” Schultz said.
Morgan Johnson, a Motion Pictures major, does not mind that there is not an official university-wide policy either, explaining that expectations are made clear by professors.
“I don’t skip my classes because I don’t want to miss notes/important info or upcoming tests,” Morgan said.
More information about course registration, attendance and administrative drops can be found here.
