Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cdninkorea]

If you are teaching or have taught credit courses, I'd like your input on taking attendance. I've recently started at a university in Seoul, and for several reasons I'm thinking about not taking attendance next semester.

The main reason is that whereas the good students will come regardless of whether or not I take attendance, the ones who don't want to come will only come in body, but not in spirit: they send text messages, talk to their friends sitting around them, sleep, etc. If they don't want to come, why should I force them? They're adults, and besides, if they fail the exams, they'll fail the course.

Thoughts?

[denverdeath]

maybe because it wastes 5 minutes...maybe 10 if your class is very large, or if you go extra slowly?

[cdninkorea]

I see that as another reason not to take attendance: I could use that time teaching. Five minutes twice a week works out to quite a chunk of time at the end of the semester. If your reason for doing attendance really is because it eats time, I think you're in the wrong line of work.

[denverdeath]

[denverdeath]

p.s.

some of those students who you say are bums, may actually ace your exams. then, how do you decide who gets the As and what not? seems like some of your "better" students may not get what they deserve if you disregard the attendance requirement of most korean unis. you should have a paper trail to cover your own behind as well.

[nw25th]

[ajuma]

Sorry, but Koren uni students are NOT adults!!!! In the context of western students, they're just barely high school students!

I've been teaching first-semester freshmen for a lot of years now and I feel that it's part of my job to teach them HOW to be uni students.

This is the first time they have EVER had to be responsible for themselves...and it doesn't come easy for a lot of them. If you let your students text and talk to each other in class, how can they learn to be responsible??

I see a student texting? The phone is mine until the end of class. They're talking when I'm trying to teach? I'll stop...stare at the offending students and ask (when everyone is looking at them and telling them to pay attention) "Are you finished? I'll wait...."

Showing up for class, participating, turning in homework on time (and NOT copied from Naver!) are skills the students have to learn.

Teaching ENGLISH is only PART of the job!!

nw25th: I am never EVER late for class! And I expect my students to be in class and ready to go 1 minute before "class time". Taking attendance takes one minute. THEN class starts. If you're late...even 5 minutes late..you're late. Noted on my attendance card. I get to my class 10 or more minutes before it starts. If students have questions or problems, this is the time to talk to me. 5 minutes late for class??? What kind of example are you setting?

End of rant!

[livinginkorea]

We have to take attendance for the undergrad classes. No choice and it is done online. It also, has to be done in class so it does admittedly take a couple of minutes to do especially at the beginning of the semester when you are trying to get to know their names. I consider it a pain but attendance has been good so far this semester. I guess students seeing their friends' name on the screen and me checking 'Absent' has helped their decision too.

For the graduate classes, I do not have to take attendance but I still do, well actually I just pass around a sheet of paper and they write down their own name themselves. It's handy to have a record just in case I ever need it i.e. whining about grades (I do actually give points for attendance). It is very useful.

[Stan Rogers]

A teacher who does not take attendance is telling students it doesn't matter if they go to class.

I don't think that is a very good message to be sending to your students.

[anynag]

Taking attendance and having an accountable record to that effect are required by law. Perhaps if you show the Ministry of Education a cost analysis detailing how much time and money are being wasted taking attendance each semester, they'll change the law to fit your logic.

[Draz]

[Swampfox10mm]

We have to turn in our attendence records. Actually,we are supposed to take it every hour, but I often just take it once per class.

[naturegirl321]

I do, but my classes have a max of 20 students and they sit in groups of 4. Takes about a minute to take attendance and it counts as 15% of their final grade.

[RMNC]

I've never taken attendance. Secondary education is voluntary, not compulsory.

[naturegirl321]

For us if students miss more than 8 classes, they fail.