Encouraging Attendance this Fall: Data-Driven Approaches to Engage Students

By Kaila Colyott, Center for Teaching Excellence; Dyan Morgan, Undergraduate Biology; Stephen Politzer-Ahles, Linguistics; Laura Kirk, Theatre and Dance and Film and Media Studies; Carmen Orth-Alfie, Libraries

Class attendance has become a significant concern for instructors at the University of Kansas (KU) and beyond. Post-pandemic, we’ve observed a shift in student behaviors and attitudes towards attending classes. The question is, how can we motivate our students to show up and engage?

We, a group of instructors, comprised predominantly of teaching professors from various departments at KU, including Undergraduate Biology, Linguistics, Theatre and Dance and Film and Media Studies, and Libraries, convened through the Teaching Scholarship Collaborative (TSC), a learning community at the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) to tackle this issue. Inspired by local and national discussions (Holstead 2022) and a 25-year-old study by Fred Rodriguez, the director of the CTE at the time, and Paul Friedman, a communications studies professor at KU (Friedman, Rodriguez, and McComb 2001), we aimed to understand the current landscape of student attendance.

We conducted a survey of 1,370 students to uncover their reasons for attending or missing classes. Students considered 22 reasons to attend class and 38 reasons not to attend largely based on the original study with a few additions (e.g., do not attend because they prefer to engage with class materials online, attend because they enjoy opportunities to interact with other students). The study revealed three key factors driving attendance: Engagement and Social Connection, Grading and Accountability, and In-Class Learning Benefits.

Rather than relying on stereotypes about student apathy, our goal is to depersonalize empty seats and focus on actionable strategies to enhance attendance. There are many things not under our control as instructors—we propose focusing on the things we can have some control over. With the findings from this study, we hope to foster a positive learning environment where both students and instructors thrive. To that end, here we share how three instructors have applied the findings from the recent survey to increase attendance, engagement, and learning in their classes.

Dyan Morgan, Undergraduate Biology, on Grading and Accountability

I accidentally stumbled upon an interesting attendance experiment. I teach two courses: Immunology and Biology of Development. Both classes are structured similarly, but there was a key difference Spring 2023—only the Immunology class had graded in-class worksheets, while Biology of Development included in-class group discussions and questions that were not graded. The difference in attendance between these classes was striking. Perhaps the most noticeable was the difference in attendance for students enrolled in both classes. Many students that were enrolled in both classes frequently attended the class with graded in-class work, but not the class with in-class work that was not graded.

Based on the survey data, which highlighted the importance of grading and accountability, I decided to implement graded in-class work in both classes for the Spring 2024 semester. As hoped for, attendance rates in both classes became similar. Surprisingly, students in Biology of Development commented in student evaluations of teaching on how helpful the graded in-class work was to their learning. This was a new development, suggesting that students linked the value of their learning directly to their grades.

Lesson Learned: To encourage student behavior that we know is valuable to their learning, consider using grades as an incentive. Students may need a tangible reward to engage in activities that enhance their learning.

Stephen Politzer-Ahles, Linguistics, on In-Class Learning Benefits

Our recent survey revealed an intriguing insight into student attendance. We discovered that one of the key factors associated with higher class attendance was students’ belief in what we are calling “in-class learning benefits”. But as instructors, we know that there are many kinds of “benefits” a student can get from being in class.

As instructors, we generally hope that students engage with higher-level learning benefits from being in class, such as participating in activities that facilitate deeper learning. These might include critical discussions, collaborative projects, or hands-on applications of theoretical concepts. Yet, our survey showed that students often attend for the lower-level benefits, like simply receiving content or getting information they need for exams.

Interestingly, students who reported attending for these lower-level benefits (e.g., "Course content is presented that I need to know") tended to attend more classes. In contrast, those who valued the higher-level benefits (e.g., "I like participating", "We work on assignments or projects together") did not necessarily attend more frequently. In other words, the students who attend more classes aren’t necessarily attending for the reasons that instructors want them to be attending for, and the students who do value the things instructors want them to value aren’t necessarily attending more classes. This finding suggests that students may not fully understand or appreciate the deeper learning activities we prioritize.

This finding has prompted me to consider the benefits from having explicit discussions about metacognition with my students. By talking openly about what we aim to achieve through various classroom activities and how these activities can enhance their learning, I hope we can align students' expectations with our instructional goals. For example, instructors might explain why interactive tasks or collaborative projects are designed the way they are and how they contribute to a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Lesson Learned: By discussing the intended learning benefits and helping students see the value in higher-level engagement, we can better align their motivations with our educational objectives. This approach may help students recognize the true benefits of being in class and potentially improve attendance.

Laura Kirk, Theatre and Dance and Film and Media Studies, on Engagement and Social Connection

One of the biggest insights I noted from our recent study is the importance of fostering engagement and social connection in the classroom. For me, creating a sense of community among my students is essential. A classroom is a temporary physical area, but it holds the potential to form a healthy social group that can leave lasting impressions and even forge lasting friendships. I like to think of a class as a neighborhood in a large city. KU is big, and there can be significant and confusing disparities between instructor expectations.

At the start of each semester, I focus on setting up an atmosphere that promotes community. I begin by establishing community agreements devised by the students, with my guidance. In our study, we heard about the many factors that can affect attendance, such as work, commute, family obligations, and illness. We discuss these at the start of the semester and together create transparent, posted community guidelines. This transparency helps diminish anxiety and reversing the general hierarchy of top-down rule setting strengthens buy-in for the agreed-upon guidelines and creates a sense of community.

To create community agreements, I form random small groups of 3-5 students to avoid gendered or segregated seating. I prompt them with questions to break the ice, such as “What makes you feel included or excluded in a classroom?” and “How do you best demonstrate your learning?” After sharing their experiences, I ask, “How many classes can be missed before your grade lowers?” Consistently, the answer has been 4 absences. This process helps establish community guidelines on topics like cellphone use, feedback, late work, and attendance. Students take these community agreements seriously as evidenced by the attendance data for my classes —the maximum number of absences reported by students in my classes was 4!

In an uncertain world, there is comfort in routine and structure. From day one, I send a strong message: “I care what you think.” As Emine Fisek describes in her book Theatre & Community, theatre’s critical function is as a space that pushes us to pose questions even as we need, demand, and pursue answers. All individuals contribute to the chemistry of any given class. Taking steps to encourage an inclusive community pays off. By the end of the semester, shared ideals of growth inspire robust inquiry and new solutions. I lead one class for one semester, but the students leave as potential leaders with a blueprint for ways to thrive in their communities.

Lesson Learned: Fostering a strong sense of community and social connection in the classroom can significantly enhance student engagement and attendance. Creating a supportive, inclusive environment where students feel valued and heard lays the foundation for a successful and enriching learning experience.

Tell Us Your Story: How Will You Encourage Attendance This Fall?

We still have much more to learn from our data. Do the things we can do as instructors to motivate attendance differ based on student demographic data? Is there anything we can do to get the chronically absent students present more? Do students' perceptions of how interactive (or not) a class is, impact their attendance behavior?

Recognizing the diversity of class settings and student needs, we propose a collaborative approach to understand what works best for all students. Join us at our CTE Summit Session to discuss strategies for encouraging attendance this Fall semester.

We’d love to hear about your successes and challenges with student attendance. Connect with us through the TSC or email Kaila Colyott.

What strategies will you implement this Fall to motivate your students’ attendance and learning?