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Responding to Low Lecture Attendance

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Elliot

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Samtale

Why might students stop attending lectures even when the lectures are useful?

Hvorfor kan studerende holde op med at gå til forelæsninger, selv når forelæsningerne er nyttige?

Godt svar:

Students may stop attending because recordings make absence feel low-risk. Even when a lecture is useful, it can become something they plan to watch later, especially when deadlines, paid work or personal responsibilities feel more urgent in the moment. The problem is that later often becomes much later, and students lose the rhythm of the course. They may also underestimate the value of being present for questions, reminders and emphasis that are not obvious from the recording alone. I do not think recordings are the enemy, because they support revision and accessibility. But they can change attendance habits if students start treating live lectures as optional content rather than part of a learning sequence. That shift can happen gradually before anyone realises attendance has collapsed.

Studerende kan holde op med at komme til undervisningen, fordi optagelser får fravær til at føles mindre risikabelt. Selv når en forelæsning er nyttig, kan den ende med at blive noget, man planlægger at se senere, især når deadlines, lønarbejde eller personlige forpligtelser føles mere presserende lige nu. Problemet er, at senere ofte bliver til meget senere, og så mister de studerende rytmen i kurset. De kan også undervurdere værdien af at være til stede, når der er spørgsmål, påmindelser og pointer, som ikke er tydelige ud fra optagelsen alene. Jeg mener ikke, at optagelser er fjenden, for de støtter repetition og tilgængelighed. Men de kan ændre fremmødevanerne, hvis de studerende begynder at se liveforelæsninger som valgfrit indhold i stedet for som en del af et læringsforløb. Den ændring kan ske gradvist, før nogen opdager, at fremmødet er faldet sammen.

What does low attendance tell a university about a course?

Godt svar:

Low attendance may suggest that students are disengaged, but it does not prove that the course is poor. Attendance is influenced by many factors, including timetable placement, assessment pressure, transport, recordings and students' confidence with the material. A course might be intellectually strong but scheduled at a difficult time, or students may be skipping because they are overwhelmed by deadlines elsewhere. The university should therefore treat low attendance as a reason to investigate, not as a final judgement. It needs to ask why students are making that choice. If the answer is weak teaching design, the course should change. If the answer is external pressure, the support needed may be different. The same attendance figure can hide very different causes.

Should universities respond with stricter rules or better teaching design?

Godt svar:

I would start with better teaching design rather than stricter rules. If lectures include application, short questions, demonstrations or opportunities to test understanding, students have a clearer reason to attend in person. A rule can force attendance, but it cannot automatically create attention or learning. Design addresses the reason students choose not to come. For example, if a lecture helps students solve problems that later appear in seminars or assessments, the value of being present becomes visible. That said, universities should still communicate expectations clearly. Students need to understand that attendance is not just a formal requirement. It is part of how the course is meant to work. Better design makes that claim believable. It also gives staff a stronger basis for asking students to attend.

What change would most likely improve lecture attendance?

Godt svar:

The most effective change would be making lectures visibly connected to assessment and seminars. If students can see that attending helps them write better essays, solve problems or contribute to later discussion, they are more likely to treat the lecture as valuable. This does not mean turning every lecture into exam coaching. It means making the learning sequence clear. For example, a lecturer might show how a concept introduced today will be used in next week's seminar task. That kind of connection helps students prioritise attendance when they are busy. It also reduces the impression that lectures are optional background material rather than central parts of the course. Clear links also help students recover when they miss a session and understand what matters most.