A Student Always Absent Because Work

[Bash]

Hi All,

I have a college student that does not come to class because of his work schedule, he keeps asking to special consideration for him to be able to submit in-class assignments and quizzes online or later.
He said he has to work to support him self and keep his resident permit, but I believe it is not fair for his classmate to let him do his in-class work online or without coming to class.
Any thoughts? Could you please share

[fourhats]

Do you have an attendance policy on the syllabus?

[Parasaurolophus]

You're right, it's not fair. A one-time exception is one thing, but regular exceptions are another matter entirely.

[Hegemony]

My own view is that if he understands the material and knows enough to pass the course, then he's done what the course is meant to do, and you should allow him. Some students do need to work long hours and it's either that or drop out entirely. I believe in supporting those students rather than throwing unnecessary obstacles in their way.  If he's not learning the material, that would be a necessary obstacle. But if it's just a matter of scheduling, I think flexibility would be a great kindness.

[nescafe]

Some students have legitimate reasons for needing to miss a significant number of classes, but there is a point at which these students are no longer completing the course they enrolled for. Accommodating ad hoc absences, emergencies, or one-off work conflicts is one thing, but this case sounds like the student would be better served in an independent study course, not the one he enrolled in with you.

We this my student, I would remind him of the attendance policy on my syllabus, and reiterate that I do not make accommodations for routine missed work. If he needs to withdraw from the course, offer to find a way for him to do it without impact on his GPA.

There is one circumstance where I will bend on this: that's when a student presents the conflict to me ahead of time (before enrolling), which allows us to make a plan for their successful completion of the course. This happens, but it's rare.

[spork]

He should have registered for another course. Either he withdraws or you give every other student in the class the same exceptions. Prepare your remarks for when you get called into the office of the department chair or dean.

[Wahoo Redux]

I sometimes remind students that one of the reasons for college is a career, as opposed to a job with limited possibilities.  In other words, don't prioritize the job over the college that will allow you to leave that job behind.

I'm not sure how to advise a student who needs to keep residency, but remind him that now is a good time to look for another job that won't interfere with his primary purpose, even one on campus.

[marshwiggle]

There is one circumstance where I will bend on this: that's when a student presents the conflict to me ahead of time (before enrolling), which allows us to make a plan for their successful completion of the course. This happens, but it's rare.

I've had this occasionally with a student who is in their final term, often with only one or two courses to finish, so they're doing it part time with a full time job. If I've had them in other courses so I know they're going to do the work reliably, then I can usually accommodate this.

[EdnaMode]

In most of my courses there is crucial work that is completed in-class, not just me lecturing and them listening passively. And often, work that is done in class is also due that same class period so students need to be present to do the work and turn it in. If there is a one-off situation, I can usually find a way to accommodate that, depending on the assignment. But I would not allow a student to routinely miss class, and definitely would not allow them to turn their work in late without a penalty. Our official institutional policy requires class attendance for all scheduled class sessions, with few exceptions. Some faculty enforce this, others don't. In my classes it's passively enforced by the amount of in-class work we do, not by me taking attendance.

[marshwiggle]

In most of my courses there is crucial work that is completed in-class, not just me lecturing and them listening passively. And often, work that is done in class is also due that same class period so students need to be present to do the work and turn it in. If there is a one-off situation, I can usually find a way to accommodate that, depending on the assignment. But I would not allow a student to routinely miss class, and definitely would not allow them to turn their work in late without a penalty. Our official institutional policy requires class attendance for all scheduled class sessions, with few exceptions. Some faculty enforce this, others don't. In my classes it's passively enforced by the amount of in-class work we do, not by me taking attendance.

I should clarify that my courses have a heavy lab component, and so the student has to be able to be there for the labs. Since I can see how they do there, and interact with them as well, it makes it easier to verify that their performance is consistent with the things they hand in without being in class.

[EdnaMode]

In most of my courses there is crucial work that is completed in-class, not just me lecturing and them listening passively. And often, work that is done in class is also due that same class period so students need to be present to do the work and turn it in. If there is a one-off situation, I can usually find a way to accommodate that, depending on the assignment. But I would not allow a student to routinely miss class, and definitely would not allow them to turn their work in late without a penalty. Our official institutional policy requires class attendance for all scheduled class sessions, with few exceptions. Some faculty enforce this, others don't. In my classes it's passively enforced by the amount of in-class work we do, not by me taking attendance.

I should clarify that my courses have a heavy lab component, and so the student has to be able to be there for the labs. Since I can see how they do there, and interact with them as well, it makes it easier to verify that their performance is consistent with the things they hand in without being in class.

Same here, I'm in engineering, with lots of lab work. I didn't mean to imply that you weren't holding students to standards or were making improper accommodations. 

[marshwiggle]

In most of my courses there is crucial work that is completed in-class, not just me lecturing and them listening passively. And often, work that is done in class is also due that same class period so students need to be present to do the work and turn it in. If there is a one-off situation, I can usually find a way to accommodate that, depending on the assignment. But I would not allow a student to routinely miss class, and definitely would not allow them to turn their work in late without a penalty. Our official institutional policy requires class attendance for all scheduled class sessions, with few exceptions. Some faculty enforce this, others don't. In my classes it's passively enforced by the amount of in-class work we do, not by me taking attendance.

I should clarify that my courses have a heavy lab component, and so the student has to be able to be there for the labs. Since I can see how they do there, and interact with them as well, it makes it easier to verify that their performance is consistent with the things they hand in without being in class.

Same here, I'm in engineering, with lots of lab work. I didn't mean to imply that you weren't holding students to standards or were making improper accommodations.

I didn't think that. It just kind of slipped my mind (until your comment) that for people without labs, class time is the only time they interact with students. For those of us with labs, most of our interaction tends to be there. I can't imagine what it would be like to only see students in lectures, and to never actually see them working. (I guess an online class would be even more like that, but since I've never taught one, I haven't experienced it.)

[mythbuster]

Could you refer the student to the Dean of Students or the Ombudsman? If this is a chronic problem that will last the entire semester, I would get student services involved to help the student balance their work schedule better.
   I have also found that if you really push back, students can change their work schedules. You just have to make it worth their while to do so.

[the_geneticist]

I'm assuming the entire point of in class quizzes and assignments is for students to engage with and learn the material.  That's a key component of your class.  So, it's not "attendance" per se that is the main concern, it's that the student is missing out on the process of learning. 
They should register for a different class.

[Caracal]

Hi All,

I have a college student that does not come to class because of his work schedule, he keeps asking to special consideration for him to be able to submit in-class assignments and quizzes online or later.
He said he has to work to support him self and keep his resident permit, but I believe it is not fair for his classmate to let him do his in-class work online or without coming to class.
Any thoughts? Could you please share

If you have quizzes and assignments due in class, the point is to get students to come. Otherwise, you might as well just make those online for everybody. It makes sense to drop a few of these kinds of things to give students some leeway, but I wouldn't allow a student to just do something totally different because of work commitments. I sometimes make exceptions if a student gets really sick or has some personal crisis, but work doesn't fall in that category.