Discussion Studio: Discussion: Should Class Attendance Be Mandatory?
Core · about 10 minutes · at least 100 words. State your position and engage a classmate by name.
The discussion
Professor: Many universities require students to attend a minimum number of classes, and grades may be reduced for excessive absences. Some students argue that attendance should not be mandatory at university, since adults should manage their own learning. Others believe required attendance improves results. What is your position?
Elena: I do not think attendance should be mandatory. University students are adults, and some learn better by reading the textbook or watching recorded lectures at their own speed. If a student can pass the exams without attending every lecture, the university should not punish them for it.
Victor: I believe attendance should be required. Many students, including me, would skip too many classes if nobody checked, and then they would fail. Also, doctors, engineers, and teachers must show up reliably in their future jobs, so university should build that responsible habit.
Your task: In your response, state your position on mandatory attendance. Engage with at least one student's argument and support your view with reasons or examples.
0 words · target ≈ 120-150 words
Model contribution & full-answer points — after writing
I agree with Elena that attendance policies should be relaxed for lectures, and Victor's own example helps explain why. He says strict policies create responsible habits, yet he is describing professional programs where attendance itself is part of the training. For a large lecture of three hundred students, however, nobody practices a skill; students simply receive information, which a recording delivers equally well. In my biology course last year, lectures were recorded, attendance was optional, and the class average actually rose slightly.
That said, I would keep required attendance for seminars, laboratories, and group work, where a missing student harms classmates. The fair policy is not one rule for everything but different rules for different kinds of classes, based on whether presence itself is part of the learning.
A full answer must
- Distinguish between types of classes instead of defending one blanket rule
- Refer to a named student and use or reframe their example
- Include evidence from a real course or plausible observation
- Consider the effect of absence on other students
- Propose a clear, practical policy as your conclusion
Self-evaluation checklist — the 10-point review
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