Class Absence, Instructor Lecture Notes, Intellectual Styles, and Learning Outcomes

Abstract

At many universities, undergraduate introductory economics courses are taught in large lecture halls. Casual empiricism suggests that rates of student absenteeism are significantly greater in the large lecture format compared to the smaller classroom format. There is also the compounding factor that numerous empirical studies have identified a statistically significant negative relationship between absenteeism and student performance. Using panel data, it is estimated that the average student with less than perfect attendance is better off attending the lecture, but studying from instructorprovided lecture notes can significantly reduce the negative effect of absence on exam performance. Additional estimates of the differential effects of intellectual styles show the notes were the least beneficial for the auditory intellectual style.

Could Attendance at Medical School be improved? A Prospective Study of Medical Education at The University of Liverpool: Study of Attendance at a UK Medical School

“…39,51 To tackle this problem university faculties should plan student-friendly timetables. 52 For example, non-attendance was higher on Mondays and Fridays in studies of health science students, but also in the wider student body.…”

“…One is the loss of student-teacher interaction. 51 Evidence suggests that poor attendance has significance with regards to professional development as well as academic performance. Absenteeism causes the student to waive their opportunity to develop relationships with their tutors who have a mentoring role and assist with their professional growth.…”

“…58 However, there is a worry that this may increase temptation to 'skip' lectures and indeed, access to electronic resources means many medical students now choose not to attend teaching sessions, opting to carry out their own learning instead. 39,40,51,70 Studies have shown that students who used notes provided by the lecturer had higher mean exams scores than those who didn't. 26,59 Harmon et al found that when students attend the lecture covering the topic in their exam, they are almost 20% more likely to answer correctly when compared to those students who solely study using the online material.…”

Modeling Student Effort: Flat Tires and Dead Batteries

“…Highfill and Marcum (2019) have a model that considers how grading protocols and practices might interact with student effort subject to random shocks. Harmon et al (2015) empirically test how instructor-provided lecture notes affect exam results for students who self-report having absenteeism from lack of effort or unpredictable shocks. Other notable studies of student effort include Levitt et al (2016) on financial and noneconomic incentives, Duckworth et al (2011) on test framing, and Michaelis and Schwanebeck (2016) on re-take exam offering.…”