Engagement of students with lectures in biochemistry and pharmacology

Abstract

Academic staff at universities have become concerned about the decrease in student attendance at lectures and the implication of this on student achievement and learning. Few studies have measured actual lecture attendance in a coherent or comprehensive way. The aim of this study was to measure actual lecture attendance of students over two year levels enrolled in two separate science disciplines, biochemistry and pharmacology. The study further sought to determine the factors that influence lecture attendance. Attendance at lectures in four units of study was monitored over a 12-week semester. Attendance at lectures decreased over the semester and was lower at early morning lectures (8 A.M.; 9 A.M.). A questionnaire surveying students about their preparation for lectures, their compensation for missed lectures and the factors influencing their nonattendance was administered at the end of the semester. Students reported that the major factors influencing their attendance at lectures related to timetable issues and the quality of lecturing. If students missed lectures, the majority read the lecture notes and listened to the online recordings. The availability of online recordings of lectures was not a major influence on attendance at lectures. In three of the four units studied there was no correlation between self-reported lecture attendance and exam performance. The results of the study indicate that universities should dedicate more resources to timetabling and to supporting staff to improve the quality of their lectures.

Reasons of Absenteeism among Undergraduate Medical Students: A Review

“…17,18,[20][21][22] In addition, accessibility of lecture content in the form of online slides, videos, audios have their own contribution to absenteeism. [23][24][25][26][27] Absenteeism will only allow students not to obtain appropriate information and contact with relevant material (lectures, practical session, clinical skills, etc) that is required for effective learning to occur. In addition, regular attendance in learning activities corresponds to a distributed practice system (i.e.…”

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

“…56 Online resources have become readily available over the past decade. 36,[57][58][59][60] It is now common to find recordings of lectures or lecture slides online prior to teaching sessions. These twenty-first century advances create questions around the relevance of lectures delivered in the traditional manner.…”

“…This trend has been repeatedly found in the literature. 6,[33][34][35][36]49,60 However, a number of publications have suggested that attendance does not fall if resources are made available to students prior to lectures. 58,62,63 This trend is reflected in the response to question 2 of our survey.…”

Standing room only: faculty intervention increases voluntary lecture attendance and performance for disadvantaged year 1 Bioscience students

“…financial difficulties lead to students attending paid work rather than class), transport difficulties, inconvenient timetabling (e.g. 8 am), inclement weather, and lack of motivation (Bati, Mandiracioglu, Orgun, & Govsa, 2013;Clark et al, 2011;Davis, Hodgson, & Macaulay, 2012;Hidayat, Vansal, Kim, Sullivan, & Salbu, 2012;Kelly, 2012;Lockwood, Guppy, & Smyth, 2006;Moore, 2008;Newman-Ford et al, 2008;Revell & Wainwright, 2009;Sawon, Pembroke, & Wille, 2012). For students studying Pharmacology, the major reasons for lecture absenteeism were not access to online material, rather they were shown to be timetable clashes, poor quality teaching, unforeseen circumstances (e.g.…”

“…For students studying Pharmacology, the major reasons for lecture absenteeism were not access to online material, rather they were shown to be timetable clashes, poor quality teaching, unforeseen circumstances (e.g. illness) and assessment pressures (Davis et al, 2012;Hidayat et al, 2012). The last two reasons were more commonly cited for absenteeism in under-performing students (Hidayat et al, 2012).…”