[Air-l] laptops and Internet access in class

[Mark D. Johns]

Dr. Steve Eskow wrote:
> Dr. Johns,
> 
> Would it be cynical to conclude that it depends a) on what you are doing in 
> the class to make things relevant, and b) insuring attendance at the 
> discussionsections by having assignments in the class that accoount for 25% 
> of the grade?
> 
> And that there are two quite different kinds of logics at work here? And 
> that you're not sure there would be attendance if all you had to work for 
> you was relevance?
> 
> Why not give the exam online, depend on the exam to demonstrate what the 
> student has learned, and ignore attendance?
> 
> S. Eskow

Yes, I'm certain there are different kinds of logic to be considered in 
this issue, and my logic is quite situational. I teach at a small, 
residential liberal arts college, and attendance has never been a big 
problem here. Most of my classes only have 15-25 students, and it 
wouldn't be difficult to know who is missing even if I didn't take 
attendance. Because of the small class size, the teaching style tends to 
be much more interactive than in a large lecture course.

The category in which I award points for attendance I call 
"participation," and while it is primarily based on attendance, it also 
factors in my subjective impression of the student's level of engagement 
in class and his/her willingness to enter into discussions. It is also 
considerably less than 25% of the grade (more like 10%), and I'm not 
sure where that 25% figure comes from.

The main reason I include such a category is because I came late in life 
to academia, and in the work world expectations about showing up on time 
and being engaged in the tasks at hand are not at the discretion of the 
employee. While I'm sympathetic to the idea that our students are adults 
who can make their own decisions about what is helpful or not to their 
education, most people in our society aren't afforded that degree of 
freedom. The employers these students have upon graduation will not 
allow them to show up when it suits them. Nor would I expect that the 
students' mommies and daddies, who are shelling out big bucks for the 
students to be here, would agree with that approach.

My syllabus says, "Most classes involve group interaction and/or 
projects, and you cheat your colleagues out of part of the interactive 
experience when you are not there. Someone is investing large sums of 
money in you so that you may attend this college. Therefore, maximizing 
the benefit of this opportunity should be your primary occupation during 
your time here." So while attendance is not a problem, my goal is to 
instill a work ethic that privileges the academic over other aspects of 
college life.

Further, the notion of conducting a class online rather than F2F rather 
works against the nature of a residential campus such as ours. Students 
who are seeking an information cafeteria are more likely to select a 
large university rather than a smaller school. Expectations for 
interaction here are high. Situations on other campuses may -- and 
likely do -- differ.
-- 
Mark D. Johns, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Head of the
  Department of Communication Studies
Luther College, Decorah, Iowa USA
http://academic.luther.edu/~johnsmar/
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"Get the facts first. You can distort them later."
     ---Mark Twain