College professors understand that 8 a.m. classes are not the most popular among students, but lately instructors are wondering if any time would be popular.
At UC Berkeley and elsewhere, faculty members have noticed declining attendance in their classes the past year or two. Some professors have resorted to high-tech roll-taking methods to keep students in their seats, while others say the trend does not bother them.
“One thing about college students is that these students are adults and can make their own decisions,” said UC Berkeley professor Alex Filippenko, whose astronomy classes generally have at least 700 students. About 200 usually attend, he said, while others watch the lectures later on Internet Web casts.
“In a large class, I’m not going to force them to come,” Filippenko said.
But the disappearing students have alarmed enough professors to prompt a lively online discussion among Berkeley faculty members this year and lead them to schedule an October forum on the subject.
The online conversation began last spring with a short message from sociology professor Kristin Luker, who noted that fewer than half her students were showing up to class that semester.
“Is it me?” she asked fellow faculty members. “Is it a new trend? Any thoughts?”
The questions opened the door to a flood of suggestions and observations. Several professors noted that the decline corresponded closely with the rise in course materials available on the Web, while others said too many instructors are, well, boring.
Statistics lecturer Ani Adhikari, who has won teaching awards at Berkeley and Stanford, said she has not seen attendance problems in her courses. Some of that success, she said, is because of the complicated nature of statistics, but she also prides herself on her interactive teaching style.
“Jumping around in front of the students is always a good thing,” Adhikari said in an interview. “If (students) could get everything they needed from the book or a podcast, I would actually not be offended if they did not show up for class.”
To hear students talk about it, one would think nobody ever misses class.
Fourth-year UC Berkeley literature major Natalie Pham-Gia, 21, said she cannot imagine relying on the Internet for a college education.
“I hope it doesn’t get to a point where it’s all done through the computer,” Pham-Gia said. “I think that’s really lonely and not very exciting.”
Freshman Fei Yang also said he came to the Berkeley campus to sit in a classroom.
“When you go to class, you just learn better,” said s, 17. “Technology will never be able to replicate human interaction.”
But some academics say universities have yet to see the full effects of technology on attendance. After all, today’s students are “digital natives,” having used computers since childhood.
