Getting Students to Class
Your lesson plan is ready and you’ve arrived to your class twenty minutes early to make sure everything is set. There are at least one or two students in class ahead of you. They get ready to begin another journey into the learning process with you guiding them and facilitating their learning. And then you wait. You wait for those students who came in, dropped off their stuff and then ran out for another smoke or to get a coffee, or for the late students who slowly saunter into the room after you have begun or taken roll.
What can you do to get your students to class on time?
- Restate your department’s policy on tardiness. Maybe you told your students about the requirement to be on time on the first day of class, but now that midterms are looming and students are thick into the semester, they need to be reminded. If you need clarification about the policy, talk to your Director. It may be helpful to write the salient points on the board so that second language students, who may not be as aurally proficient in English as native speakers, have a chance to see the policy reinforced in writing.
- Make punctuality relevant to the industry. Tell students that your class is not only a learning environment; it is also a working environment. They should think of you not only as their instructor but also as their boss or client. You know from your professional experience that being late is not acceptable. Being late for a client can make the difference between keeping a job and losing it. Bring that home to the students.
- Start each class with a motivating high-stakes activity that affects their grade, such as a quiz or a critique. Although it’s listed on your syllabus that being late for class adversely affects students’ grades, this sometimes isn’t enough to motivate them. Missing a quiz, not being able to participate in the critiquing process, or missing out on something fun is often more tangible for students who have problems conceptualizing the impact of being late.
- Speak to the student privately. Let the student know that this behavior is not acceptable. It’s a good idea to do so promptly either at break or after class. By not addressing it you are basically telling the student that it is okay to be late regardless of what you have said before or what is on the syllabus. If students are habitually late, ask them why.
- After you have listened, ask the student what steps they can take to be on time. If they are unable to answer, give a suggestion and have them build upon it. Or, if you sense that they would benefit from coaching in time management or study skills, you can always refer them to ARC for more support.
- Model the behavior you expect from your students. Make sure that you, too, are on time for class. If students see you late for class they will certainly not feel the need to be on time either.
RESOURCES
Responding to Late Students
How to talk to the tardy student from Ask Dr. Kirk
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