Follow-up on class attendance

Brief description

This activity implies that you as a teacher monitor the students’ rate of absenteeism during the semester. In other words, it is required that you register course attendance. In case a student’s rate of absenteeism is high, you may contact the student and offer your assistance if the student is not feeling comfortable in the course or has other needs related to their studies.

Motivation for the exercise and required outcome

The purpose of the activity is to ensure that the students understand the importance of attending class activities and feel that they are being “seen”. By monitoring the rate of absenteeism you may become aware of any signs suggesting that the students are not feeling comfortable in the course, which may then be addressed.

Performing the exercise

You must check the students’ rate of absenteeism during the course of the semester.
- Check the rate of absenteeism in the middle of the semester (for instance around the autumn half-term break and at Easter) and at the end of the semester, i.e. at the beginning of the exam period.

If the students’ rate of absenteeism is high, it may be necessary to take action.
- Speak to your colleagues about your students’ attendance in the other courses and consider whether you (and your colleagues) should contact these students.
- Decide how your communication with the students in question should take place. Should focus be on satisfactory classroom participation for exam attendance, for instance, or on whether the student feels comfortable in their studies and gets off to a good start in their education?

You may possibly contact the student and initiate a dialogue with them about their well-being in the course and what might be helpful to do.

Variation options:

You cannot/must not involve the student counsellor in the activity, as they are pledged to secrecy and are the students’ counsellor, but you may refer the students to the student counselling service, the university chaplain or others, following your dialogue with the students in question.

If the student only has a history of absenteeism in your course, it may be advisable that a teacher from a different course speaks to the student.

You will need:

For instance Qwickly in Brightspace for registering student absenteeism during the semester.

Worth considering:

How should communication with the students take place?
Who should be involved in the process? Bear in mind that you must not involve the student counsellors in the activity as they are pledged to secrecy and are the students’ counsellors. You may inform the students of other options available to them, for instance the student counselling service, the university chaplain, careers centres etc.

Follow-up on students' class attendance

Here is a concrete example of how a teacher has used the activity in practice.

Revised 16.04.2026

AU Educate