Class Attendance and Grades, Essay Example

Like other organizations, the relationship between the students and academic institutions are also shaped by both explicit and implicit contracts and expectations. The academic institutions exist not only to provide formal education to students but also teach them soft skills that are essential for success in the real world. This is why students’ grades should not only be determined by their performance on assignments and tests but should also include their class attendance and punctuality record. Class grades that include attendance and punctuality record will be more reliable predictor of students’ success in the real world.

One of the primary responsibilities of academic institutions is to help students strengthen their ethical values. Academic institutions can’t teach ethical values unless they also set personal examples. Ethical example can also be established by taking into account the students’ attendance and punctuality record in their course grades because such a policy justly rewards those who put in greater efforts. Taking into account attendance and punctuality record when determining course grades help create an environment of fairness and sends the message that there is no shortcut to success.

The success of any contract between two or more parties also depends upon the extent to which the individual parties fulfill their explicit and implicit obligations. The college education is also a contract between the academic institutions and the students. One of the instructors’ expectations is that the students will regularly attend the class and come to class on time and similarly, one of the students’ expectations from their instructors is to be graded fairly. When a student doesn’t attend class regularly and/or is often late, he/she is failing in meeting one of the instructor’s expectations from him/her. Thus, it is only fair that the failure of a student to effectively fulfill some of the requirements of his/her contract as a student is reflected in the course grade. Coursegrade can also be understood as the extent to which a particular student met the course instructor’s expectations.

Students trust academic institutions to prepare them for the real world and do not always know what skills they need. But academic institutions work together with the employers to identify soft skills that may significantly improve the students’ success rates in the real world. One of the soft skills that is often in demand is organization skills and its importance will only grow over due to increasing competition as a result of globalization. By letting know the students that their attendance and punctuality record will also impact the final grade, pressure can be put by the instructors on the students to become more organized and efficient in terms of daily schedule. This will not only help the instructors improve class participation rates among the students but will also allow the students to better prepare students for the work life ahead.

Academic institutions exist not only to provide education but also teach skills that increase the prospects of success for students in the real world. This is why course grades should take into account the students’ attendance and punctuality record because it has several benefits such as motivating students to attend lectures regularly, helping them improve their time organization skills and teaching them work ethics by creating a system that treats everyone fairly.