Several practitioners reported that structured approaches to attendance encouraged attendance. Practitioners from 9 colleges specifically mentioned the effectiveness of attendance policies, “Learners are aware of the consequences for not attending, i.e., they can be put on probation and eventually be withdrawn from the program.” One college reported that attendance has improved since it has been tracked more closely. Two respondents, on the other hand, felt that their college attendance policies were punitive, specifically the policy of withdrawing learners after 3 days of unexcused absence from the program. Another noted, “We don’t want to pressure learners too much and send them away too quickly because some students need a long time to build confidence and begin to work – even up to a year. Then they take off and succeed.”

Effective strategies and approaches for improving attendance

Several specific strategies for improving attendance were mentioned, but practitioners were less certain how effective they were. Four practitioners reported that they try to contact learners by telephone. One team member, for example, is assigned to accept phone-ins and follow up with learners who have been absent. It was noted though that by the time learners have to be called, they are usually ‘lost’. A second strategy involved flexible schedules that accommodated learners who wanted to or needed to attend full time. They might have the option of choosing between 4 days at 6.5 hours a day, or 5 days at 5 hours a day. A third innovative strategy allows learners to make up for time missed. If a learner has to be away for a day, s/he can attend hours outside of his/her regular schedule in order to maintain perfect attendance. The advantage of this is that learners can attend up to 125% of their classes on a monthly basis. This is a great incentive for motivated learners who want to fast track their learning.

One interesting approach, which involved setting dates for completion of work, emphasizes work rather than attendance. This approach warrants a closer look. While no practitioner would ever deny the importance of regular attendance, several did admit that much of the current emphasis on attendance is because program funding is currently tied to student contact hours. The result is greater pressure on faculty and students to improve attendance. While some programs feel that enforcing their policies will improve attendance, others feel it could jeopardize their funding. One noted, “If we had a waiting list, we could be much firmer with problem students, but as it stands we don’t want to lose the students we have. We have no one to fill the seats.”