Three Reasons to Avoid Absences

Among King’s students, excessive absences are correlated with declining letter grades. We believe this is a reflection of missed learning opportunities, and it’s an expensive missed opportunity too.

1. Excessive absences are the highest predictor of academic risk among students at King’s.

Whether you choose to view your allotted absences as sick days as in a full-time job (recommended!) or with a lens of gamification to see how you will fare when you take on a challenge, we believe there are at lease three reasons to track your absences.

Specifically, after the third absence in a twice-weekly class, students’ grades dropped by a full letter grade with each subsequent absence. In once-weekly classes, grades dropped a full letter grade after two absences.

2. Learning may be stunted by missing classes.

We suspect students’ grades decline with excessive absences not because of the absence in itself, but because of the active learning opportunity, they missed when they were absent. Especially in courses that build on prior learning throughout the semester, being present ensures you don’t miss the next part of the conversation—and it may help maintain your confidence in the course as well.

3. Experience your investment.

Before scholarships, each twice-weekly class meeting costs about $125, and once-weekly classes each cost about $260. Unlike the products you purchase, your time and energy investment into classes help to determine how much you get from your semester. Now that you’ve thoughtfully chosen the value of a King’s education, make sure you’re present and engaged in classes to get the full value of the King’s experience.

Contact Dr. Jennifer Tharp (jtharp@tkc.edu), Assistant Dean of Academic Student Services, or Chris Josselyn (cjosselyn@tkc.edu), Assistant Director of Student Success if you have questions about the attendance policy—or talk with your professors as well.