AAU professors see skipping a problem among students

For Anglo-American University professors, skipping has become an issue within their classes. There is a correlation between students who study abroad and their attendance in class at Anglo-American University. When students come to study abroad, many put their school priorities almost dead last.

As a result, a stereotype persists that study-abroad students from America are mostly found traveling extensively on the weekends, staying out into the early hours of the morning, or simply walking around Prague for hours. Furthermore, study-abroad students are skipping many classes, and not only are the students affected but so are the AAU professors.

CEA Global Education realizes this can be an issue among study-abroad students. “CEA asks AAU instructors to let us know if any students are in danger of failing their course, and why,” says CEA Dean William Barnard. “When instructors pass along the names of students in academic jeopardy, attendance is often a factor, and it is among the things I discuss with students in the follow-up meetings I arrange.”

AAU Professor Teresa Tipton says attendance is becoming a major issue among students at AAU. “In my experience, American study-abroad students have consistently had more absences than other foreign and local students enrolled at AAU,” she says.

Tipton also says that not only is poor class attendance is an issue, but so is class participation. “For students whose parents are paying for tuition, chronic absences for personal pleasure do not seem to me to be respectful of the investment being made on someone’s behalf and more soul-searching why someone goes to university in the first place would be beneficial.”

Journalism instructor David Vaughan is frustrated with the excessive skipping problem at AAU. Vaughan regrets not imposing a more strict attendance policy at the beginning of the semester. However, Vaughan says that even though students may not be penalized by a more strict attendance policy, students only hurt themselves by not showing up for classes. “Ultimately, as I saw in the midterm exam, students who miss classes end up punishing themselves by not being familiar with the material covered. This is then reflected in their grades,” he says.

Vaughan says, in the future, he will change his attendance policy. It not only hurts the students who skip, but it interferes in the quality of the education being received by students that are attending and participating. “In the final few weeks of [the spring AAU] term, I do intend to be more strict about students accounting for their absence,” he says. “Above all, it is not fair on fellow students, as it slows down progress through the course.”

“It is embarrassing when people do not show up and there is only two or three people in class when there should at least be ten more people present,” says CEA student Caroline Crouch. “It is kind of awkward if you know someone is traveling and they ask you to tell the teacher they are sick…. It is not fair to me or the teacher.”

For future study-abroad students at AAU: Professors really do understand the excitement of traveling through Europe. However, attendance and participation will only benefit yourself, your fellow classmates, and your professors.

Overall, it is vital to note that going abroad and traveling is one way to expand your worldview, but AAU also provides an education that expands students worldviews and the way they view Prague, Europe and the world around them. Therefore, skipping will only hurt you in the end.