Attendance and student performance in PCOM school of pharmacy
Location
Georgia
Start Date
12-5-2015 1:00 PM
Description
Attendance policies at professional schools vary from nonexistent to expected attendance to mandatory attendance. There are little data available linking attendance to student outcomes; therefore their policies tend to be based on the experiences of individual programs or institutions. PCOM’s School of Pharmacy matriculated its first class in 2010. Initially, attendance was expected but not mandatory. In the Winter term of 2012, a mandatory attendance policy was instituted and has been maintained in the subsequent two years. This transition offers the opportunity to examine the effect of different attendance policies on student performance. The study examines both student and faculty attitudes about attendance policies via survey. Class average grade point averages (GPAs) in the first professional year courses were examined before and after the mandatory attendance policy was implemented. In addition, the association between attendance and performance in individual classes and exams was investigated. The data show that both faculty and students are divided as to whether an attendance policy should require student attendance. There was a clear correlation between higher overall class GPAs in the first professional year after the implementation of a mandatory attendance policy. The data also show that students who earn grades of A, B or C miss fewer classes than those who earn grades of D or F. This trend was evident in both individual courses and in specific exams. Taken together, the data support an association between greater class attendance and higher student performance. Limitations of the current study are the relatively small number of D and F grades in the courses and the limited time span of 5 years of data. Future research may expand on these findings and generate additional guidance for the development and implementation of attendance policies in the SOP and other professional programs.
Attendance and student performance in PCOM school of pharmacy
Georgia
Attendance policies at professional schools vary from nonexistent to expected attendance to mandatory attendance. There are little data available linking attendance to student outcomes; therefore their policies tend to be based on the experiences of individual programs or institutions. PCOM’s School of Pharmacy matriculated its first class in 2010. Initially, attendance was expected but not mandatory. In the Winter term of 2012, a mandatory attendance policy was instituted and has been maintained in the subsequent two years. This transition offers the opportunity to examine the effect of different attendance policies on student performance. The study examines both student and faculty attitudes about attendance policies via survey. Class average grade point averages (GPAs) in the first professional year courses were examined before and after the mandatory attendance policy was implemented. In addition, the association between attendance and performance in individual classes and exams was investigated. The data show that both faculty and students are divided as to whether an attendance policy should require student attendance. There was a clear correlation between higher overall class GPAs in the first professional year after the implementation of a mandatory attendance policy. The data also show that students who earn grades of A, B or C miss fewer classes than those who earn grades of D or F. This trend was evident in both individual courses and in specific exams. Taken together, the data support an association between greater class attendance and higher student performance. Limitations of the current study are the relatively small number of D and F grades in the courses and the limited time span of 5 years of data. Future research may expand on these findings and generate additional guidance for the development and implementation of attendance policies in the SOP and other professional programs.