Encouraging On-Time Behavior
In the multi-cultural classroom it is sometimes difficult to get the students to understand the Western ethic of arriving on-time (or early) and being ready to work. After the initial micro-lecture about the importance being on time in American universities I do the following things:
- I attempt to arrive at least five minutes before class begins to be ready to teach a soon as the class starts.
- Students are engaged in meaningful, individual work for the first 10 minutes of class. Anyone arriving after the hour faces a disadvantage in completing the assignment by ten after the hour, when papers are collected.
- Sometimes an advantage is given to early students, such as listening to a lecture again.
- Each student signs in with the exact time of arrival (hour:minute). This time data is calculated into a % of class time present. (Absences do not count against the percentage because they can lower the class grade.) The percent is the basis of the Participation grade. 100% – 105% is good. Above 105% is very good, and above 110% is excellent. 95% – 100% is satisfactory. Below 95% is unsatisfactory. In a 50-minute class, 95% means he arrives about two or three minutes late every day. This means that the student misses more than 3 whole days of instruction by the end of the semester.
The time-sign-in sheet has been the biggest motivator for students. They compete just to have a higher percent! I first used this technique while teaching teachers in Qatar. It worked so well there that I decided to try it with our CELCIS classes that are currently predominately Arab students.
This time-sign-in sheet has had an even better effect here than in Qatar.
Sample sign-in sheet:
| `# | Name | Mon. | Tues. | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | cum.attend. | Cum.Absence | |
| 1 | Fahad A. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 104% | |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 2 | Eissa A. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 107.2% | |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 3 | Manal A. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 120% | |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 4 | Wejdan A. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 99.5% | -1 |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 5 | Raed A. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 97.5% | -1 |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 6 | Almujtaba A. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 124.8% | |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 7 | Hanan A. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 114% | -1 |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 8 | Ohud A. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 120% | |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 9 | Zheyin C. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 110.8% | |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 10 | Sahar K. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 124.4 | |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 11 | Ali Q. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 121.6% | |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 12 | Yuhui Z. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 120.4% | |
| Initial | |||||||||
| 13 | Abdullah A. | Time | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | __:___ | 102.5% | -1 |
| Initial |
Class average: 112.8% attendance. There was no deduction for absences since grades were lowered automatically after a certain number of absences.
This means students’ average arrival prior to this week was about six minutes early for class!
Sample excel worksheet for one week:
| Week of 15 Sept 2014 | cum.abs. | 8:45 | 65 | ||||||||||
| # | name | M | T | W | R | F | Av. | % | 8:46 | 64 | |||
| 1 | Fahad | 55* | 50 | 53 | 49 | 53 | 51.25 | 102.5 | 8:47 | 63 | |||
| 2 | Eissa | 55 | 60 | 52 | 48 | 53 | 53.6 | 107.2 | 8:48 | 62 | |||
| 3 | Manal | 55 | 75 | 55 | 55 | 60 | 60 | 120 | 8:49 | 61 | |||
| 4 | Wejdan | 49 | 51 | 48 | 51 | 49.75 | 99.5 | 1 | 8:50 | 60 | |||
| 5 | Raed | 47 | 48 | 48 | 52 | 48.75 | 97.5 | 1 | 8:51 | 59 | |||
| 6 | Almujtaba | 60 | 65 | 64 | 61 | 62 | 62.4 | 124.8 | 8:52 | 58 | |||
| 7 | Hanan | 61 | 54 | 57 | 56 | 57 | 57 | 114 | 1 | 8:53 | 57 | ||
| 8 | Ohud | 51 | 65 | 69 | 65 | 50 | 60 | 120 | 8:54 | 56 | |||
| 9 | Zheyin | 56 | 55 | 55 | 54 | 57 | 55.4 | 110.8 | 8:55 | 55 | |||
| 10 | Sahar | 62 | 68 | 57 | 67 | 57 | 62.2 | 124.4 | 8:56 | 54 | |||
| 11 | Ali | 60 | 52 | 61 | 69 | 62 | 60.8 | 121.6 | 8:57 | 53 | |||
| 12 | Yuhui | 59 | 61 | 60 | 61 | 60 | 60.2 | 120.4 | 8:58 | 52 | |||
| 13 | Abdullah | 50 | 50 | 50 | 55 | 51.25 | 102.5 | 1 | 8:59 | 51 | |||
| 56.35 | 112.7 | 9:00 | 50 | ||||||||||
| *total minutes in class | 9:01 | 49 | |||||||||||
| 9:02 | 48 | ||||||||||||
| Class average | 99.5 | 9:03 | 47 | ||||||||||
| 9:04 | 46 | ||||||||||||
| 9:05 | 45 | ||||||||||||
| 9:06 | 44 | ||||||||||||
| 9:07 | 43 | ||||||||||||
| 9:08 | 42 | ||||||||||||
| 9:09 | 41 | ||||||||||||
| 9:10 | 40 | ||||||||||||
| 9:11 | Absent | ||||||||||||
Judith Buchanan 