Not many people bother to read the fine print of a contract, or an organization’s terms and conditions, or a group’s guidelines and policies. So, you could imagine the shock when I became aware of the University of Malta’s rule 35 regarding attendance.
The rule is simple, should it be enacted by the lecturer at their own discretion; attend too few a number of lectures and be disqualified from the unit and be "awarded’ a grade F for your lack of effort (or an F for f*ck you, you smug bastard).
Of course, for some courses it makes perfect sense for there to be a record of attendance. Imagine, as a medical student, having the option to skip a practical on surgery. That would be the most outrageous and banal thing ever, seeing as that student’s entire future in the medical field depends on being able to carry out a surgery.
Medical students must have compulsory lectures, but should all university departments track student attendance? There are several courses whereby such a necessity on attending lectures doesn’t seem so obvious to the student, so beneficial, so much of a compulsory requirement.
Having spent an entire summer excited about the idea of university, about having enthusiastic speakers who are hungry to pass on their knowledge to keen learners, you could only imagine my disappointment when I stepped into the dull lecture room to sit and listen to an unenthusiastic speaker for two hours. Instead of having an engaging lecturer who only wants to fill their students with pools of knowledge, I got lecturers who read off their notes, rushing through piles of information in the most monotone and disinteresting way possible. Passionate words do not echo through the lecture halls, instead poorly composed PowerPoint presentations are supposed to educate us.
Well, what am I here for then? What’s the point of having to sit down for two hours just to listen to some person read off a sheet of paper? If all the lecturer is going to do is read, then why can’t I lie in bed and stay at home and read? They are two things which I enjoy very much; lying in bed, and reading a book while I am doing it. It is lovely. I do not see why I should carry my sorry arse all the way to Msida, when I can do exactly what the lecturer is doing in my own time and at my own pace.
I am probably more likely to get more out of studying on my own than attending lectures. I’ll be able to make better use of sources of information, make better use of my time and quite possibly know a bit more than my friends who only attend lectures.
As teachers, they are failing us. As a student, I expect to be inspired, to have my interests stimulated, and to be able to challenge and to be challenged. Higher education is about independent learning, I should be allowed to manage my time as I see fit, even if this means missing class. Rule 35 is the source of my existential dread and in no way entices me to attend lectures.
