Abstract
The pressure being brought to colleges and universities by students to offer more flexibility in schedules has led to the adoption of flexible attendance by many institutions. Flexible attendance environments allow students to attend class in the manner that best meets the student’s needs. Flexibility in scheduling and attendance are not guarantees of success, however. There are skills that students must learn to succeed in flexible attendance environments, and these skills must be assessed for targeted interventions and successful instructional design to occur. Additionally, instructors need training and student data to teach successfully in a flexible attendance environment. This research aims to assess the skills students need to be successful in a flexible attendance environment and to gather data on instructor training and attitudes about teaching in a flexible attendance environment. Specific research objectives were developed to examine the influence of program and full/part-time enrollment on flexible attendance skills and examine the instructional design application of student data.
A survey instrument was developed and sent to all students enrolled in a workforce certificate granting program or an academic transfer program (n=1,954). After one month of data collection, 388 students returned the completed survey. No significant difference was seen between early and late respondents.
The findings of ANOVA and MANOVA statistical analysis, supported by qualitatively collected instructor data, demonstrate that nontraditional students appear to be more skilled at flexible attendance courses. These findings also demonstrate that students who are younger and who are enrolled full-time may also need additional support to find success. Additionally, instructors deserve support in the form of student data and instructional methodology training to design flexible attendance courses effectively.