Impact of Attendance Policy in Rural Medical School: A Three Year Observational Study

Tripti K Srivastava; Sandeep Srivastava; Lalitbhushan S Waghmare

Volume : IV, Issue : VI, June - 2014

Impact of Attendance Policy in Rural Medical School: A Three Year Observational Study

Tripti K Srivastava, Sandeep Srivastava, Lalitbhushan S Waghmare

Abstract :

Attendance in classes has traditionally been thought to be a prerequisite for good academic performance. The compelling evidences have led to establishments of attendance cells with strict attendance policies in Medical Schools across India. The present study analyzes the potential benefits of such a policy against the costs of additional time and effort dealing with the same by observing the association between progressive attendance percentage and student performance over a span of three years and thereby appraising its efficacy to enhance student learning. The trend observed was strikingly skewed towards consistent correlation of progressive attendance and performance in IInd and IIIrd MBBS for the academic year 2011– 2013 University examinations. The top three performers in all the batches had progressive attendance above 82%. The present study ; by its three year observation, advocates the potential benefits of mandatory attendance policies specifically in Medical curriculum for better academic standards.