Attendance in MS 150: First fifteen days

Casual hallway talk early this term in the division has been about attendance or the lack thereof. I analyzed attendance in the first fourteen days of MS 150 statistics, tossing out day one as it was statistically aberrant with an unusually high number of absences. The course has an enrollment of 85 students in three sections. During the fourteen days analyzed there was an average of 11.2 absences per day across all three sections. On average 9.3 students arrive late per day, again, across all three sections. On-time attendance is achieved by an average of 64.5 students per day.

When asked, students most often cite transportation difficulties - late taxis, late rides. Some students also report having slept too late.

The chart below includes the first day of class and thus spans 15 days. Day one thirty students were absent and five were late. Day one attendance is typically weak. Faculty usually cite the add/drop period as having this impact.