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Original poster

To not attend online seminars?

85 replies

coolstef · 08/03/2022 13:54

I'm in my 4th and final year at university and am due to finish in 2 months. It has been online for the past two years due to COVID. I have not set foot on campus since 2020.

I consistently sit at a 2.1 without much effort at all, I am fine with that and a 2.1 is what I am hoping to graduate with (on track for this). However, I haven't attended any online seminars this full academic year. It says the seminars are mandatory.

The reason I haven't attended is due to my experiences of online seminars last year I find them to be a complete waste of time. I gain nothing from them, learn nothing in them and would much rather focus my time elsewhere like on the actual assessments and my dissertation.

I have never been pulled up for my lack of attendance and always submit my work on time and as I said consistently get 2.1s.

However, my friend doing the same course has started to ask me am I not worried about getting kicked out due to my lack of attendance? I'd never really thought about it as no one has questioned me about it. I had a look at the uni policy and they said that they would give three chances before being kicked out and try and support you to engage more. Additionally, I am engaged with the course, this is shown in my work and working to the deadlines.

So am I being unreasonable to assume that since no one has been in touch they are not going to just kick me out of uni for not attending the seminars?

My personal tutor is very happy with me and says I'm the most hardworking student she's had this year.

OP posts:
Readeatcake · 08/03/2022 14:03

I would email your tutor to ask if they have any issues with your work or you not signing on online classes. They may not be bothered because of how close to the end of your degree you are.

Alternatively if they are bothered and possibly you off the course, can you not sign into the lectures but have no camera on and be doing other things?

Original poster
coolstef · 08/03/2022 14:14

@Readeatcake

I would email your tutor to ask if they have any issues with your work or you not signing on online classes. They may not be bothered because of how close to the end of your degree you are.

Alternatively if they are bothered and possibly you off the course, can you not sign into the lectures but have no camera on and be doing other things?

Unfortunately to attend is to participate, but it is such a massive waste of time especially when so many time restraints are upon me as it is.
OP posts:
ChessieFL · 08/03/2022 14:25

They might not kick you out, but they may not award a degree if you didn’t meet the full course requirements. You need to check.

FrankGrillosFloof · 08/03/2022 14:28

The danger in checking is that you draw attention to your possibly so far unnoticed absence…

BigupPemberleyMassive · 08/03/2022 14:32

What do you lose by attending? A bit bored? Real life work, even if you become an astronaut or whatever if full of boring bits.

Original poster
coolstef · 08/03/2022 14:38

@ChessieFL

They might not kick you out, but they may not award a degree if you didn’t meet the full course requirements. You need to check.
They can't do that without prior warning and even then, it is risky business.
OP posts:
Rickrollme · 08/03/2022 15:01

Don’t you think everyone else feels the same way? I guarantee they all have demands on their time just like you. If you are very risk tolerant you can keep going as you’ve been and hope for the best but I’m more like your classmates. It just wouldn’t be worth the chance of not finishing as planned. But I am pretty risk averse in general. I wouldn’t be able to relax knowing it could all blow up at the end.

Kazzyhoward · 08/03/2022 15:03

@BigupPemberleyMassive

What do you lose by attending? A bit bored? Real life work, even if you become an astronaut or whatever if full of boring bits.
My DS also hates online seminars and doesn't participate. He says that they're a waste of time and he'd more productive spending the time doing "proper" work as he calls it, i.e. working through the course notes, textbooks, doing assignments, practising past papers etc. He says a lot of it is going over things he already knows, i.e. when other participants ask what he thinks are simple questions that then seem to take a long time to cover. He doesn't actually "not attend" though, he signs in, makes a token gesture to participate (the bare minimum) but spends most of the time doing other things. Some activities lend themselves to online, others really don't. He's also not keen that the online seminars are usually taken by masters or phd students rather than proper lecturers so the quality is very variable.
Northernsoullover · 08/03/2022 15:12

I sign in, do my day job and watch Panopto later in the day. 100% attendance

OchonAgusOchonOh · 08/03/2022 15:37

@coolstef - They can't do that without prior warning and even then, it is risky business.

Of course they can. If you don't meet the requirements to graduate, you don't graduate. It is your responsibility to ensure you know what the requirements are.

Howshouldibehave · 08/03/2022 15:40

Even 25 years ago when I was at university, registers were passed round for seminars/lectures and poor attendance was attendance chased up.

Are you not worried this will affect your degree?

RampantIvy · 08/03/2022 15:42

It will negatively impact on the reference your personal tutor writes for you as well.

Andylion · 08/03/2022 16:00

Who runs the seminars? What do they cover?
I would be pissed off if I had put in the work and then students couldn’t be arsed to attend.
They are mandatory, why are you above following the rules?

Original poster
coolstef · 08/03/2022 16:03

@Howshouldibehave

Even 25 years ago when I was at university, registers were passed round for seminars/lectures and poor attendance was attendance chased up.

Are you not worried this will affect your degree?

Usually yes, if I was pulled up for it I would be worried how it will impact me but the fact it's not been flagged up and my unis policy says you get three warnings about attendance makes me not as worried.
OP posts:
Original poster
coolstef · 08/03/2022 16:04

@RampantIvy

It will negatively impact on the reference your personal tutor writes for you as well.
My personal tutor gave me a glowing reference and I have been accepted into a masters course. Granted she has no idea about my attendance as she has only been working with me in regard to my dissertation. So not worried in that respect.
OP posts:
Original poster
coolstef · 08/03/2022 16:05

@Andylion

Who runs the seminars? What do they cover? I would be pissed off if I had put in the work and then students couldn’t be arsed to attend. They are mandatory, why are you above following the rules?
Different lecturers in that module, they change each week.
OP posts:
Original poster
coolstef · 08/03/2022 16:06

I understand what everyone is saying, I should be attending but what's done is done and there's only 2 seminars per module left. What I'm asking is if it's not been flagged up so far what's the likelihood of it being a problem now?

OP posts:
Howshouldibehave · 08/03/2022 16:07

What I'm asking is if it's not been flagged up so far what's the likelihood of it being a problem now?

None of us can answer that for you. It wouldn’t have been worth risking my degree for, personally.

RampantIvy · 08/03/2022 16:12

My personal tutor gave me a glowing reference and I have been accepted into a masters course. Granted she has no idea about my attendance as she has only been working with me in regard to my dissertation

So, your personal tutor is also your dissertation tutor? Are you sure?

As an employer I would expect you to not wait until you were pulled up on something before you did what you were supposed to do.

Mylittlepixie · 08/03/2022 16:13

Why would it flag up? You’re in uni, not primary school. When i was at uni these everyone was responsible for their own attendance/work etc. Teachers dont chase you for stuff like that. If at the end of the year you dont meet the requirements, then you dont graduate.

RockingMyFiftiesNot · 08/03/2022 16:14

I know people who were kicked out of uni for not attending seminars. Whilst you might think it risky for them to do that given you've not been given any warnings, perhaps they assume you understand the meaning of 'mandatory'? That said, I'd think it concerning that they haven't followed up with you. They don't know you're not attending because you think you already know everything they are covering on seminars - you could have health issues for all they know so remiss of them not to have contacted you. Personally I wouldn't skip them, especially nearer to the end of the degree where you might pick up some helpful guidance about exams etc

RampantIvy · 08/03/2022 16:20

I think the main reason it would flag up might be for a welfare check @Mylittlepixie, which obviously isn't the case here as the OP is absolutely dead certain she will achieve a 2.1 degree with minimal input at seminars.

But yes, universities do take note of absences at seminars.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 08/03/2022 16:22

@coolstef

I understand what everyone is saying, I should be attending but what's done is done and there's only 2 seminars per module left. What I'm asking is if it's not been flagged up so far what's the likelihood of it being a problem now?
And as I said on your other thread, it depends on the course. I know students who were required to repeat as they did not meet the mandatory attendance requirements. The first they heard of it was when the module wasn't listed on their exam timetable.

The assumption is you are an adult and will take responsibility to ensure you meet the mandatory requirements.

Gwenhwyfar · 08/03/2022 16:22

@Readeatcake

I would email your tutor to ask if they have any issues with your work or you not signing on online classes. They may not be bothered because of how close to the end of your degree you are.

Alternatively if they are bothered and possibly you off the course, can you not sign into the lectures but have no camera on and be doing other things?

I'm not sure about this. If the course says it's compulsory, the tutor will feel obliged to say she must come, even if she doesn't really have to.
Gwenhwyfar · 08/03/2022 16:24

@RampantIvy

My personal tutor gave me a glowing reference and I have been accepted into a masters course. Granted she has no idea about my attendance as she has only been working with me in regard to my dissertation

So, your personal tutor is also your dissertation tutor? Are you sure?

As an employer I would expect you to not wait until you were pulled up on something before you did what you were supposed to do.

What has your opinion as an employer got to do with anything?