Yi Ma - Improving Student Attendance in Small Classes

TLHE project 2025: Yi Ma, Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies

ABSTRACT

This project explores strategies to improve student attendance in a Chinese language class that forms part of a co-taught course on Chinese history during the autumn semester. The language component is not assessed in the final exam, which has historically led to low attendance—sometimes dropping to only one or two students out of approximately fifteen in the latter half of the semester. Similar concerns have been reported by other instructors in the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies. To address this issue, the project applied a backward design approach, restructuring the class as preparation for a Chinese language exam scheduled for the following spring semester. Additional adjustments included rescheduling sessions from 8:00–10:00 to 10:00–12:00 and using ChatGPT to simplify original Chinese texts for learners. Attendance has so far been satisfactory; however, it remains unclear whether this improvement is primarily due to the new course design or other factors, such as student motivation.