Helping the Absent Student

This seems to be a time of the year when students miss class because of illness. Rather than have them get behind, miss the one session for which they enrolled, or stop attending altogether, I would often provide the missing student with a copy of the material from that meeting. The material usually consisted of my notes, an assignment, or task to perform.

The material was sent via email. For those who did not provide an email address when enrolling in the class, I would call them on the telephone, explain that I would like to send them the material from the missed meeting, and ask for an email address. They not only provided an address but expressed gratitude for the extra effort being made on their behalf.