Attendance rewards no alternative to stimulating teaching

No student has skipped a class at a local vocational and technical college in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province in East China, as their tutor encourages them to attend class by rewarding them with a "red envelope" via WeChat, China's most popular instant messaging platform. Comments:

If some people think it is the "red envelope" that prevents the students skipping classes and hence are worried students will become too materialistic, they have misunderstood not only the way WeChat red envelopes work, but also the subtle teacher-student relationship at present. The practice offers a possible solution to close the gap between students and professors and should not be narrow-mindedly regarded as an attempt to improve the relationship with money.

Gmw.cn, Oct 27

The "red envelope" that is meant to positively guide the students focuses on interaction between the professor and students and enlivens the class. The students' enthusiastic response proves they approve of such creative class management. Yet it is worth a second thought whether such a practice is sustainable. After all, the fundamental means to prevent students skipping class is to stimulate their heartfelt interest in the courses taught with intriguing and witty teaching.

Information Times, Oct 27

The reason why many students choose to skip class is because they are bored. Worse, many professors have been so occupied with scientific research that they always overlook their role as teachers and spend little time engaging with their students. In this sense, rather than encouraging students to attend class with economic incentives, it would be better and more realistic for teachers to devote more time and energy to their classes and enhance the quality of their teaching.

Gmw.cn, Oct 27