2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Lecture attendance in engineering classes is critical for improving grades, fundamental understanding of material, and bettering social bonds (Jadavil 2012, Permana et al. 2023). Late-afternoon Friday lectures often experience a decrease in attendance due to a variety of reasons and this decrease can have negative effects on students (Fryer et al. 2018). Therefore, the primary objective of this work was to increase Friday attendance in a senior level, required Mechanical Engineering (ME) class. This was done by introducing a Friday lecture schedule that had three rotating incentives on Fridays: in-person quizzes with a lecture, in-person group work/homework sessions and a lecture, and a synchronous, Zoom lecture (not in-person). Attendance data were taken each lecture in this class and in two non-consecutive weeks in two other ME classes that ran the same days and times. It was found that not only was attendance higher in this class than the two ‘control’ classes, but the type of incentive played a significant role: quiz days were the best attended, followed by Zoom, and finally by homework sessions. This was likely due to two variables: the direct impact on the students grade and the bar to attend lecture. Lectures with homework/groupwork required students to go to campus and saw a minimal direct link to their grade, whereas quizzes had an immediate effect on the grade and Zoom lectures were easy to attend. Additionally, students were surveyed to understand their perceptions of the rotating schedule. Overall, students enjoyed the flexibility that the schedule gave them and provided most liked the incentives that were offered to them. This work has the potential to influence the approach to teaching late-afternoon classes to achieve higher attendance, which can have a lasting impact on grades, habits, and socialization.