Based from  Rocky Dailey EdD

Students need to be in class. Absence policies that spell out what repercussions follow frequent absences are part of almost every syllabus. Most of us specify that after a certain number of absences the student cannot recover academically and should drop the course. A lot of us use policies that significantly reduce the overall course grade for excessive absences, hoping that approach will provide the motivation to attend class. Most of us have also learned (usually the hard way) that having some forgiveness for minor absences is necessary even though many students view excused absences as “vacation days,” often using them to extend the regularly scheduled semester breaks.

I have had students who missed class ask if they can stop by during office hours to “catch up” on what they missed. Some of my classes are scheduled for three-hour blocks; we meet once a week. With all my other academic obligations, I rarely have time to conduct a “private” class for a student who didn’t show up. Then there’s the issue of excused absences, those that occur due to a documented and excusable event such as university athletic and academic trips. These students are absent through no direct action or inaction of their own, yet the fact remains, they weren’t in class and missed what happened.