Missed classes...
Onur had just missed several days of classes and hadn't slept for more than 48 hours. He had a midterm exam the next day. Worse still, he had encouraged Doğuş and more than 60 other students to miss a whole day of classes too.
As lecturers we expect and frequently require attendance in our classrooms. Yet, in missing those classes, I am convinced that these students have learnt more than a whole week, or maybe an entire semester of lectures, could give them. For Doğuş that day of missed classes represented the culmination of many years of effort, largely self-taught and self-motivated. Doğuş and the others who showed off their projects at the annual Software Quest fair, clearly had not been wasting their time. As for Onur and the handful of friends who organized the event and worked hard to make it happen, the experience has undoubtedly taught them some invaluable lessons, ones that no amount of classroom time could get across!
No, Onur, Doğuş and their friends did not lose out. It was those poor souls -(engineering) students- who failed to show their work or to help out, or who missed the chance to support and encourage their peers - they are the ones who really lost out. They are a sad reflection of our grades-oriented culture.
We claim to want students who are thinking, creative and aware, but all too often stifle them with so many homework assignments and exams, in topics largely devoid of practical relevance, that they have little time or incentive left to do anything else. I believe we should be whole-heartedly encouraging students to become involved in out-of-class (informal learning) activities. I thus suggest that we consider reducing formal course requirements. Moreover, I would like to encourage attendance (by both students & faculty) at a variety of academic seminars. I am convinced that the resulting change of atmosphere would facilitate a more thoughtful and reflective culture, and enable us to celebrate even more brilliant achievements in the long run.

David Davenport, Instructor, CS