I know we don't think about how valuable a course might be for our future (especially if it's something that we never expect to or hope to see again), but the matter attendance came up in another thread and I think it's something worth exploring further. I'm in a vocational program for the first time in my life and the program includes lecture, lab, skills and actual rotation/rounds with live people. My attendance determines who will give the person his/her pills, shots, daily care, etc. When the semester is over and I am out in the so-called real world with nothing but a resume and a pair of white cotton scrubs, one of the more valuable accessories I can have in hand is a letter of recommendation. It'll sound cornball to anyone under 50, but one of the keys to success in my field was taught to us on the first day. "Be on time. And be prepared." Some students are sent home if they fail to do either or both. The thinking is archaic, but it's really the only way an instructor can legally say under oath, "I knew that he/she was in my class when I was showing how to give insulin injections. Whether or not he/she was paying attention is another matter."
well, i think in nursing and with hands on type of stuff like that it is important. some classes are a different story though, IMO.