How do you feel about professors locking the door?

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Title has the simple version of this: How do you feel about professors who lock the doors to the lecture hall when they begin teaching and will not allow late students to come in?

Why I ask (the TL;DR version that's just personal stuff and unnecessary :p): In my first semester of nursing school, this was a standard policy. I never liked it, but I definitely understood it. Punctuality is a big thing for me, but it isn't for a lot of people these days, and the cohort needed an overarching message that nursing wasn't the profession to get into if you couldn't get it together and arrive on time. None of the other professors we had after that have felt that a locked-door policy was necessary.

That was all good and well, but now I'm on my last semester of nursing school and I have a professor with a personal policy of locking the door when the lecture begins. I disagree with it on principle, because I think it's just childish. We all pay a lot of money for the education we receive. Every moment of it is important to us. We've made it to the final stretch, and I think we've shown the faculty that we're dedicated enough and wouldn't be late without a very good reason. Depriving us of lectures we paid for because that professor refuses to cope with someone quietly coming in and sitting down is kind of ridiculous IMO. But I've always figured, hey, whatever, I'm never late to anything so it won't affect me, and I've shrugged it off.

Well, guess what? It happened. Our class is several hours long, so we get released for 5-10 minute breaks every hour or so. We were released for a 10 minute break at 10 til, and I ended up needing a bit longer in the bathroom than I thought. I got back to the classroom 2 minutes before the 10 minutes was up, and I found myself locked out. I was irate. Ten minutes hadn't even passed yet, and I knew I had to have only missed her shutting the doors by less than a minute. It was unfair and I couldn't do jack squat about it. I couldn't even leave because everything, including my purse, was locked inside the classroom that I was locked out of. It was incredibly upsetting to have to sit outside for an hour knowing I was missing the lecture and being completely powerless to do anything about it.

Now I'm not stupid enough to complain to anybody and make waves about it; you pick your battles wisely, and this one would just be stupid. But I'm definitely still angry that it happened, and I'm going to write about it on that professor's evaluation at the end of the course. It's left me wondering how other students feel about/deal with these kinds of policies, or whether they even have them.

Eru Ilúvatar

576 Posts

Title has the simple version of this: How do you feel about professors who lock the doors to the lecture hall when they begin teaching and will not allow late students to come in?

Why I ask (the TL;DR version that's just personal stuff and unnecessary :p): In my first semester of nursing school, this was a standard policy. I never liked it, but I definitely understood it. Punctuality is a big thing for me, but it isn't for a lot of people these days, and the cohort needed an overarching message that nursing wasn't the profession to get into if you couldn't get it together and arrive on time. None of the other professors we had them.

Usually this kind of policies are explained on the syllabus for the class. One of my professors used to close the door because people would arrive every couple minutes after class had started, and every time she would loose her train of though and had o waste time to get back on track. So the students coming in late were wasting the tuition money of those that came in time. There is always 2 sides to every coin.

Nursing is about discipline, faculty tries to instill that concept hard into the students minds. It is the student responsibility to be on time to class, and on time back from the bathroom or breaks. When you are working in a hospital for example they usually have strict policies about coming in late, and doing so can be motive for termination, it may sound harsh but imagine working your 12 hour shift and having to stay extra because your replacement is running late.

In order to teach us this there are rules about attendance and punctuality. For example in my program if you come to Clinicals 5 min late it counts as an absence. And 2 absences gets you dismissed from the program. Rough policy, probably, but honestly so many people want a spot in a nursing program these days that whoever gets one has to take care of it.

AJJKRN

1,224 Posts

Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

When I was in school for my associates, it was mandated that the doors be locked during all classes for safety reasons (aka school shootings) and not because of tardiness issues. This was a school that was considered pretty low risk for violence but as we see on the news often, many people just don't have these boundaries in place anymore that prevent them from bringing weapons into kindergartens or colleges. No worries, as a nurse you're going to learn how to pee and wash your hands in just under a few seconds anyways, consider this a head start!

I love anyone who follows a lock door policy. I've always been known to be punctual.

I understand every now and then some people will be late. It happens. But there's always a small group of students who are always late and it drives me crazy! It disrupts the class and honestly it's not fair. If I can set an alarm and be somewhere by 8am so can you! Show some respect to your peers and your teacher!

Because those students who are constantly late end up being nurses who are late to report!

Specializes in CCM, PHN.

I think it's a little over the top, and somewhat lazy for a prof to do this. The entire class should not be treated like caged reptiles because a few were late. For the INSANE cost of tuition, these professors need to DO THE WORK of dealing with tardy students individually, in private and on their own time. If they're trying to teach students lessons about the real world, they need to deal with lateness like managers deal with it in the real world: individually, in private, and with due process. No nursing unit gets locked when the shift starts.

And, if anyone locked me away from my purse or personal belongings like that, there would be a VERY steep price to pay! ABSOLUTELY NOT is that ever, ever acceptable unless I have signed an agreement of understanding ahead of time that that is the rule. I would raise holy heck with administration if anyone tried that with me. My purse is my financial info, my medication, my phone and my life. Never would I allow anyone to lock me away from it under any circumstance.

What an utterly ridiculous, lazy and over the top way to deal with tardy students.

Eru Ilúvatar

576 Posts

I think it's a little over the top, and somewhat lazy for a prof to do this. The entire class should not be treated like caged reptiles because a few were late. For the INSANE cost of tuition, these professors need to DO THE WORK of dealing with tardy students individually, in private and on their own time. If they're trying to teach students lessons about the real world, they need to deal with lateness like managers deal with it in the real world: individually, in private, and with due process. No nursing unit gets locked when the shift starts.

And, if anyone locked me away from my purse or personal belongings like that, there would be a VERY steep price to pay! ABSOLUTELY NOT is that ever, ever acceptable unless I have signed an agreement of understanding ahead of time that that is the rule. I would raise holy heck with administration if anyone tried that with me. My purse is my financial info, my medication, my phone and my life. Never would I allow anyone to lock me away from it under any circumstance.

What an utterly ridiculous, lazy and over the top way to deal with tardy students.

The agreement signed is the course syllabus. Usually all these rules are stipulated there, or a section grants the professor authority over their classroom.

Again like I said before it is not fair for the students that woke up early and made it on time to have to deal with interruptions. Everyone is responsible for being on time.

The purse situation is more of a gray area because it can really contain important medication or other important stuff.

caliotter3

38,333 Posts

It is their class, their classroom, they are in charge. I see nothing wrong with the practice.

Red Kryptonite

2,212 Posts

Specializes in hospice.

If you're so worried about how much you're paying, then get out of bed and get there on time.

I absolutely disagree that professors should have to have little conferences with Jenny and Jonny to help them understand why being late is not okay. These people are adults. It's up to them to act like it.

caliotter3

38,333 Posts

I can still picture in my mind the individuals who disrupted my nursing classes by entering late each and every time. I found nothing pleasant about their behavior then and I do not now. Easily, I was probably the student who commuted the furthest distance. If I could get there on time for that first class, no excuse for those prima donnas.

Loo17

327 Posts

The OP was not late for class. They were using the bathroom in the middle of class during a break. That really is unfortunate. We are all adults. Seems like a policy stating if you are late do not enter once the door is closed should be sufficient.

klone, MSN, RN

14,786 Posts

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Did you try knocking?

I would have been hella pissed. You were not late.

Specializes in Family Practice.

I have to admit when the professor is giving a lecture nothing is more irritating than someone prancing in late. It is a distraction but on other side some times you are late and it is beyond your control. California is notorious for traffic issues. I allow more time not to be late and if there is a traffic accident then it is a wash!!!! Most professors are pretty lenient and understand. I guess it depends on the culture of your geographical location. For the most part I am punctual and the reality is no one is perfect. Unfortunately, habitual tardy students make it bad for students who occasionally are late with a legitimate reason.

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