The Kind Academic

This week I’ve been reflecting on something that probably sounds a little mundane at first: attendance policies. At my university, we’ve been told that we can’t make lecture or tutorial attendance mandatory anymore. On the surface, that feels like a loss of structure, but when I consider it more deeply, I can also see the kindness in this decision.

For many of our students, even those who want to be on campus, life doesn’t always make it easy. Some live far from campus and face long, expensive commutes. Others balance heavy loads of work, family responsibilities, or caring roles alongside their studies. For them, a mandatory attendance policy could feel like an additional barrier – yet another system demanding more than they can give. Recognising that they can still be committed, engaged learners even if they can’t always physically show up could be seen as a form of institutional kindness.

The ripple effects

But as I see it, kindness in higher education isn’t only about students. A kind approach to pedagogy asks us to look at all the stakeholders: lecturers, tutors, casual academics, and even students’ peers.

A colleague recently shared that, out of her class of 200, only one student showed up for a lecture. She had poured hours of thought, care, and energy into creating something valuable. Of course, she still delivered it with the same commitment she always does, but is that really kind for her?

And what about tutors, many of them casual staff, who prepare for classes that may be sparsely attended? Is it kind to ask them to do that labour without the energy of a roomful of students to make it worthwhile?

Then there are the students themselves. As group work becomes more central to our teaching, attendance isn’t just about individual choice. If some students don’t attend, group cohesion and continuity suffer. That can be unkind to those who do show up and rely on their peers to keep things moving forward.

There’s also another perspective worth considering: while flexible work is reshaping workplace expectations, professional commitment still often requires some form of consistent presence and collaboration. Are we preparing students well if we suggest engagement without any expectation of showing up?

Holding the tensions

I don’t think there are simple answers here. To me, kindness in higher education isn’t about choosing students over staff, or staff over students. It’s about noticing the ripple effects of our policies across the whole ecosystem. Perhaps it’s about finding middle ground—flexible participation that values different forms of engagement while still maintaining the collaborative energy that makes learning communities work.

So maybe the real question isn’t: Are attendance policies kind to students? But rather: How can we design attendance expectations in ways that are kind to everyone?

What I do have is a sense that kindness asks us to hold these tensions honestly, to keep asking who gains and who loses, and to resist pretending that one-size-fits-all answers will do.

Because kindness, like attendance, is not just about showing up; it’s about showing up for each other. The question is how we make that possible for everyone.