The hours is a long time. Also it just takes a few people to desert and everyone else just follows the crowd.

The break wasn't three hours long, the lecture was.

I know, I meant three hours is a damn long lecture, most are an hour long, two at most. maybe some of them had enough half way through. Then once the trend of leaving begins most people will generally follow the crowd.

I have a three hour history lecture because it's only scheduled once a week.

3-hour-long lectures are very common actually.

My physics and chemistry classes both have a 3 hour lecture one day then a 2 hour lab a different day per week. It's common depending on what time the classes you choose are. I'm not sure why people leave, some in my classes leave at the break too. They all knew what they were getting into when they enrolled for the semester. It's not like they were tricked.

I have two 2h15m long math classes a week but I adult the f*ck up and deal (lol)

I had a five hour class once a week and I had classes three days a week. Damn sure everyone came back after our break.

I have a 3 hour music lecture only once a week too

Did you make sure to tell them it was just a break? Usually with long classes like that, breaks are mandatory but sounds like college and students leave all the time if they feel like it. If they all left though, maybe you weren't specific enough lol.

That's what I was thinking, a lot of them might have been zoning out and thought he was dismissing the class for the day

I actually originally thought that OP meant every student hated them so much that they never came back for another lecture and they all dropped the class or something. It depends on whether or not this lecture was the very first class for that course this semester. I know most of my classes on the first day (of that class) were just about going over the syllabus and exam dates and most professors let the classes out much earlier than usual because they don't plan on actually teaching any material until the second class.

i had a few teachers that made attendance mandatory and at the end of class took note of who was there so no one could skip out

#61, it would be quite the hassle to do attendance for an entire lecture hall

they should stick to teaching high school.

#62 Some of my professors did the same.

Keep teaching the empty room. Then they can't complain on not knowing the info on the test.

exactly. In higher education, it's your money you're wasting by not staying in class. OP, don't feel sorry when those bastards don't know what they've missed and don't tell them. If they wanted to learn, they would have come back.

Yes. OP, your job is to teach-whether they hear it or not is their choice. Just do what you're paid for and let their asses fail.

Op you should totally make the next exam all about the material that they missed

You must be dealing with a different kind of break now. Heart break.

I've actually seen hoards of students just leave during the breaks. or excuse themselves to the bathroom and just go. students will take them if not given them. good on you for giving one. crappy if them to just leave.

They paid for university, if they want to waste all that money let them

Or their parents paid for it and they simply don't care about spending/wasting their parents money.

That was honestly my thought process for so long. I was really indifferent to a lot of things. Then I failed a class and my dad made me pay for it when I retool it during the summer. I had to work so much just to pay for that one class. A lot of college kids whose parents pay for their classes are like that.

well...parents did not really all of em

If I was paying big money for a semester, you could bet you sweet ass I would be sticking around, regardless of how long said lecture was

Dont teach them the rest of the lesson but make sure to include a huge part of it on tests and such

YDI for not giving a small 5-10 minute break each hour. I had a 2 hour lecture for Maths last year and barely anyone showed up because it dragged on and the lecturer eventually had to give us a small break after an hour.

I'm in my last year of graduate university and I was lucky if our three hour classes even had a break. There often was too much material to cover that the class time itself almost wasn't enough and got jam packed, so break had to be cancelled.

wow. short attention spans much? we just got a 10 minute break in the middle that more than sufficed. sometimes she would give us the choice to skip the break because we were behind & we took it.

If you need 5-10 minutes per hour then you'll have a rude awakening once you join the work force when you get 15 mins after 4 hours. (normal 8-5 job)

You only get 15 minutes during a 4 hour span for the usual 8-5 job.

I had a 4 hour class that went till 11 at night once a week. we often skipped our break due to being behind via being let out at 10:20. I can't see how you can't focus enough to do 2 hrs? most of my 2 hr classes didn't even touch a break. and that was totally fine. do you pay for your own college #12? probably not

Unless you weren't 100% clear it was a break, give them all 0s for the day.

A lot of places don't give grades on a daily basis. Their exam grade (s) determines if they pass or not.