Maybe your professors hadn't been through what I certainly have -and it may be that in more lecture intensive classes it isn't a big deal. But in my English classes I set aside time each week to go over rough and first drafts. I've got to be hard core or I'd spend all the REST of my time reading and discussing the drafts of those who couldn't be bothered to attend class in the first place. These are the same students who never e-mail me, come see me during office hourse or after class, ask for "extra credit" (!) but who will then complain when they fail the course.
Or maybe I'd just rather put the fear of God into the class early and get the slackers to drop quickly so they don't waste my time, and distract from the students who really want to learn. It's hard to say.
