Every year I have the same talk about my ideas on class attendance. Because my Japanese is terrible, I decided to summarize my position in a simple text.
I do not believe in "taking attendance" in university. I much prefer for a student to be in the classroom because she wants to learn, than because she is being forced to. Some students learn better at a classroom, some students learn better from books. I believe many learn best from practice. Also, sometimes a health issue or family issue may prevent class attendance. As a result, I don't usually take attendance into consideration when grading my lectures.
Now, I still think that going to classes is extremely important. I believe I have many experiences to teach that are good for you. I want to prepare useful and interesting lectures, and I want you to enjoy my lectures. So I hope that you will find it useful to come to my classes. Classes are also the best time for you to ask questions and have them answered. But, in my opinion, classes are a great tool for learning, but not the MAIN tool.
In general, I do not take attendances in the courses I supervise. I really appreciate that you show up, listen to my lecture, and ask questions. But if you are not interested in the lecture, I will not complain.
Also, this opinion is not final. If you disagree with me, I would love to discuss the matter.
One important exception: In lectures that I share with other professors (ex: Introduction to Programming) I will follow the policies of the leading professor. When in doubt, check the syllabus!
Have fun!