Class Participation
ENGL 310
Class participation in literature classes is not an exact,
quantifiable number, because a lot determines on the dynamics of the individual
class and students, the room and equipment, the time of day the class is
offered, and so on and so forth. Nonetheless, over the years I have identified
some characteristics that are most likely to determine your class participation
grade. Here are those characteristics. Please note, too, the provision on the
syllabus that adjusts your final grade in the course for a certain number of
absences; that counts off your total grade, not your class participation grade.
A 95 |
This student demonstrated leadership. S/he
demonstrated self-respect and respect for her/his classmates by always
arriving on time, always preparing the assigned material, completing
(and printing out and proofreading) assignments before class began, and
in general conducting him/herself in a way that benefited the class’s
ability to learn. S/he regularly contributed voluntarily to class
discussions and those contributions were positive and valuable. S/he
listened closely to what her/his classmates and instructor said and took
thorough, useful notes. |
B 85 |
This student demonstrated leadership potential. S/he
demonstrated self-respect and respect for her/his classmates by usually
arriving on time, usually preparing the assigned material, completing
(and printing out and proofreading) assignments before class began, and
in general conducting him/herself in a way that benefited the class’s
ability to learn. S/he usually contributed voluntarily to class
discussions and those contributions were usually positive and valuable.
S/he usually listened to classmates and the instructor, but sometimes
gave the impression of being more interested in hearing her/himself
speak than others. S/he usually took fairly thorough and useful notes. |
C 75 |
This student was the classic "good soldier." S/he
demonstrated self-respect and respect for her/his classmates by mostly
arriving on time, mostly preparing the assigned material, completing
(and printing out and proofreading) assignments before class began, and
in general conducting him/herself in a way that benefited the class’s
ability to learn. S/he sometimes contributed to class discussions
voluntarily, but more often when called on. Those contributions
sometimes were positive and valuable, but s/he was
mostly a quiet and passive class member. S/he sometimes appeared
not to be listening to classmates or the instructor and only sometimes
took thorough and useful notes. |
D 65 |
This student was marking time until the class ended.
S/he demonstrated a lack of self-respect and respect for her/his
classmates by arriving late, not preparing the assigned material,
forgetting or failing to acquire materials, completing (and printing out
and proofreading) assignments after class began, and in general
conducting him/herself in a way that hindered the class’s ability to
learn. S/he almost always had to be called on to contribute.
Contributions might or might not be valuable and positive. S/he gave
indications of not paying attention to classmates or the instructor and
rarely took notes of any kind. |
F 50 |
This student was biologically present but
intellectually absent. S/he frequently arrived late, was unprepared,
forgot his/her materials or did not purchase/download them, or gave
other signs that his/her classmates’ learning environment were not
valuable to him/her. S/he rarely took part in class discussions.
Contributions, if offered, were frequently not valuable or positive.
S/he did not contribute to helping his/her classmates learn more
effectively. His/her presence was sometimes distracting to his/her
classmates. S/he didn’t appear care what was going on around her/him and
rarely took notes of any kind. |