The Class Participation Grade

Prof. Maia Kingman of the English Department has devised a rubric for grading class participation. The rubric that follows is an abbreviated version of hers, with a few additions of my own. You should use this for general guidance about what I expect from student participation at different grade levels. There are two overarching requirements that you must keep in mind. The first is attendance, an essential part of successful participation. You will lose three class participation points for every unexcused absence. The second is respect for peers. Good class discussions rely upon reasoned debate between class members. It is natural for arguments to arise from time to time about the topic of discussion. However, please refrain from personal attacks on the character of your classmates. Repeated personal attacks may well result in loss of points on class participation.

The student who…

Earns an ‘A’ grade for class participation

· Participates in all class discussions, answering and asking questions thoughtfully;

· Demonstrates through discussion that she/he has read all material assigned for the day’s class and has attended lectures;

· Is able to analyze reading and lecture material critically as well as personally;

· Is always attentive and respectful of peers and instructor;

· Always has textbooks, and the necessary paper and writing implements to take notes and complete other kinds of in-class writing.

Earns a ‘B’ grade for class participation

· Participates in most class discussions and frequently answers questions posed in class. This student also asks thoughtful questions quite often;

· May differ from the ‘A’ student by showing slightly less initiative and by a lesser degree of thoughtfulness in answers to questions posed in class. Perhaps this individual refers to course materials less often in contributions to discussion;

· Always has textbooks, and the necessary paper and writing implements to take notes in class.

Earns a ‘C’ grade for class participation

· Participates in class discussion about half of the time;

· Generally attentive;

· In discussion, this student doesn’t often refer to readings and lectures and is more likely to state personal opinion about them rather than engage in critical analysis;

· Almost always brings textbooks and writing materials to class.

Earns a ‘D’ grade for class participation

· Participates in less than half of the class discussions;

· When participating in discussions, this student rarely makes reference to readings or lectures and relies more on personal opinion or preference in answers to discussion questions;

· Rarely asks questions in class;

· Is frequently inattentive in class and occasionally distracts other students;

· Frequently forgets to bring textbooks and writing materials to class.

Earns an ‘F’ grade for class participation

· Generally does not participate in class discussions;

· Shows little interest in readings and lectures and rarely or never asks questions;

· Is inattentive in class much of the time and frequently distracts other students;

· Frequently forgets to bring textbooks and writing materials to class.