Participation

Formative

My formative participation rubric guides students throughout the semester in their in-class engagement. Naming and describing the behaviors that comprise class participation demystifies behavioral expectations for students. I use this formative rubric as a starting point for collective considerations of course climate, student expectations for each other, and discussion guidelines for the semester. In this sense, the formative rubric is adjustable and thus an opportunity from the beginning for students to be actively involved in determining appropriate forms of class engagement for themselves. I then use the collectively agreed upon rubric to check in with students at the mid-semester point. I give them feedback in the form of an individual discussion, guided by the rubric, on the quality of their engagement in class and how they can improve based on their own goals and abilities.

Summative

The summative participation rubric builds on the formative rubric to assign a final participation grade. This grade reflects the student’s behavior by the end of the semester. This acknowledges and rewards growth as well as consistent high levels of performance, thereby motivating all students to reach high participation standards.