The School's policy on the use of class participation as an assessment component is:
- Class participation may constitute a maximum of 20% of the total assessment for the course.
- Faculty must define how class participation will be assessed and provide details in the information published to students (at least three weeks before the three weeks before the first session of the course).
- Attendance cannot form part of the assessment of class participation (or any other assessment).
- The assessment must be judged by the faculty and auditable records must be kept, and supplied in the event of an appeal.
- The assessment must be based on the quality of the contribution, not the quantity.
- Students must be present and actively participating to be eligible for marks.
Whilst the precise measurement techniques may vary from course to course to reflect the course's content and structure, the central focus should be on the quality of a student's contribution rather than the quantity. This focus on quality ensures that all students benefit from the classroom experience and all have an opportunity to contribute.
It is recommended that the faculty specifies the types of contribution that could receive a positive grade and what could attract a negative adjustment to the grade (this may include points around ‘class behaviour’ i.e. lateness,laptop use, etc).
The following are examples used by faculty in some courses:
Example 1:
You are expected to come to class fully prepared and ready to participate in the negotiation exercises. During class you will be expected to actively participate in class discussions including the post negotiation exercise reflection where will discuss what happened and why, and the effectiveness of the strategies being used.
Example 2:
- Grading any oral, chat participation and/or participation in discussion forum
- Using a short break where students have to work on something and then submit
- Writing a reflection on a class
- Completing a quiz in class
- Submitting a video (e.g. class summary)
Example 3:
In evaluating class participation, we will consider the following: whether the student is well prepared; whether the student is responsible to the contributions of other class members and to the general flow of the discussion; whether the student’s comments reflect careful analysis of the case; and whether the student’s comments contribute to a clearer formulation of the issues in the case. We are assessing quality, not quantity.
Under UK Higher Education rules, attendance cannot be used for assessment, either as a standalone component or as part of the assessment of class participation. Marks can only be awarded for participation if a student is present and actively participating in the session.
