Let's Chat About: How to Discuss Participation Points

It's time for another quick discussion in my not-quite-so-new "Let's Chat About" segment! 

Does your prof give points for participation? 

If so, do you know how that grade is calculated? 

I saw this Inside HigherEd post back in July about how much participation points should/should not count toward a class. It made me think back to my own college days when I'd see "Participation" mentioned in the syllabus. . . with no clear explanation of how those points happened. 

I always wondered if the prof made little checks next to my name every time I opened my mouth in class. Or, did my mere presence in class presume my participation? Or, was there an entirely different, more objective formula for calculating those points that I didn’t know about?

(Did my professor scream, "Muhahahahahaha" when figuring up those points? I wonder...)

From your prof's perspective, participation points can be derived a number of different ways: 

-How often you open your mouth in class and constructively contribute to class discussion

-How much you attend class

-How actively you participate in group and partner activities

-How many times you ask questions and propose answers (not to mention the quality of those questions and answers)

-How substantively you write and respond to others on an external discussion forum, Wiki, blog, etc.

These are just some examples; there are countless others.

Bottom line: If your syllabus talks about a participation grade, those points should not be a mystery. 

So what's the communication lesson here?

Ask questions about how your participation relates to your overall grade! How do you do that? 

Here are tips: 

1) Go back and look at your syllabus. If participation points exist, are they clearly explained? Hopefully the prof discussed what he/she expects on the first day, but if you are unsure and the syllabus doesn’t define the requirement, say, "I noticed on the syllabus that 20% of my grade is based on participation. I want to make sure I understand what to do to earn those points."  

2) If there are not distinct participation points mentioned in the syllabus, but other statements allude to interaction in class (think attendance, contributions to discussion, participating in activities, etc.), then your prof may not actually give you points for participation, but could take it into consideration later if you are thisclose to getting a higher grade. You certainly can ask your prof, "I don't see participation counted in our overall grade, but does it make any difference when you are determining my final grade?" 

If your prof has an attendance policy and you can lose points for not being there, showing up is a measure of participation. However, being there in body isn't all that your prof expects from you, so find out what you need to do. 

3) If your syllabus does state that you need to show up to class, speak up in class, and play the prof's reindeer games in class in order to earn your participation grade, find out how those points are tracked. Does your prof give you a check mark every time you utter a word? Is your attendance a declaration that you are participating? First, ask: "Can you tell me how I'm doing on my participation points so far? My goal is to earn full points in this area.” Or “Am I meeting your expectations for participation?”

Then, you can add, “Is there a way I can keep tabs on my participation to make sure I’m meeting all the requirements?” If your prof is using BlackBoard, Angel, or another course management system, maybe you can view these points in the gradebook yourself.

If the prof tells you that you need to speak up more or contribute in class differently, say: “Can you give me an example of what you expect?” If you feel you are doing more than you are getting credit for, then ask, “How are the points tracked? I'm concerned that some of my participation is being missed."

4) If your participation involves online work, such as discussion board posts/responses, and you are not receiving full points, here’s specific advice on how to expand your writing.

5) If you are unable to participate in class in the way that is expected of you (channeling this post with Melvin whose cultural norms did not support him speaking openly in class), then you need to tell your prof specifically, “I am struggling with speaking out in class and I know it is expected. I am worried about earning my full participation points. Do you have advice for something else that I can do?”

You can ask: 

-"Can I submit questions to you ahead of time?"

-"Can my participation in paired or group situations count more fully?"

or 

-"Can I do additional work in another area?"

Your prof may or may not agree, but talk about it so you aren’t blindsided by fewer points.

You may also want to consider speaking out in class even once or twice just to see how it feels to share your thoughts openly. Maybe you’ll find a newfound confidence in sharing your voice!

Best wishes to you, wonderful students, as you participate in all the wonderful opportunities available to you in your classes! I’d love to hear how it’s going!

Colleagues, I abandoned participation points a long time ago. I felt that participation would bear itself out in the many other opportunities that I have for collaboration. What do you think about the Inside HigherEd piece? I’d love to hear!

Want to Find Your Voice in Class? Speak UP!

Student was from Taiwan, but adopted an American name during his two years in Seattle: "Melvin."

In my Intro to Communication course, Melvin always displayed the nonverbals associated with an attentive, engaged student:

He made direct eye contact with myself and others in the class. 

He nodded his head as indication that he was involved in the class discussion.

He furiously took notes, flipped pages in his textbook, made marginal comments in the white space.

What Melvin didn't do was speak in class.

Ever.

Instead, Melvin sent me eloquent e-mails about his perception of the material we were learning. He clearly understood the concepts, respectfully, but assertively agreed and disagreed with certain points of American communication culture.

By e-mail string #4, I begged Melvin to share these wonderful discussions in class. Then I received e-mail #5 with this subject line:

"Please. Let me be President's adviser behind the screen."

Melvin explained that in his culture, speaking out in class, asserting one's own ideas is not accepted. He would not be remaining in America, but rather returning to Taiwan to work in his father's corporation. Melvin had no intention of changing his deeply rooted cultural norms. He continued his stance--and brilliant e-mails--through two more classes with me.

Reading Confidence in the Classroom: Why it Matters in College, posted by Student Advisor (yes, found it on Twitter... where else am I hanging out?), made me think of Melvin.

The author of this post asserts that too many students sound unconfident in the classroom, starting their opinions/thoughts/ideas with qualifiers, such as:

"Well I was gonna say..."

or

"I feel like..."

or

"...But that's just my opinion... I don't know..."

The author states that these phrases are "safe" and "a cop-out."

You might be thinking, "Now wait a minute, Ellen. Where's the correlation with this Melvin guy? You said he wasn't un-confident, just not culturally comfortable with his communication." (Love my alliteration there?).

Yes, Melvin had a deliberate reason for not contributing in class. However, truth of the matter is that in American college classrooms, students are expected to add to classroom discussions, to assert their ideas/opinions/thoughts in a respectful way... to contribute to a shared, rich learning community. 

When I read the post from Student Advisor, I thought about how a student may perceive the advice:


"I'm supposed to talk in class, sound confident, articulate, and solid in my position... What if I can't do that? What if I'm not sure what to say, but I want to say something? Should I not say anything at all?"

When students are concerned about whether they should or shouldn't speak in class, they end up saying nothing. They contribute in their minds--you can almost see them nodding with their eyes. They mentally argue with the professor and classmates about points of disagreement. But they don't open their mouths.

They also don't e-mail with profound thoughts like Melvin did.

In essence, these students silence themselves.

My stance? It is not possible to find your voice without speaking up in class--even if what you say isn't perfect! 

And finding your voice in class takes practice and time.


I completely agree with some the author's assertions: Ideally, students would stand firm on their beliefs, regardless of agreement or disagreement from their classmates. They would assert themselves with confidence, avoiding disclaimers, hedgers, or qualifiers in their communication.

But the idea is not so simple, particularly for those who are novice critical thinkers.

Some people need to "talk out" their ideas to process them.

Some people need to fumble before their message is known.

Some people need to test the waters to gauge reaction before continuing.

This is all part of learning about ourselves as communicators.

So what's the communication lesson here? 

Remember that college is the place to craft and hone your communication skills. 


When you are in class and your prof calls for open discussion, join in. If your prof doesn't include open discussion, feel free to raise your hand and ask a question anyway. You will likely give other students the courage to raise their hands, too (then, check you out as the discussion starter!). 

Don't wait until your thoughts are perfectly constructed. Your prof is usually just glad that students are contributing (of course, your ideas should relate to the content).

Don't feel like you have to make a proclamation with your ideas. Inquiring tone is completely appropriate if you are, indeed, still questioning your position, your understanding of the material, etc.

Am I saying don't think before you speak? Of course not. But what I am saying is that your thoughts do not have to be perfect.

I'm well-schooled, typically well-spoken, and I boldly admit that I've had my share of communication bungles, in meetings and in the classroom. This means that, at times, my ideas fall out in a jumbled mess. Then, I've said, "Wait... let me rephrase that..." or "Ooh, obviously a little too excited about that idea. Let me start over." Like I said before, this is all part of communicating--even when one knows how to communicate extremely well.

Finally, in agreement with the Student Advisor post, don't feel like you need to agree with all discussion swirling around the room. If, indeed, you disagree, say so. Validate the original idea by paraphrasing i.e., "So what you're saying is that..." in a respectful tone. Then, add your thoughts. You can say that you appreciate the other person's point of view, but that you respectfully have a viewpoint of your own.

Bottom line? Say something.

If you don't, participation points may be at stake (I'm going to blog about this in the not-far-future). Others in your class won't come to know you, which means you could miss out on rewarding interactions both in and out of your class with fellow students. Your prof won't know what you are thinking/feeling/absorbing either, which means that he/she can't adjust to help you learn more or learn differently.  

Start speaking up when you are in your first college class and continue throughout your other classes. Hearing yourself speak will give you more confidence every time you do. Your ideas will become more fluid, more solidified. But please, give yourself time and practice for this to take place. 

As I was writing this post, I found myself curious about Melvin's statement:  "Please let me be President's adviser behind the screen."

I have to believe that in order to advise the President, a person would have to be pretty darned self-assured with his/her own communication. And is this person really hidden from the public eye?

So, I did a quick search: President Obama's top political adviser David Plouffe was recently quoted at a Bloomberg breakfast as saying that the unemployment rate won't hinder Obama's re-election possibilities.

Click on the link. The President's adviser is the headline. His words are the crux of the story.

As I suspected, it's a pretty transparent screen.

Dear college students, I hope yours is equally so.

For incoming freshman, do you worry about speaking out in class? For those who have been in college for a while, how long did it take before you were comfortable contributing to classroom discussion? Colleagues, what advice do you have, based on the Student Advisor piece? Please! Weigh in!