We would first like to acknowledge the reason for participation grades. The growing emphasis on online education has put pressure on supporters of the brick-and-mortar model of collegiate learning, forcing them into a corner. When defending the old classroom format against an online replacement, professors and students alike often cite the value of classroom discussion as the reason why in-class learning is an irreplaceable part of college education. They argue, as we have, that discussion is paramount in a liberal arts environment and that in-depth conversation is something online courses cannot reproduce. Participation grades reflect the importance of in-class discussion and work to preserve what has become the greatest defense of traditional models of education. But there is still much to be desired when it comes to participation grades.
Much of the burden falls on the professors to make sure that participation grades are administered fairly and justly. We suggest that professors emphasize the quality, rather than quantity, of a student’s contribution to class discussion. Many of the current grading schemes only consider how much a student contributes to discussion, rather than how insightful his or her comments actually are. This tends to dilute the quality of the conversation, especially when students recapitulate what has already been said to fulfill the requirement. We would also like to see professors make an effort to take into account the students' dispositions when applying these grades. It seems unfair to punish introverts for not speaking while their talkative counterparts reap the rewards of their personality. Perhaps participation should be based on individual improvement. While we do not condone complete silence from any student, we think that this new policy would help to mitigate some of the biases that skew participation grades.
As much as the onus falls on professors to make sure participation grades work smoothly, it is up to students to commit to actively contributing to the class discussion. Perhaps the most concerning aspect about the lack of student participation is what it implies about Duke’s intellectual climate. What does it say about student motivation if professors feel the need to incentivize participation? Do students decide not to contribute because they are afraid of being wrong? Are they unprepared? Or just busy? The answer is unclear, but none of these possibilities shed a positive light on Duke. Given this, students should try to partake in class discussions no matter how shy they are.
Implementing participation grades perfectly is unlikely to happen, but simple corrections in this grading model will go a long way.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.