Assessing Class Participation

In many units, marks are given for tutorial participation. What do we mean by 'participation' and how might it best be assessed?

In some cases participation simply means attending classes. In others, students are given a mark at the end of semester based on how much they have contributed to class discussions. This could mean that the students who speak the most are given a high mark and that quiet or silent students receive a low mark. However, it does not necessarily follow that students who speak a lot are making a valuable contribution to learning: they in fact may not have prepared for class, may take the discussion on irrelevant tangents, may not listen to others, or may dominate discussion to the extent that others are prevented from participating. These students may be rewarded through a high mark, while quiet or shy students, who have done the preparatory work, listen attentively to the discussion, and are actively learning, may not be.

Culture and language competence are other factors to consider. Students from certain cultural or educational backgrounds may feel uncomfortable contributing to class discussions, or may think that they need to be invited to speak by the teacher. Students whose first language is not English may need a little extra time to understand the question posed and formulate an answer, and therefore may miss the opportunity to make a contribution when native speakers of English are able to get their point in more quickly. Under-confidence in speaking English may also further impede the participation of those from different language backgrounds.

Sometimes there are no assessment criteria for participation, and the tutorial participation mark is a 'fudge factor' or a discretionary mark that the teacher can use to give struggling students extra marks for trying hard or to assist students who otherwise might have failed a component of the unit or the unit itself.

What criteria do or should teachers use to assess participation? To what extent are students aware of the criteria and understand what is expected of them? What role might self- and peer-evaluation play?