In “Reconceptualizing Participation Grading as Skill Building,” Gillis outlines an underexamined problem with class participation: the fact that students often perceive the ability and desire to participate in class as a byproduct of their personalities, rather than a skill that is developed like any other. This conceptualization, combined with pre-college educational experiences with varied emphases on in-class communication and participation, serves to reinforce this perception. Gillis proposes a student-self assessment of participation that takes a more expansive understanding of participation and encourages students to think of it as a skill to be developed.
Gillis’s students self-assessed on five dimensions of participation at the start of the term; established measurable, objective participation-related goals for themselves (e.g., “I will speak every week in class” or “I will attend every class on time”); and developed a plan for accomplishing these goals. Students re-assessed at the midterm and adjusted their goals and plans if needed. Finally, students self-assessed at the end of the term and reflected upon how well they met their goals; they suggested a grade on participation and justified that grade. At each stage, Gillis offered feedback and used the students’ plans and goals to formally grade their participation. In their reflections, students reported that participating in this self-assessment shifted their perspectives toward participation as a skill to be developed, and that they better understood how different aspects of participation can benefit their learning.
Faculty and instructors interested in using this form of student self-assessment for participation can schedule a consultation with CCTL staff or use the CCTL’s Canvas resource based on Gillis’s framework. Structured as ungraded quizzes, faculty and instructors can adjust the dimensions of participation to fit their course contexts or use the resource as is.