A portion of the final grade for this course consists of participation points. These points are awarded to students at the end of every class session.
Note that participation points are not automatically awarded to students simply on the basis of their presence in class. When students attend a class session, they start with zero participation points. It is the student’s responsibility to earn participation points during the session by actively participating in class activities, discussions, and presentations. Evidence of active participation by a student is defined broadly as:
- Verbal participation in team and class discussions appropriate to the setting.
- Offering relevant comments and questions that are aligned with the topic at hand.
- Offering relevant current events such as current articles that are aligned with the topic at hand.
Students’ active participation will be assessed according to the following criteria
| Clarity:
| Focus on a specific topic and context, give examples, avoid vague generalities or undefined terms, and help others to understand without any confusion.
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| Accuracy:
| Give correct information that others can verify; students should acknowledge the limits of their knowledge of the topic.
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| Precision:
| Specific details support all comments.
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| Relevance:
| Comments connect to the issues currently under discussion and help others to understand those connections.
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| Depth:
| Address the problem in all its complexity; consider the context of the problem, its root causes, and the other issues it brings up.
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| Breadth:
| Address the problem from many points of view; consider how others might understand the problem.
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| Logic:
| Consider how statements and assumptions work together and communicate them so that others can follow their reasoning.
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| Significance:
| Focus on the most important elements of a topic or elements that others have overlooked; avoid repeating common knowledge.
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| Ethics:
| Students should consider how their statements and actions affect others and judge their own contributions in terms of how they benefit the learning community.
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Note: The professor may choose to define and apply alternative participation criteria at his or her discretion.
