I use the term “engagement” instead of participation because it is more reflective of what I am looking for in this aspect of the course: your engagement with the course material through a variety of methods related to discussion. Engagement can take the following forms:
- posting comments in the online forum
- responding to other students posts in the online forum
- responding to questions or making comments during class time
- discussing readings and other class materials with your classmates during small group work sessions
- active listening during class
Assessment of your engagement is determined holistically. It is not a question of adding up “participation points” but rather thinking about your engagement across the semester in terms of quality rather than quantity.
Online engagement
- This aspect of the course will take place on our class chatboard. Please see your email for details on how to sign up.
- The class has been divided into two groups. Group One (last name A-G) will post their responses to the prompts by Saturday nights based on the reading assigned for Mondays. Group Two (last name G-Z) will post their responses to the prompts by Monday nights based on the reading assigned for Wednesdays.
- Engagement in this context refers to responses to the questions posted and engaging in discussion with your fellow students.
In class engagement
- This aspect of the course will take place during our scheduled class time.
- I will ask questions based on the assigned readings and topics, your posts on the chatboard, current events that are related to our topics etc. We will also engage in whole class and small group activities based on readings.
- If you feel uncomfortable in this aspect of the course, please get in touch so we can make arrangements for you to fulfill this aspect of the course in an alternative format.