5.2 Participation

The participation grade is reflected in the Participation Portfolio. Students are expected to contribute actively to a positive classroom environment, both in person and online. Students who dislike public speaking may wish to invest more effort in their online writing, and vice-versa.

Those who participate above and beyond the call of duty will receive a bonus.

Common sense and common courtesy dictates that absences, late arrivals and early departures, distracting use of telephones or headphones, lack of preparation, and inattentiveness will impact your participation grade. (I fantasize that students may actually use their smart phones to look things up on the internet during class discussions, but please turn off your ringers during class time.)

If your final grade ends up near a borderline, I will consider your participation before deciding to bump the grade up or down.

Agenda Items and Online Discussion

In class, I may call on you to share with the class the agenda item you posted on your own blog. I may also ask you to share with the class the comments you left on peer blogs. Most students find that it helps to bring printouts of those online contributions, so you have something to consult when I call on you.

About Weblogs

A recent article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette focused on how Seton Hill University students have been using their academic weblogs.