Require university and college course syllabi to detail the following:
1) State that separate means of evaluation for class participation and class attendance will be provided
2) Define how class participation will be measured: 1) through number of times hand raised, 2) through number of correct questions answered, or 3) through number of leadership roles taken during in-class discussions.
3) State the percentage that class participation will be used to factor into the total grade percentage
4) State that documentation of students' class participation will be saved for up to two weeks after semester grades have been posted
Why is this important?
During my spring 2014 semester, I received a 'F' for "class participation/attendance" in one of my graduate courses. Immediately, I contacted my academic advisor to file an academic grievance. However, I was told that professors are not required to provide documentation of how the class participation portion of the "class participation/attendance" evaluation is calculated. As a result of not having this policy, I received a B+ in the course and my 4.0 GPA dropped to a 3.95 GPA. This is an important issue because students receive an average of 15% of their final course grade from "class participation/attendance" without a standardized policy on how to perform.
