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assessment: "class participation" (1 Viewer)

ipod21

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I've been looking at the contents of degrees and the assessments.

what does "class participation" mean? The percentage of assessment for this varies from 10-30%...

does it just mean vocal participation in mentor groups?

thanks
 
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xeuyrawp

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At university, most classes can be categorised as lectures (where you sit in a theatre and take down notes by a lecturer) and "the rest".

Most classes of "the rest" are something like tutorials (exactly the same as classes in school), seminars (which may include presentations or themes for every week), lab work (where you're using PCs, chemicals, bio stuff, etc), etc.

In the rest, you're expected to do any assigned work, eg readings or taking notes, and then participate in any discussions and activities that are set in the class.

Doing work for the class and then participating in the class itself is essentially what the mark is based on.

Your style of classes depends entirely on the nature of the subject itself; most languages, for examples, are usually tutorial-style, ie they are like a class at school. Things like history will usually involve one or two lectures plus a tutorial. In these classes, I'd be marked based on my preparation and participation.
 
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Newbie

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basically means for class participation you are marked on how enthusiastic you are in answering questions, asking questions, sucking up to the teacher,etc

probably the most discretionary/bias component to the uni marking system.
 
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xeuyrawp

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Newbie said:
basically means for class participation you are marked on how enthusiastic you are in answering questions, asking questions, sucking up to the teacher,etc

probably the most discretionary/bias component to the uni marking system.
I think most assessors use it as an opportunity to mark your preparation as well...
 

Davo1111

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It's essentially to stop asians from sitting up the back (in tutes) and not saying anything at all. If they don't put a 10% 'participation' in there, then nothing is said (i've been to plenty of tutes where nothing is said by any student for the whole 1hr). My advice, do the 'tutorial preperation' then be outspoken enough to answer any questions or inforce a point in a discussion. Then you're set for full marks in participation.

Newbie said:
probably the most discretionary/bias component to the uni marking system.
.
 
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Newbie

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being well prepared and being vocal in class are two different things

and its nothing to do with asians or quiet people, hot girls = full CP.
 

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Newbie said:
being well prepared and being vocal in class are two different things

and its nothing to do with asians or quiet people, hot girls = full CP.
full child porn?
 

Sammy-Blue

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Davo1111 said:
It's essentially to stop asians from sitting up the back (in tutes) and not saying anything at all. If they don't put a 10% 'participation' in there, then nothing is said (i've been to plenty of tutes where nothing is said by any student for the whole 1hr). My advice, do the 'tutorial preperation' then be outspoken enough to answer any questions or inforce a point in a discussion. Then you're set for full marks in participation.


.
1. Show up
2. Sign name
3. Get participation marks
4. Leave
 

jessi90

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do science at university no class participation there
 

Davo1111

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Sammy-Blue said:
1. Show up
2. Sign name
3. Get participation marks
4. Leave
class participation =/= class attendance.

Newbie said:
being well prepared and being vocal in class are two different things.
not really, to be vocal you need to be prepared. Because if you're not, then people will rip into you as soon as you say something incorrect.
 

Sammy-Blue

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Davo1111 said:
class participation =/= class attendance.

not really, to be vocal you need to be prepared. Because if you're not, then people will rip into you as soon as you say something incorrect.
I get MY participation marks by showing up.

Not really? No, they are different things. You can talk up a storm without having read the materials or done questions (if your tutes have questions). People ripping into you if you stuff up doesn't stop it being vocal.
 

Cookie182

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Well in law we have 2 hr seminars with set 'readings' ie pgs xx-xx for that week, usually based around the previous weeks lecture material. There is a 10 percent cp, and u are expected to actively engage in class discussion. This may be as simple as reading out your case summary to the class or it may be through participation in class excersises like debating etc

One tutor randomly draws out students numbers from a hat and if ur selected u have to read out ur summary of this weeks cases. So obviously if ur not prepared, ur cp gets raped hard in the anus

In my experience, engaging with the tutor from day one and asking them q's when you dont understand and also demonstrating that you do the work each week gets you a good cp. Going over board though, outspeaking other people, answering every q and general sucking up also gets u no where.
 

Sammy-Blue

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Hmm, most of my classes have random or weekly quizzes, which amounts to the same thing really, only it's alot easier to fudge your way through.
 

billbro

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ipod21 said:
I've been looking at the contents of degrees and the assessments.

what does "class participation" mean? The percentage of assessment for this varies from 10-30%...

does it just mean vocal participation in mentor groups?

thanks
Basically, you say something "meaningful" in class regularly and you'll get a decent participation mark. Unless you get some tutor that hates everyone, you are basically entitled to half the marks already and the rest is subject to how vocal you are.

In short, it is just about the tutor's perception of you. If you say something useful every now and then you'll tend to get decent marks.

Davo1111 said:
class participation =/= class attendance.
Attendance is highly correlated with class participation though. That's not to say you'll get full marks just by attending, but you are bound to get some (probably half) the marks.
 

Davo1111

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Our tutors were not even giving half marks for attendance, and yes sammy it probably depends what course you are doing.
 

AsyLum

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billbro said:
Attendance is highly correlated with class participation though. That's not to say you'll get full marks just by attending, but you are bound to get some (probably half) the marks.
Not really, participation is participation. If you're not going to say anything, then you won't get more than 50%, at least from what I've seen.

Correlation is very much circumstantial, it's only really related in that you have to be in attendance to participate.
 

atreus

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i've had a few tutors who say: "if i dont know your name/who you are by wk 10-12 when im finalising marks, dont expect to pass." and you dont really get marks for rocking up.
basically, class participation is about being prepared and engaging in class. the point of it is usually to get ppl communicating and interacting with ppl they don't know, voicing opinions, etc and to make it so that uni isnt just about essays and exams.
 

billbro

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AsyLum said:
Not really, participation is participation. If you're not going to say anything, then you won't get more than 50%, at least from what I've seen.

Correlation is very much circumstantial, it's only really related in that you have to be in attendance to participate.
As others have stated, I think it really depends on the course. Personally, I don't think anyone received less than 50% in the Arts courses I took. While I agree that you probably won't get much more than 50% for no participation, you probably won't get much less either.

The correlation is circumstantial, but my experience has been that people who attend regularly seem to get at least half the marks anyway. I mean, how many people have you heard of getting less than 30% of the marks? I'm generalising but I think most university students consider participation marks as gift marks, maybe not as much as "self reflection/evaluations" but close enough.
 

AsyLum

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billbro said:
As others have stated, I think it really depends on the course. Personally, I don't think anyone received less than 50% in the Arts courses I took. While I agree that you probably won't get much more than 50% for no participation, you probably won't get much less either.

The correlation is circumstantial, but my experience has been that people who attend regularly seem to get at least half the marks anyway. I mean, how many people have you heard of getting less than 30% of the marks? I'm generalising but I think most university students consider participation marks as gift marks, maybe not as much as "self reflection/evaluations" but close enough.
I'd say it'd be close to 30-40% of the marks, rather than lower, which is lower than the 50% of the one you suggested, pedantic I know :)
 

billbro

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AsyLum said:
I'd say it'd be close to 30-40% of the marks, rather than lower, which is lower than the 50% of the one you suggested, pedantic I know :)
Quite pedantic, but I'll concede the point - I don't exactly go around asking what marks everyone gets, just seemed like everyone seemed to get at least half to me.

Either way, the point I was trying to make is that participation marks are pretty easy to get. Of course they are dependant on how (for lack of a better word) bitchy the tutor is, but as long as you make a few useful contributions they are like free marks.
 

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