Participation grading has been around quite a long time. If I recall from my
undergrad days (mid-seventies), it was especially used in simulations.
______________
Randall W. Kindley The Performance Group
5215 45th Ave. S. "Building High Performance
Minneapolis MN 55417-2334 Organizations by Developing
612-721-6752 People and Processes"
kindley@dialupnet.com www.topleaders.com
.
----- Original Message -----
From: Terry Rock <
trock@MGMT.UCALGARY.CA>
To: <
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 1999 1:12 PM
Subject: Participation & Grading & "F's"
>Randall Kindley noted:
>
>"grades should be taken with several grains of salt. They are more often an
>exercise in hoop jumping - maturity or not. Its performance that counts and
that
>can be different for each individual."
>
>If there is even a bit of truth to this, and if students "get it" as
well...
>then you understand the feelings that underly my original post on the role
of
>"grading participation" in a course (by the way, thanks to the several
people
>kind enough to share thoughts & techniques... I'll post my synthetic
solution
>soon). If completing a relatively objective assignment involves
hoop-jumping,
>then "participation grades" can take hoop-jumping to near literal levels.
>
>At their worst, it seems, "participation grades" are little more than
"brownie
>points" (or 'brownie-nosie points?'). At their best, they accurately
measure a
>student's ability to raise the general "amount" of learning that goes on
>throughout a given course for all students. One of my students, trying to
help,
>suggested I use an incentive system employed by one of my colleagues: throw
>chocolates to those students making a contribution!! Heck, I'll go all the
way
>and bring a bucket of fish!! Arp! Arp!
>
>I would really like to get an estimate of how long "participation grading"
has
>been around. I was an undergrad in the late '80's, and I don't remember it
>being that prevalent. (Though we all know how crazy the '80's were!!)
>
>Still workin' on it...
>Terry Rock
>Assistant Professor
>Faculty of Management
>University of Calgary