ABSTRACT
This chapter examines three areas of effectiveness that need assessment: how engaged the class overall is in a discussion, how well the discussion advances the learning objectives or content, and the quality and quantity of individual student contributions. A discussion can evoke a great deal of student participation but go off topic, skim over the material superficially, not meet the learning objectives, or otherwise fail to advance students’ learning in the way it was intended. The chapter evaluates the quality of the contributions of the individual students, especially if they are grading them on their participation. The literature offers three different approaches to this task, all of which work well across the disciplines. The first involves developing and using a participation rubric; the second, having students keep, submit, and evaluate a participation log; and the third, having students keep, submit, and grade a participation portfolio.
