Engagement, i.e., attendance, preparation, participation, and successful and timely completion of course deliverables, is mandatory. You will only succeed in our course if you engage.
It’s that simple.
Your performance will improve if you attend class regularly, are well prepared AND participate effectively in the learning environment, whether F2F or digital.
Yes … it IS that simple!
You are an important part of the team, including your professor and classmates, and you create an effective learning environment. Your engagement in our course learning environment plays 
a significant role in my assessment of your performance, in other words, the grade you earn in our course. Our course will demand a substantial investment of time and effort, and so will require a significant amount of preparation. You need to be self-motivated and stay on task to succeed. Dr. Jeffrey Bennett has developed some terrific “Hints on How to Succeed in College Classes” that I strongly suggest you review before we begin our course.
I will take attendance every time we meet in class. I will even take attendance if we have a class meeting in a virtual environment using a video conferencing platform. While our meetings will consist of lectures and discussions, I am not a big fan of the “Sage on the Stage” teaching model. Discussion will be the primary form of interaction in our course. Of course, those discussions will be both F2F and digital. We will use various technology-supported platforms to support our interactions, both in and out-of-class meetings. Your engagement in our digital discussions, whether enrolled in a F2F or web-based course, will also be an important part of my assessment of your performance.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to move to a fundamentally different set of delivery modalities, e.g., HyFlex, hybrid, remote, synchronous or unsynchronous, or some combination of approaches to teaching and learning. We are increasingly working remotely to accomplish our work. That remote modality demands that we adjust our understanding of acceptable protocols for attendance and participation, whether a meeting or course attendance, engagement, and participation.
While working together using a digital platform, e.g., Teams, Zoom, Slack, etc., you must join the session with a live camera and muted mic. A live camera helps to create a sense of community and will help all of us to engage effectively during our discussions. If you only unmute your mic when speaking, we can avoid feedback, unsolicited input from family, pets, and others, and random noise. If your classmates cannot see or hear you, it will be difficult to engage in course meetings actively. That will have negative implications for your grade results. Please review the Protocols for Online Meetings and Classes for more information.
Remember, if you consistently are unprepared or even underprepared, it will be very difficult to fully take advantage of our course learning environment. That lack of engagement is a lost opportunity for you and will reflect poorly when I assess your performance.
The Engagement Rubric below, adapted by Professor Sara Calhoun Davis from The Teaching Professor, forms the basis for assessing your course engagement.
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Engagement Rubric |
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A |
B |
C / D |
F |
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Peer Interaction |
Actively supports, engages, and listens to peers (ongoing) |
Makes a sincere effort to interact with peers (ongoing) |
Limited interaction with peers |
Virtually no interaction with peers |
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Preparation |
Fully prepared for every aspect of the course |
Mostly, if not fully, prepared (ongoing) |
Preparation is inconsistent |
Rarely or never prepared |
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Participation |
Plays an active role in discussions (ongoing) |
Participates constructively in discussions (ongoing) |
When prepared, participates constructively in discussions |
Comments vague if given; frequently demonstrates lack of interest |
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Contribution to Class |
Comments advance the level and depth of dialogue |
Relevant comments are based on assigned material |
When prepared, relevant comments are based on assignments |
Demonstrates a noticeable lack of interest on occasion |
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Group Dynamics |
Group dynamics and level of discussion are often better because of student engagement |
Group dynamic and level of discussion are occasionally better, but not worse, because of student engagement |
Group dynamics and level of discussion are sometimes disrupted by student’s engagement |
Group dynamics and level of discussion are often disrupted by student’s engagement |
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- Becoming more active and/or making more effective comments that raise the overall level of discussion and set examples for others, and
- Asking thoughtful questions that will enhance discussion and engage peers and
- Listen carefully to, support, and engage your peers in discussion. This will essentially improve others’ learning experience.
- Do not engage in the course regularly through attendance, preparation, and participation, even though you meet attendance requirements. Even though you may have submitted assigned work, your contribution will not have added to the course discussion or
- Dominating discussions, thereby restricting others’ participation and
- Disrupting others’ opportunity to listen and/or participate, or
- Making negative, offensive, and/or disrespectful comments during discussions or
- Violating the privacy of individuals, or
- You may not use electronic devices such as a cell phone, tablet, or computer for personal or unrelated coursework during class unless instructed to do so. There are no exceptions.