Participation is defined as regularly attending class (not just for filling a seat) and asking and answering useful questions which further  contribute to the subjects discussed in each session. To this end, it is strongly recommended, that participants do indeed read the assigned  chapters and WWW pages BEFORE class, so that questions may be asked and good discussions takes place.  Students should make an effort to contribute useful information on regular occasions.

In Tim Richardson's classes in which Class Participation is part of the grading structure, you can earn Class Participation / Contribution marks by
1. saying something in class
2. answering a question in class
3. sending an email after class about something that was useful or interesting in the class
4. making a comment on one of the videos referred to in the course
5. making your own video to contribute to something related to the course topics
6. making a comment on a video made by another student
and
7. starting your own dot.com company and do an "IPO" before the end of the course and from the funds you acquire, hire everybody in the class on a full-time basis  (just saying...)

NAME - make sure, when you are saying something in class, that you voluntarily tell me your last name EACH TIME, it usually takes several weeks for the professor to get to know students names in a class. In order to be credited for saying something in class, the prof has to know your last name - so it should be a habit that when you stick up your hand to say "last name .... interesting thing....", so later in the class the prof has a chance to place a mark beside your name on the class list.

It often happens that students get excited about making a contribution and shout out comments during the class, and even when reminded, many still do not identify their last name. These students are under the impression that they are earning marks, BUT, that is not the case because their name is not known.
Simple rule, if the prof calls you by name, he knows your name..... duh, if he motions for you to speak, but does not call your name, SAY YOUR LAST NAME so he can make a check mark beside your name on the class list so you will score a point.
 

How to earn Class Participation marks Click on the screen capture to the left to see/hear this 3 minute video clip (800 MB)  of Prof. Richardson talking about the details of earning class participation / contribution marks.

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Class Participation marks - do not leave it til the end Prof. Richardson talking in March 2011 about his concern that half the term is over and too many students are leaving class participation marks to the end - he provides some suggestions for catching up.

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How Class Participation marks are calculated A detailed discussion of how class participation marks are calculated per email and per contribution - includes an explanation what happens of CP if 10% and you speak 10 times, do you get 10/10,  Answer: no - this video explains how your mark is calculated in the context of what the other students in the class earned.. uploaded March 2010

Class Participation marks - for the whole course in summary By responding to this video on YouTube, you are  welcome to make comments about anything you learned in the WHOLE course that was "useful and interesting", and marks will be awarded - make sure you identify your first name and last initial and  class (C44) so i can credit you with marks  This particular "final summary video" is for C44, I will do separate ones for MGTD06, IBM600, BCS555 etc.

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Class Participation marks - stop begging clip on YouTube responding to some 4th  yr students who made a joking video   youtube.com/watch?v=MrxUrJQZvaI begging for consideration in the calculation of their class participation mark at the end of the semester - even though they did not contribute much compared to the rest of the class  youtube.com/watch?v=ao7JUJO7l0Y I also talk about my "philosophy" about marks and what is really important for you to learn as a student.

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TELL ME YOUR NAME !!! Some students make this process of "name learning" easy by bringing to class a piece of cardboard with their last name spelled clearly, so the prof can easily see who it is that made a particular remark. It is always appreciated if the name is written in large letters so it can be read from 30 or 40 feet away.

click on Michael's face to listen to his comments, in Mandarin, on class participation marks for MRK 410

click on Richelle's image to hear this former MRK 410 student comment on class participation marks

Contributions can also be made by identifying resources on the WWW that would be useful to the class. These contributions can be made in the form or emailing information to the professor, or bringing to class various articles and documents. If you do send an email, DO NOT just send the URL - you should make a summary, in your own words, as to why the article is useful and how it contributes to what we are discussing in class. Really good emails could be worth 2, 3 or possibly even 4 marks.

Class participation can also be obtained by demonstrated assistance to other people in the class - we call this peer-to-peer learning and it is an important part of teaching and learning in the new years of the new millenium. So, if you spend some time helping other people in the class learn something related to the course, you are eligible for class participation. This mark will be under the heading for "tutoring"

Audio clip (podcast) made by University of Toronto (UTM) students
Betty (Wan-Tzu) C. and Margaret (Tzu-Chiao) H. for
"Witiger Radio Show" in March 2008

Click on the girl's faces to hear the full clip in English and Mandarin - it contains some funny and amusing comments about earning class participations marks and their comments also about the course

Click to the left to read the English / Chinese (Mandarin) script of the audio clip  (but do this after you listen to the audio clip) - it is funnier to hear the clip first

 

We also do some exercises in class like GOPST, in groups, this will count for class participation if you attend on the day we do the exercise.

Class participation / contribution will be calculated on a per incident basis so students should plan on trying to have something useful to say, or contribute at least once every second or third class.

Class participation marks can also include one or two small quizzes done in class - if you are not present that day - you will lose the mark for the quiz.

Some people are able to achieve 20/20 for class participation by the 12th week, other people rarely say anything and get 10/20 - it is up to you.

Do not leave class participation to the end of the course. All class participation marks will be finalized by the evening of the last scheduled class.
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