Participation grades are perhaps the biggest under-the-radar point of contention at Villanova. Even as a sophomore, most of the people I know have had at least one professor who weighs participation astronomically high – sometimes 40% of the final grade. And it seems like no one can agree on how they feel. For some students, participation grades are their saving grace, and for others, they are their academic downfall. To put it plainly, some students just don’t like to talk. Some get anxiety in a classroom setting. Some aren’t confident in their answers. And some have a cough they are meticulously holding back, and if they talk, that cough will explode and be really embarrassing. Whatever the case, I totally understand why someone wouldn’t want to participate in class.
However, I believe that participation grades are actually a good thing. As someone who doesn’t love to talk, they push me out of my comfort zone and allow me to better my public speaking skills. I’m one of those people who’s a much better writer than talker, so participating in class has allowed me to become more comfortable conveying my thoughts out loud. And even if I’m not always talking in class, I try to give at least two substantial answers per class. Not to count my chickens before they hatch, but so far in my college career, this method has worked well for me. While participation being worth close to 50% of your final grade may be a bit excessive, generally speaking, participation grades being weighted heavily by professors is beneficial in multiple ways.
One reason why a heavy emphasis on participation is beneficial is because it provides an extra cushion to potentially sub-par or detrimental test scores.
“I like participation grades because they help boost my grade if I do not-so-well on an assignment,” sophomore Ava Felice said.
While everyone can have a bad day once in a while, in some classes, if your bad day falls on the same day you have a test worth 30% of your grade, it can ruin your grade in the class. With consistent participation points, you can ensure you have a cushion in case luck isn’t on your side on test day.
Participation grades are also beneficial in the sense that they fuel class discussions, making each time you go to class just a little more interesting.
“I think in seminar classes like Ancients and Moderns, it is a good thing to be heavily graded on participation. I would have fallen asleep otherwise,” sophomore Luke Fabietti said.
This is undoubtedly true. In my own experience, when I know that I have to participate in class, it keeps me more focused, especially on days where I didn’t get much sleep the night before. Instead of thinking of sleep, I’ll think about what I could contribute to the class – which I’m sure every professor prefers.
Some students, on the other hand, are completely opposed to participation grades.
“Participation grades should not be weighed heavily,” sophomore Maggie Coia said. “I got an 80/100 for a participation grade for a class of almost 50 students, and there were barely any questions that we could’ve answered in class.”
“I personally don’t like participation grades because I’m not good at speaking in a classroom setting,” sophomore Kaitlyn Walker said. “And sometimes people yap so much no one else gets a chance to speak.”
These are valid criticisms and are definitely complaints that professors should take into account when handing out participation grades. Some people genuinely have anxiety, and they should not be punished for it if they truly cannot speak in class. These complaints also reveal the only problem I have with participation grades – that they are heavily subjective. I can’t speak for everyone, but hardly any of my professors have genuinely written down which students participate for the day. It is almost always up to their memory or subjectivity, which can help and harm certain types of students. However, very generally speaking, most of the professors I’ve had have been fair in handing out their participation grades.
Overall, though, participation grades are generally beneficial to your grades, confidence and overall learning environment. They instill good speaking skills, give a cushion to your final grade and are likely to keep students more engaged throughout the class. However, the drawbacks of subjectivity and student anxiety are real issues that professors need to carefully consider.
If all professors on campus can acknowledge the valid reasons why students might hesitate to speak in class, perhaps every student at Villanova can enjoy the benefits of heavily weighted participation grades.
