– by Amanda Beres

Cartoon of students engaging with each other in an online format.

Student participation is a struggle to assess and the collegiate level is no different. Walking in the classroom that first day was nerve-wracking, especially in terms of student participation. Thankfully, my experience so far has been positive! My students are engaged and involved in class discussions and group work. They respect me as their instructor. Of course, as in any classroom, I have the few who always speak up, but for the most part, all the students engage with me and each other. Round one, getting students participating, was successful! But what about round two, keeping students engaged? 

Through reading “Rhetoric of Participation”, it became clear the best way to keep students engaged, is to provide alternative forms of participation. Critel presents four commonplaces of participation: Assessment, Embodiment, Technology, and Community. Each is important, but must be approached ethically. Fostering community is wonderful if we can understand what is civic participation. Embodiment and encouraging students to speak is awesome if they are not self-conscious. Posing a question may seem like a simple invite to a discussion, but as instructors,  “…it is very easy to underestimate this invitation, but there is nothing simple about it, especially from the student’s perspective,” (Banji, et al. pg, 1). It can be alienating and frightening. Instructors must redefine what student participation means.

I view participation as student involvement. Are students communicating with me and each other? Are they engaging with class activities and materials? This could include:

• Emailing or coming to office hours
• Asking questions before or after class
• Showing good effort in understanding and submitting class assignments

In my most recent reading summary “International Student Participation in Mainstream Composition Course: Opportunities and Challenges” by Tony Cimasko and Dong-shin Shin, it became clear just how much influence I have as the instructor.  As the instructor, I must think about what I am truly asking of my students. “The inclusion of fewer details may encourage cooperation, but it inevitably leads to confusion and miscommunication… Conversely, more specifically detailed syllabi may lead to student resistance (Boice; Richmond and McCroskey),” (Cimasko, pg 4). There must be a balance between what I ask, and what I allow a student to do. 

One practice is to provide all students with more than one option. For example, maybe with a particular reading, they can do either a presentation or an essay, whichever would be at their comfort level. Another practice I use is rearranging in-class activities to match both the students’ academic and comfort levels. Whether it is coming to office hours, speaking in class, or asking a question, it is all participation. Providing these alternatives can help not only students who are more introverted or self-conscious but all students. 

It comes down to showing me, the instructor, that you, the student, understand the class concepts. This is what participation should lead to. Do the students understand the material?  Where are they struggling? Student engagement should focus on these matters.  I have found that providing alternatives and viewing participation as involvement, not embodiment, has increased student participation. It sets a clear expectation with enough freedom to shift if necessary. All students, ESL, self-conscious, and extroverted can benefit from more discussion on participation. It is our job as instructors to continue this discussion and dive deeper into what participation means.