Participation

Food for thought: In my research methods course last year (Psyc 217 Section 8, January 2010), participation points were highly correlated with final grades (excluding participation points or HSP credits, r = .48). In other words, almost a quarter of the variance in my students’ performance on exams and papers was predictable by their participation scores (r squared = .23). Participation was primarily determined by i>clicker scores, as well as verbal classroom participation. One way to interpret this finding is that my learning assessments (writing assignments, exams) rely on much of the same sort of active engagement for success as class participation does. We must be careful not to infer causation, but an interesting finding nonetheless.

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