Rubric to Grade Classroom Participation
There are a variety of ways to incorporate behavioral examples into a rubric to assess
participation. One way is to use a checklist to identify the ways in which a student has
participated:
Option 1: Checklist
Specific behavioral examples of good participation in class
discussion:
Ask a question or make a comment that shows you are interested in
what another person says
Ask a question or make a comment that encourages another person
to elaborate on something they have already said
Bring in a resource (a reading, web link, video) not covered in the
syllabus but that adds new information/perspectives to our learning
Make a comment that underscores the link between two people's
contributions & make this link explicit in your comment
Use body language (in only a slightly exaggerated way) to show
interest in what different speakers are saying
Post a comment on the course chat room that summarizes our
conversations so far and/or suggests new directions and questions to
be explored in the future
Make a comment (online if this is appropriate) indicating that you
found another person's ideas interesting or useful.
Contribute something that builds on, or springs from, what someone
else has said.
Make a comment on your CIQ that prompts us to examine discussion
dynamics
Ask the group for a moment's silence to slow the pace of
conversation to give you, and others, time to think
Make a comment that at least partly paraphrases a point someone
has already made
Make a summary observation that takes into account several
people's contributions & that touches on a recurring theme in the
discussion (online if you like)
Ask a cause and effect question.
Find a way to express appreciation for the enlightenment you have
gained from the discussion.
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Student has
participated by:
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


A second way is to assess the frequency with which a student exhibits good
participation:
Option 2: Frequency
Specific behavioral examples of good
participation in class discussion:
Ask a question or make a comment that shows
you are interested in what another person says
Ask a question or make a comment that
encourages another person to elaborate on
something they have already said
Bring in a resource (a reading, web link, video) not
covered in the syllabus but that adds new
information/perspectives to our learning
Make a comment that underscores the link
between two people's contributions & make this
link explicit in your comment
Use body language (in only a slightly exaggerated
way) to show interest in what different speakers
are saying
Post a comment on the course chat room that
summarizes our conversations so far and/or
suggests new directions and questions to be
explored in the future
Make a comment (online if this is appropriate)
indicating that you found another person's ideas
interesting or useful.
Contribute something that builds on, or springs
from, what someone else has said.
Make a comment on your CIQ that prompts us to
examine discussion dynamics
Ask the group for a moment's silence to slow the
pace of conversation to give you, and others, time
to think
Make a comment that at least partly paraphrases
a point someone has already made
Make a summary observation that takes into
account several people's contributions & that
touches on a recurring theme in the discussion
(online if you like)
Ask a cause and effect question.
Seldom
(1)
Frequently
(3)











Find a way to express appreciation for the
enlightenment you have gained from the
discussion.
Total Points



5
2
Occasionally
(2)
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9
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A third option is a more traditional matrix/grid rubric in which the behavioral examples are organized by criteria and “levels of achievement” (e.g.,
contributes, enhances, extends) to assess participation:
Option 3: Traditional Matrix with levels of achievement
Category
Contributes
Ask a question or make a comment that
Shows interest,
shows you are interested in what another
encourages
person says.
others
Enhances
Extends
Ask a question or make a comment
that encourages another person to
elaborate on something they have
already said.
Use body language (in only a slightly
exaggerated way) to show interest in what
different speakers are saying.
Make a comment (online if this is
appropriate) indicating that you found
another person's ideas interesting or useful.
Find a way to express appreciation for the
enlightenment you have gained from the
discussion.
Summarizes,
synthesizes
material in
meaningful ways
that adds to
learning
Make a comment that at least partly
paraphrases a point someone has already
made.
Bring in a resource (a reading, web
link, video) not covered in the
syllabus but that adds new
information/perspectives to our
learning.
Contribute something that builds
on, or springs from, what someone
else has said.
Uses strategies
to encourage or
direct discussion
Ask the group for a moment's silence to slow
the pace of conversation to give you, and
others, time to think
Make a summary observation that
takes into account several people's
contributions & that touches on a
recurring theme in the discussion.
Make a comment on your CIQ that
prompts us to examine discussion
dynamics.
Resources
Ask a cause and effect question.
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Post a comment on the course chat room that
summarizes our conversations so far and/or
suggests new directions and questions to be
explored in the future.
Make a comment that underscores the link
between two people's contributions & make
this link explicit in your comment.
Using the Participation Rubric in Blackboard
If you keep track of participation in the Blackboard Grade Center you might consider using
Blackboard’s interactive rubric tool. The same three rubric options listed above can also be used in
Blackboard. Below are screenshots of each rubric in a Blackboard course.
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About Blackboard Rubrics
Rubrics in Blackboard can be associated with columns in the Grade Center, used with assignments,
blogs, wikis, and the discussion board or any “gradable” tools in a Blackboard course.
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Rubrics are interactive
o As you grade a rubric Blackboard will automatically calculate the rubric score for each
student.
o Individual feedback can be provided to students for each criterion
Students can view their grade and instructor feedback
Rubrics are re-usable:
o The same rubric can be used across multiple activities and tools in the same Blackboard
course
o Rubrics can be exported and shared with other faculty
How to Download the Participation Rubrics and Import into a Course
The three participation rubrics are available to download and import into your Blackboard course.
Once the rubrics are imported they can be edited to suit your needs.
1. Contact Faculty Development for the rubric .zip file. Save the Zip file to your computer.
2. Log into Blackboard and access the course where you want the rubric to be imported. Click the
Course Tools menu in the Control Panel and locate click on Rubrics in the tool list.
3. Click the Import Rubric button.
4. Click the Browse My Computer button. Select the file (ParticipationRubric_ExportFile.zip) and
click Open.
5. Click the Submit button. The three rubrics will appear in the Rubrics list.
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