Participation

Summary:

1. Participation is a large part of this class - learning visualization is not a spectator sport.
2. You are expected to participate in both the synchronous online classes as well as in online discussions.
3. You should aim for an average of at least 2-3 meaningful replies in online discussions and seek and finds.
4. Participation in Piazza discussions is also part of your class participation.
5. Your participation will be assessed “holistically”.
6. Participation in the synchronous classes will involve various things.

Interacting with the class and your classmates is an important part of the learning experience. It’s what makes this a “class” rather than an “online resource.” We expect you to participate: your participation not only helps you learn, but helps the entire class learn together. Participation is the active engagement beyond the minimum requirements.

We understand that not everyone has something to say for every topic. Similarly, some times you will have more or less to contribute. Therefore, we will assess participation “holistically” - we won’t look at any one instance, but we will expect that over any span of weeks, you will participate enough.

Your online “discussion” participation is participation in class discussions beyond the required postings.

• For online discussions you will generally be required to make two prompted postings. However, you are also required to discuss these postings with your group (the discussions are in groups). We don’t make a quantitative requirement (e.g., you must post 3 replies each week) - but you need to reply “enough”. Some weeks you might have more to say than others. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 3 meaningful replies per week on average in the discussions. Don’t make postings at the last minute (since that doesn’t give classmates a chance to respond). Also, use “likes” (see Tips on Using Canvas (Canvas Likes)) to acknowledge that you’ve read a reply (if you have nothing to reply beyond that).
• For seek and finds you will be required to post your own, but you are also asked to look at what others contribute (so you can see more examples). You are encouraged to comment on others’ postings. Again, there are no set minimums, but aim for 3 meaningful replies per week on average.
• There is also opportunity for unstructured discussions. Generally, these will happen on Piazza. Participating in these conversations is part of your class participation.

For the synchronous online “lectures” (which will often be group activities):

• During “all class” discussions (e.g., lectures), not everyone can talk. Please use chat, respond to polls, … While it is unclear if we can track who is participating accurately, this is an important part of being engaged in class.
• During “small group” breakouts, we can’t monitor everyone - we will trust that everyone is participating. We will look at the artifacts created.