Participation

• Let's work hard to listen to each other carefully and skillfully as we try to create a psychologically safe place to learn, where we feel free to share important ideas about ourselves and the things we believe are important.  We can learn to be hard on ideas without necessarily being hard on each other. In other words, differences in opinion can be valued as we discuss ideas and  as we work to build a healthy learning community.  Strong learning communities invite and tolerate individual differences and opinions. On the other hand, interpersonal incompetence such as personal attacks, not listening, and devaluing others  create norms of distrust, caution, and defensiveness and often create not very nice places to learn.
• Required readings are found on the schedule for each class and are to be prepared for the class on the date listed.  If it is apparent you did not read the assigned material, your participation grade may be lowered.
• Effective participation means improving discussions, facilitating interaction, or focusing people on the task at hand rather than just talking a lot. You will need to demonstrate a willingness to get involved in discussions and classroom activities and  demonstrate you have kept up with the readings to gain full credit for this aspect of the course.  Effective members of any organization  are rarely completely silent, although they do know how to listen.  If you chose to remain silent all semester when the full class meets, I will not be able to give you full credit for participation.  If you are unable or unwilling to listen carefully to others, if you are unwilling to help others express themselves in ways they can't without your help,  then it suggests you understand communication as only a one-way process. 
• In some courses you may receive a peer grade which reflects your participation in a class group assignment. The participation grade given by the professor is for participation in full class discussion not group participation about which I can not be aware.

Attendance

• Class attendance and participation are important  for the success of the class since much of the work of the course  is done in groups. If you must miss a class, it may be important to notify your learning group. If you are not here,  the group work may suffer  and everyone's learning can be effected, both yours and members of your group. In short, your learning is dependent on interaction with others in the classroom. 
• I rarely take roll but when there are groups in the class it is easy for me to note who is late, who is missing. Miss class? Your grade for attendance and participation are lowered.
• Just because we don't cover text material in class does not mean that you are not responsible for it. You are expected to approach learning the material from a scholarly perspective, critically and thoroughly studying the text and relating it to what is covered in class as well as your own work experience. Because of this philosophy as well as the emphasis on group work, it's impossible and highly undesirable to lecture on every detail.
• Classes will begin and end on time. Late is after the official start time. If you arrive late, it can be  disruptive to the your group or the class. Once a group activity starts,  it's hard to catch up and your lateness can slow the rest of us down. 
• This is not a class in which someone can take lecture notes for you if you miss class. There are few lectures but lots of discussion.  So expect lots of interaction, group activities, and exercises.
• How many absence or late arrivals?  I normally don't take attendance every class, but your absences are noted.  Once you begin missing a number of classes, your absences will impact your grade, often because your fellow group members need your participation to help them learn and we need you here to make the course work as designed.  In, short, I expect that you just act responsibly about your attendance. If you already know you will be absent or late a lot because of work, please wait to enroll in this course during a semester with less job related work demands. I do not want or expect an email or phone message explaining absences. UMKC Attendance Policy
• My policy is simple. Please come to class because I hope you really want to.

Helpful Norms

• Here are criteria established a few years ago by a class that has been used in peer evaluations. Group mates also grade your participation and attendance.

  a) Respect for other's ideas - Did he/she encourage others to contribute their ideas? Changed his/her opinion when appropriate
  b) Contribution - Did he/she contribute productively and fully to the group's workload (e.g., writing, presentation prep)?
  c) Positive attitude - Were he/she a positive force in the group?
  d) Flexibility - Were he/she flexible when disagreements occurred? 
  e) Preparation - Did he/she come to meetings prepared? 
  f) Goals -Maintained focus on group goals?
  f)  Attendance and participation - Were he/she on time for meetings? Flexible in setting meeting times? Talked  and  listened?
  g) Encouraged innovation - Were he/she open to new ideas? Willing to experiment and take risks?
  h) Communicated ideas effectively - Were he/she  influential in group decisions? Clear, concise and to the point