There are two kinds of students in this world: those who peruse the syllabus to get an overview of a class and those who scour the syllabus to see how much class participation counts towards your grade. “20%?! NO WAY!” If you are part of the latter group, then 2020’s sudden and sweeping transition to online classes is the stuff of nightmares. But fear not, there are simple and straightforward ways to get that A in class participation (and no, it does not involve going to *shiver* online office hours).
Show up always. And show up on time.
Especially in smaller settings, the professor will begin to notice who is consistently there on time and, likewise, who is chronically absent or late. Nothing shows more studiousness and respect than being on time, ready to learn each time class is held. Zoom makes it easier than ever to skip class. I get it. But your professors, who are also grappling with our less-than-ideal circumstances, will appreciate your efforts. You will also feel that “I was going to skip but went anyway” sense of accomplishment. Ride that high!
Make yourself known to the professor.
No, I don’t mean going to office hours and having an hour-long chat about your goals and visions. This may mean turning your camera on, or it could be the one to answer “good” when your professor awkwardly asks, “how was the weekend?” or “how were the readings?”. If this were like any other semester, the professor would be able to put a name to your face. Don’t lose that value over zoom. It’s quick and polite and way better than a silent grey screen.
When the reading is hard, ask a question.
Good class participation doesn’t always mean saying the most profound, insightful observation! It can be really intimidating to try and say the correct thing or what you think the professor wants to hear. Asking a question demonstrates that you’re engaged with the material and striving to know more. If you knew all the answers, you wouldn’t be in school. Ask for clarification, ask for context, ask for term definition. Trust me. Your professors will be more than happy to share (they’ve spent their whole lives learning the answers).
Be the volunteer.
When your professor asks for a volunteer, maybe to read a passage aloud or give an example, these are basically free passes of participation that don’t require impressive skills or strenuous analysis. Just let your voice be heard even if it’s just to give an example of a chemical compound or be a note scribe. Not only are you revisiting tip #2 (Make yourself known), you are also demonstrating that you are aware of your academic environment and not checked out.
Use the chat
If one good thing came from Zoom, it’s the chat function. (That and you could theoretically do a cross-country road trip without missing a beat.) Some classes treat the chat like a meme-filled live-tweeting session or TikTok comments section. But in those classes where the professors pay attention to the chat function, do not be afraid to engage in peripheral discourse there! Drop your book recommendations, divergent references, link to a relevant article, agree with someone’s speaking point. The ability to hold two discourses at once is something in-person classes can never recreate. Seize this extra participation opportunity.
If and when you speak, always have evidence.
If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that professors don’t care for abstractions (or most at least). The readings are there for a reason. It’s imperative to bolster your questions with a quote or passage; sometimes, even just a term or phrase is enough to prove your point. We all know of that one student that takes over the entire discussion with their opinion, never really saying anything of substance–bleh! Class participation is an art of quality over quantity. Sometimes a few great, evidence-based questions or observations are better than a whole semester of babbling and bs-ing.
One day, hopefully, this pandemic will be a distant memory. But for now, use these six tools to help you overcome the barrier of Zoom timidness. Fear no syllabus and dominate your class participation grade.