Guideline & Policy for Participation

Students can earn up to 3 percentage points added to their final course grade, capped at 100%, through meaningful participation in lectures, tutorials, or Piazza. Contributions in any of these settings are equally eligible; students do not need to participate in every setting.

Examples of helpful contributions include:

• Asking a thoughtful question that clarifies a concept or assumption.
• Explaining an answer or helping classmates understand a concept with clear reasoning.
• Identifying an error in course materials and explaining a correction.
• Sharing a relevant resource with a brief explanation of how it helps the class.
• Helping resolve a general software or setup issue with reproducible steps, without sharing answers to assessed work.

We assess quality and consistency across the term: 1 point for occasional helpful contributions, 2 points for regular helpful contributions, and 3 points for sustained, substantive contributions that support others’ learning. No qualifying contributions earns 0 points. These levels are available to every student and are not based on rankings or post counts. Attendance alone does not earn bonus points.

The common course policies, including collaboration and academic integrity expectations, also apply.