Although I have previously argued that you must be present to win, such an argument does not go far enough in terms of a student’s classroom success. Being present is required for success in the classroom, but it is insufficient. Students must be present and prepared if they are going to succeed.

During the next week, some students are going to be shocked when they do not earn participation points in classes for which they are present but for which they are unprepared. For example, in my modern world history course, we will be discussing communism. Each student in the class is responsible for preparing material on some aspect of communism which was assigned to them on the first day of class. Those who do not conduct their research and come to class unprepared will not be able to fully contribute to the class discussion. They will be present, but their lack of preparation will prevent them from being successful in their learning.

Allowing unprepared students to earn the same participation points as those students who attend class prepared is a legitimate concern. But, more importantly, lack of preparation prevents students from fully engaging in a class discussion in which important concepts about historical research will be introduced; concepts which will contribute more to their overall success in modern world history than will the information they learn about communism.

Earlier today, when I was on campus preparing for tomorrow’s classes, I printed handouts for one class for a discussion which directly builds on the first day of class discussion. As part of my preparations, I removed the handouts for the students who skipped the first day of class. Those students, because they were not present on day one, are not prepared for day two’s follow-up discussion. They might be present tomorrow, but they won’t earn points for the portion of the class for which they lack preparation.

Students tend to be aware that certain classes, such as math, build on themselves. These same students do not always have the same awareness about courses taught in the liberal arts. Such students see the lesson on communism as somehow being distinct from the first day of class discussion on what it means to be educated which is somehow distinct from the third day of class presentation on film history. They do not realize that, in addition to learning about education and communism and film, they are doing a series of exercises to develop critical thinking skills.

A lack of preparation for the discussion on communism—during which they were exposed to issues of credibility and currency—means that they will not get as much out of the film presentation—during which they will be exposed to the concepts of worldview, propaganda, and accuracy of data—which will result in them not doing as well in three of their major course assignments. In effect, being unprepared for the second day of class already paves their path for failure.

In order to be pro-active to help students succeed, I first demonstrate that I am prepared. The personalized handouts and the well-organized structure on the first day helps set the tone that class expectations are high. At the same time, I do my best to be personable so that students know that quality does not equate with drudgery.

On the first day of class, I advise students that participation points—which make up 50% of the course grade—are not simply awarded for attending class. Then, on the second day, I date stamp the homework. The act of stamping the homework, instead of just having students place it in their class binder to be graded later, reinforces the importance of preparation. Throughout the semester, I discuss pedagogy so that students can better make connections between current preparation and future success.

During a presentation he gave at Schoolcraft College last week, Dr. Mark Milliron argued that we need to give students information at the time they need it. Even though they might not agree, I do students a favor by teaching them that lack of preparation can lead to failure even when they are present for class. My experience is that letting students know that they lost points on day two has actually resulted in higher grades because students learn that they must be prepared to succeed–or at least to earn participation points. For students who were raised under the misguided notion that everyone gets a trophy just for showing up, this is an important lesson to learn before they fail a major assignment.

–Steven L. Berg, PhD

Photo Credit: Miles Heller