Guide to designing a course with active participation

The following guide aims to provide step-by-step instructions for designing, implementing, and tracking active participation-based assessments. 

STEP 1: Ensure alignment with learning objectives

When designing any exam task, you must ensure it aligns with the learning objectives of the course. This is no less important when working with the active participation format. Beyond meeting legal requirements, clear alignment encourages students to direct their efforts towards the key elements of the course.  

Start by reviewing the learning objectives of your course and consider how students can demonstrate their progress towards these objectives.  The activities that make up the assessment requirements for the course must be clearly listed in the course description. 

Example: In a Master’s level course, the learning objective “At the end of the course, students will be able to articulate relevant concepts and theories on mindfulness and compassion” is aligned with the activity of writing an individual 3-page paper. This paper requires students to articulate key concepts and theories from the field of mindfulness and/or compassion and reflect on their value for the student’s personal and professional life.

STEP 2: Select how many activities to include in assessment

There are no set rules that govern the types or number of activities that students must pass to fulfill the active participation requirement. As a course coordinator, you determine the most suitable configuration for your course. To select the best approach, focus on ensuring that student progress towards all learning objectives is effectively evaluated and that students receive sufficient formative feedback to help them develop relevant skills, knowledge and competencies. 

For the number of activities, you can choose from the following options:  

  1. All Activities Required   

Students must pass all available activities. This means that if there are X activities, they must successfully complete all X to pass the exam.  

Example: Students are required to pass 3 out of 3 available written assignments.  

  1. Partial Completion Allowed  

Students are required to pass a certain number of activities from a larger pool. For example, if there are X activities, students must pass at least Y of them (where Y is less than X).  

Example: Students are required to pass 8 out of 10 MCQs.  

  1. Specific Activity Combinations  

Students must pass a combination of different types of activities, which may include passing a set number of regular activities and/or optional or specialized activities. This allows flexibility in the types of tasks students can choose from to fulfill their exam requirements.  

Example: Students are required to pass 7 out of 9 available group assignments and make an oral presentation.  

STEP 3: Select which activity types to use

Tips for Selecting Activity Types:

  • Choose activities that enable students to meaningfully engage with the learning objectives and demonstrate their progress.
  • Where possible, combine different formats to accommodate diverse learning preferences and help students develop a broad range of skills.
  • Choose activities that allow for individual feedback. While fostering both individual and collaborative skills is valuable, it is essential to assess each student’s contribution independently.

Below you can find examples of teaching activities suitable for the ‘Active Participation’ format, along with suggestions for incorporating feedback into these activities:

  • In-class activities

    Students could be required to actively participate in a series of in-class activities. This approach highlights the value of active engagement with course content, peer collaboration, and real-time learning experiences. The in-class nature of these activities enables teachers to guide students toward effective learning strategies, monitor their progress, and provide regular, constructive feedback.

    Example: Students are required to participate in 4 out of 5 on-campus sessions that involve group presentations. During these sessions, students may be asked to take on different roles, such as presenters, opponents (providing critical feedback to other groups), or moderators, who facilitate discussions. Additionally, students may be required to engage in peer feedback activities, such as asking insightful questions or contributing to group discussions.

    Feedback: In-class activities allow the teacher to offer real-time guidance during presentations, group discussions, or problem-solving tasks. This allows the teacher to address misunderstandings, reinforce key concepts, and guide students towards more effective learning strategies.

  • Assignments
    • MCQs

      Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) are a common assignment format that allows for efficient testing of a wide range of content, making it possible to assess students’ course content retention, comprehension, and application of key concepts across various topics. Once set up, MCQs offer an automated assessment of student effort that is easy to implement in large class settings.

      Example: At the end of each module of study, students are asked to pass MCQs to check their understanding.

      Feedback: Detailed feedback for MCQs can be integrated directly into the Quiz module in Canvas. For each question, feedback can include explanations of why the correct answer is accurate, as well as clarifications for incorrect options to address common misconceptions. This automated feedback process ensures that students receive immediate, actionable feedback on their performance, helping them identify gaps in their understanding and reinforcing key concepts as they progress through the course.

    • Case-based assignment

      A case-based assignment involves students analyzing real-world business scenarios to apply theoretical concepts and problem-solving skills. Students are presented with a detailed case study that outlines a specific business challenge or situation. They must evaluate the case, identify key issues, and propose strategic solutions based on their knowledge and research. This type of assessment encourages critical thinking, practical application of course material, and the development of decision-making skills relevant to the business environment.

      Example: During the course, students are presented with 3 case studies, related to its key topics. Students work in discussion groups to solve the cases and then submit the 2-page solution individually. Students are required to ‘pass’ 2 out of 3 case studies.

      Feedback: Feedback on case-based assignments can be delivered through annotated comments in the SpeedGrader section of Canvas and through plenary (whole class) feedback sessions. Annotated feedback can highlight specific strengths and areas for improvement in students’ submissions, offering clear, actionable guidance. Whole class feedback can focus on overarching trends, common mistakes, and exemplary approaches from the group, helping all students deepen their understanding and refine their problem-solving strategies.

    • Portfolio

      A portfolio assessment involves students compiling a collection of their work over a period of time, showcasing their learning progress, achievements, and reflections. This format allows students to demonstrate their skills, knowledge, and personal growth through various artefacts such as reports, projects, presentations, and reflective essays. Portfolios encourage continuous learning and self-assessment, providing a comprehensive view of a student’s capabilities and development in the subject matter.

      Example: As part of each exercise class, students are guided in the development of a digital artefact – these can also be created or further developed independently outside the classroom. After the last session, students are requested to submit the full portfolio of digital artefacts created during the course.

      Feedback: Feedback on portfolios can be delivered through individualised comments in the SpeedGrader section of Canvas or through plenary (whole class) feedback sessions. Individual feedback can address the specific strengths and weaknesses of each portfolio, focusing on the quality of the artefacts, evidence of progress, and, where relevant, depth of reflection. Whole-class feedback can provide students with broader insights, common trends, and areas for improvement across the class.

  • Peer review

    Peer review involves students evaluating each other’s work, providing constructive feedback based on set criteria. This format encourages active engagement, critical thinking, and collaborative learning. Students gain insights into their own work by reviewing peers’ assignments and reflecting on the feedback they receive. Peer review helps develop feedback literacy, fosters a deeper understanding of the subject matter, and promotes a supportive learning community.

    Example: Students are required to hand in a group paper as a Canvas assignment. Afterwards, each group signs up for a time slot for an oral presentation. In each time slot, two groups present to each other and give feedback to each other according to feedback criteria specified by the teacher. The teacher supervises the session and assesses the individual student’s contribution with regards to both presentation and feedback.

    Feedback: Students provide feedback to their peers individually or in groups, following specific criteria or rubrics designed by the teacher. These criteria ensure that the feedback is focused, constructive, and aligned with the learning objectives. Teachers can also use the peer review process as an opportunity to evaluate the quality of the feedback provided to develop students’ skills in giving and receiving actionable feedback.

  • Presentation

    Presentations are an assessment format where students convey their knowledge, ideas, or solutions to an audience, which may include peers, teachers, and experts. This format assesses not only students’ understanding of the subject matter but also their ability to organise information, articulate ideas clearly, and engage their audience. Presentations promote critical thinking, creativity, and public speaking skills and can be conducted individually or in groups.

    Example: Throughout the course, students work in groups to identify stress-related issues in an organisation of their choice and create an intervention that addresses this issue. In the final session of the course, groups present their interventions to the panel that includes teachers and experts. In 3 slides, groups are asked to (1) describe the problem they identified in the interview with a stakeholder, (2) present the intervention they created, (3) connect to the literature backing their solution.

    Feedback: Feedback for presentations can be provided immediately, with input from both the teacher and peers. The teacher could offer constructive feedback on content, delivery, and clarity, while peer feedback allows students to hear their colleagues’ perspective. This combination ensures well-rounded feedback that supports students’ learning and presentation skills.

STEP 4: Keep track of student participation

It is important to set up a good process for keeping track of student participation in all elements required to pass the course. Depending on the types of activities, you can either keep it in Canvas or create a manual Excel sheet. Remember, all teaching activities that are stipulated in the course description should be accounted for. 

Some suggestions on how to keep track of student participation:  

  • MCQ:   
    • When setting up quizzes on Canvas, you can select to automatically push the results into Gradebook, thus allowing you to have a good overview of student performance. NB: set it up as a ‘Graded quiz’ – select ‘sync to SIS’ – consider how many attempts to allow and what quiz score to keep (highest, latest, average).  
  • Written peer review:   
    • Setting up Peer review activity via FeedbackFruits or Canvas allows you to have an overview of students who completed the activity. 
    • Using peer review on Canvas   
      View results: • Access the Assignment • Select Peer Reviews (on the right) • Checkmarks mean that a peer review has been completed; the caution symbol means it has not been completed (or the student did not add the required comment). You can assign each student a complete / incomplete grade for their participation in peer review by clicking on their name and then adding the grade in the top right corner.   
    • Setting up peer review with FeedbackFruits  
      View results: Access the Assignment – Statistics per active student in the Overall student progress section. You can assign each student a pass / fail grade for their participation, if the peer review is set up as graded (e.g. if 50% of the grade is assigned for the submission and 50% for completing the peer review – with the pass mark set to 100%. Further instructions here: https://help.feedbackfruits.com/en/articles/1737453-peer-review-for-teachers  
    • Portfolio:   
      The portfolio would typically consist of multiple elements representing student learning during the course, such as reflective notes, videos, digital artefacts, etc. The easiest way to manage portfolio assessment is to require its submission as an assignment that would need just a single assessment point. Consider presenting the pass grade as ‘X out of Y elements’.  

 

  • Oral in-class activities: 
    Pass/fail assessments of student participation in oral in-class activities must be manually entered into either Canvas or the Excel tracking sheet. 

STEP 5: Finalise Assessment

Before entering the pass/fail grade into the Digital Exam platform, ensure all assessment components have been completed. Using your preferred format, such as Canvas or Excel, track and evaluate each student’s performance on the course to determine their final pass/fail result. NB Remember to keep the documentation in case of a student complaint.  

Enter the final grade as a single grade point in the Digital Exam platform.  

Useful guides:  

Assessors are recommended to download the .csv file from DE just before entering pass/fail results in Digital Exam to ensure they have the most up-to-date student list [1]. To track student performance during the course, you can also use the class list downloaded from DE [1] – this becomes available when the exam opens. Alternatively, class list can be downloaded from Canvas [2]. 

  1. Download a class list from DE as a csv file / Upload a class list into DE as a csv file  

https://de.cbs.dk/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2022/07/CBS_Assessors_Guide_use_of_DE.pdf [see page 3] 

  1. Download the Class list from Canvas as a csv file  

https://teacherscollege.screenstepslive.com/a/1286286-download-a-student-roster-in-canvas

STEP 6: Design re-examination task

If the student does not participate in the assessed teaching activities or participates but does not perform at a level that equals the Danish grade 2, the exam is not passed. This means that the student has used the first of their three exam attempts and must take the re-exam. 

Illness 
If the student has not been able to participate in the teaching activity/activities due to illness, and it has not been possible to reschedule the activity/activities and participate in them at another time, the student may submit a medical certificate. Thus, an exam attempt has not been used, and the student can participate in the re-exam. 

However, illness does not necessarily mean that the student must participate in the re-exam. If it has been practically possible to participate in the teaching activity at another time, the teaching activities are independent of time and place, or a model has been chosen where X out of Y teaching activities must be assessed as “passed”, the exam may be passed despite the student being ill during a teaching activity.  

“Fail” 
If the student’s participation in the teaching activities is assessed as “fail”, the student must take the re-exam. A student who must take the re-exam can demand to take the exam instead of having their Active participation assessed again, according to section 12(iii) of the Examination Order. Therefore, and because of study progress, the re-exam should be a different examination form of exam than Active participation. 

If the student does not pass the re-exam (at the 2nd exam attempt), the student can either ask to take the exam according to the rules for the re-exam or re-enroll in the course and participate in the teaching activities once more. 

Exemption 
The study board may grant an exemption from the exam form for students with special needs, according to section 6 of the Examination Order, i.e., a different form of exam can be set for students who cannot participate in class to the intended extent.