Mid-Quarter Feedback

Originally Posted: Sept 22, 2007


Most of your learning at Darden is through your peers - either your learning team of six that you meet everyday or your section of 60 that you take your classes with ... And because of the case method followed here, all the courses in the first year at Darden have a large class participation component ... This is usually 35-40% of your total class grade, so it is very important for students to be active in class ... And not just with participation, but with contribution too ...

Mid-way through the quarter, the professors send out individual mails to all students in their section to tell them how they are doing in their course ... Here is a mail I got last week on my Decision Analysis class participation ...


Roshan Shanker,

This is the midway point of the Fall DA course and I want to provide you with feedback on your class contributions to date. Because we have had only six classes to date, the data on which I base this feedback is necessarily limited; there is still almost half the course to go, and plenty of time to influence your performance. Remember that good class contribution can take many forms:

· Responding to a cold call or offering a coherent recommendation and thorough supporting analysis
· Responding to a professor's question or a classmate's question in such a way as to provide insight or clarity on an issue
· Asking a thought-provoking question that focuses the class discussion on a key issue
· Making an insightful comment or asking a probing question that rejuvenates a discussion that might be dragging or redirects a conversation headed down an unproductive path
· Building on previous comments in such a way as to broaden and deepen the learning potential
· Where appropriate, offering work-experience insights or making explicit connections to other courses so that the focus of the discussion is enriched, elaborated, and emphasized
· Challenging assumptions and ideas constructively

Based on my assessment of your performance to date, you have been placed in one of three categories: Fast Start (about 25% of the section), Middle (about 50% of the section), or Slow Start (about 25% of the section).

For FAST START people:

You are in the FAST START category; keep up the good work! I will probably be giving people in other categories higher priority in being called on during our upcoming classes, but there will still be plenty of opportunities for you to contribute, particularly during the latter stages of class, or when we are getting bogged down on an issue (I’ll particularly look for you here!). Remember: the goal is not just to “know”, but also to help those around you “know”.

For MIDDLE people:

You are in the MIDDLE category. You have had your moments, probably where your contribution was perfectly acceptable. You are in this category because either your participation has been inconsistent or you have not had the impact on the discussion that your colleagues in the “Fast start” category have had (in my opinion). There is nothing wrong with being in this category! For some of you, as you struggle with the issues we are addressing, this may be exactly where you feel comfortable being. My only advice is to make sure you are being sufficiently active precisely when you do not understand what is going on, and certainly when you think you do. Experience tells me that some of the greatest learning takes place when people are willing to share their personal learning process with the rest of the class.
For SLOW START people:

You are in the SLOW START category. You have not been sufficiently active in class, on a voluntary basis. Succeeding in a cold call does not offset failure to volunteer and contribute (although demonstrating that you are not prepared when cold called is negative). If you are struggling with the material, let your learning process drive your participation. Do not be afraid to admit that you do not understand why we are doing what we are doing; some of the best learning (for the entire section) takes place when people challenge things they do not understand. I will be giving you priority in upcoming classes (this does not mean cold calling you, but rather looking for your hand to be up).