SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTANCY

ACCT 331 - AUDIT and ASSURANCE
Term 1, 2013-14

SEMINAR PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES
Discussion participation refers to students individual contributions to the discussion
in seminar sessions. It can take the form of a relevant and insightful question,
comment, or response.
The primary objectives of assessing discussion participation are to promote pre-
seminar reading and preparation, develop students critical thinking, listening and
communication skills, and inculcate in students a willingness to share their views,
ideas and even doubts with others. It takes great courage to express and subject ones
thoughts to others scrutiny and challenge but this often leads to improved
understanding, learning and self-confidence. Each student has a responsibility to
encourage fellow students to actively interact in seminar discussions.

In grading a students discussion participation, the course instructor considers both the
quality and consistency of the students participation as well as the following
considerations suggested by Professor Ian Zimmer (University of Queensland) in his
class notes. You may find them useful for evaluating and monitoring your own
performance.

Excellent discussion participation does not necessarily require students to contribute a
great deal (i.e. quantity) in every seminar. The best contributors may only speak a
couple of times per seminar, but their contributions are highly insightful and
persuasive. The issue is one of quality and not mere quantity. Below are some points
that are useful to consider when discussing issues in seminars:

1. Are the points pertinent to the discussion? Do they increase the understanding of
the seminar group or are they simply a regurgitation of the problem or the
assigned readings?

2. Is there continuity in contributions or are the comments disjointed and isolated?
The best contributions are those that reflect excellent preparation, but also good
listening, interpretive and integrative skills.

3. Do the comments reflect a willingness to put forth new, challenging ideas or are
they always agreeable and safe?

4. Are participants able and willing to interact with others by asking questions,
providing supportive comments or challenging constructively what has been said?



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Participants can be broadly divided into the following groups in terms of the quality
of their contributions to class discussions:

(A) Outstanding Contributor:
This participant's contributions reflect exceptional preparation, and the ideas offered
are substantial and provide major insights and direction for the seminar group. If this
participant were not a member of the seminar group, the quality of discussion would
diminish significantly.

(B) Good Contributor:
Contributions reflect thorough preparation. Ideas offered are usually substantial,
provide good insights and sometimes provide direction for the seminar group.
Arguments are generally well thought out and are often persuasive. If this participant
were not a member of the seminar group, the quality of discussions would diminish
considerably.

(C) Adequate contributor:
Contributions reflect satisfactory preparation. Ideas offered are sometimes substantial,
provide useful insights, but seldom offer a major new direction for discussion.
Contributions tend to be somewhat more piecemeal than integrative. Arguments
presented are fairly well substantiated and sometimes persuasive. If this participant
were not a member of the seminar group, the quality of discussion would somewhat
diminish.

(D) Unsatisfactory contributor:
Contributions reflect inadequate preparation. Ideas offered are seldom substantial and
provide few, if any, insights and little constructive direction for the seminar group.
Integrative comments and effective arguments are often absent. Comments are
obvious, isolated from the main discussion or confusing to the seminar group. If this
participant were not a member of the seminar group, the quality of the discussion
would not diminish, and valuable air time may actually be saved.

(F) Non-participant:
This participant has said very little or nothing to date. If this participant were not a
member of the seminar group, the quality of the discussions would be unchanged. A
non-participant is thus not awarded any participation marks.


Impromptu/Scheduled In-Class Presentation
Occasionally, the instructor may call on students to give impromptu and/or scheduled
presentations of up to fifteen minutes during seminars on seminar activities or seminar
discussion questions. Students will be awarded seminar participation marks for these
presentations.

Note: Class attendance is not the same as class participation. Thus, a student who
has 100% class attendance can still receive an F grade for little or no
seminar participation.

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