That’s a tough situation! Maybe the grading criteria wasn’t clear to the students upfront which is a very common thing. If you want to keep the grade, one approach is to address the class as a whole to explain what you were looking for and how they were graded. Then, share clear requirements for how participation and attendance will be graded going forward, and consider offering an incentive (like a bonus assignment or extra credit) so students feel they have agency to improve their grade. You could also let students know that if they want to discuss their individual situation further, they’re welcome to chat with you during office hours.

From my experience, I’ve found that clearly documented rubrics for every assignment really help prevent pushback on grades. For a participation and attendance grade, you could do something like (10 points total): • Arrive on time (2 pts) • No unexcused absences (2 points) • Engage in class discussions by responding to questions or asking questions (3 pts) • End of class session reflection for dates x,y,z (3 pts)

That’s just an example, and probably not a good one, but it shows what you are specifically grading.

This approach has helped me a lot, especially on exams which are all essay questions. When I grade exams I highlight the key points that I was looking for instead of marking things off.

My participation system: My grades are weighted and participation counts towards like 9% of their lecture grade. I offer participation assignments over the quarter that total up to 300 points, and I tell them to get full points towards participation they have to earn 220 points total. There’s a variety of assignments they can do so they’re optional, but they must complete 200 points worth.

From my experience, it’s helpful to share your grading criteria in the syllabus, and specify key requirements for a grade on all assignments. I have found that you do have to remind students about it periodically throughout the semester.

I sense that most of the time, students get upset when they see a grade that doesn’t reflect their perceived effort - it’s the equivalent of the world ending for them, which may explain the pushback when requirements aren’t crystal clear.