Hi Laura:
And, by doing this on a consistent, regular basis, the students can make minute changes in study habits to facilitate a more successful outcome.
Regards, Barry
Hi Amy:
The positive thing about regularly communicating class standing to each student is that it may offer time to let the student make changes in study habits before it's too late.
Regards, Barry
No one wants to wait until the eleventh hour to find out they are doing badly in a class. Instructors need to keep on top of grading( though tough at times) because students are anxious to know they they did, and when their efforts have paid off in the form of a good grade that inspires them to keep up the good work.
Hi Barry:
That's great! I thing the frequent and accessibilty to graded information contributes to students doing better. There is more time to make corrective comments and suggestions for improvement, and there's time to see those corrections make a positive difference in the students grade.
Whenever possible, making personal contact is good too. In an online delivery format that may not be possible. But personalizing suggestions allows students to sense the teacher cares about their learning.
Regards, Barry
An electronic gradebook is great for students, is shows them what grade they made on each assignment with comments as to why... I geve them the percentage of points so far, to help both them and the instructor assess where they are in understanding... and it gives them an understanding on how much work they will need to do to get the desired grade for each subsequent assignment.
Hi Michael:
When students know their status, their bound to at try to do their best to either bring up lagging scores, or maintain their good performance. Sharing information too late leaves little time for any improvements to make a difference. More frequent is always better.
Regards, Barry
I feel that it is vital to keep students informed of their grades in the class at all times. It is also vital to keep grades up to date. It is impossible for a student to make judgements or decisions about his progress in the class if he doesn't know his grades. He may need extra help or tutoring but doesn't know that until it's too late because his grades are not up to date.
I agree with keeping students informed. I find that it encourages them to continue to perform well when they are getting good grades, and pushes them to study harder when they are not doing so well. I also encourages them to get help with what they are not understanding so they can bring their grades up.
In doing that you show the students that you care about the progress and success in the class.
As much as I try to help my students understand that their own learning and development and progress in a course is most important, they are still concerned about the grade.
It is important to return grades in a timely fashion to help them keep track of the grade -- even poor scores can be used to help a student understand what needs to be done in the time remaining.
Ideally, the timely return of scores will help students track their own progress and motivate their continued learning.
Hi Cindy:
Another good thing showing student's their status is that it provides the instructor with the chance to say "good job" if warranted.
Regards, Barry
Hi Mary:
One nice thing about showing students their status on a regular basis is that they may be able to see what kind of changes they need to make in their study habits to facilitate a more successful outcome at the end of the course.
Regards, Barry
Hi COnstance:
Its is absolutely important to give the "way to go" talk just as much as showing a student areas needing improvement.
In general, regular assessment of their grades can help students make changes in study habits as soon as possible to facilitate a more successful outcome at the end of the class.
Regards, Barry
It is important to keep students informed of their status in your course because they need to gauge their activities. If they see that an A is attainable if they do not miss any more classes, or if they score at least a 85% on the next exam, they will set that goal and put their focus on what's important.
Keeping the students informed of their status at all times puts them at ease and will also let them know about areas they may need to improve in. It is also a good gauge of progress for the instructor as well.
Students like to know where they are in the class. This is important also to see if any students need extra help. Better to catch this early and help them then to not catch it and have a student not receive the full benefit of the class.
I believe it's their right to know their status in the course. It was my mistake the first time I taught that I did not inform the students of their status till 2/3 of the term. It created such an uproar since some were to fail the course.
Hi Beth:
You got it! In other words, by informing the student on a regular, consistent basis of where they stand in the course, it gives them an opportunity to make changes in study habits as soon as possible (if need be).
The true question is if the student WILL make those changes.
Regards, Barry
Hi Stacey:
Weekly notification is a great idea for the reason you mentioned. Ideally, this would allow students to make minute changes in study habits to foster a more successful outcome at the end of the course.
Regards, Barry
Hi Kathryn:
That's it exactly - and if instructors will do this consistenetly, at a minimum once a week, it will give the student a chance to make changes in study habits as soon as possible.
Regards, Barry
