Scott,
I agree giving students enough time to make corrections in their studies is very important. In a way, students should be responsible to track their own progress. But there's no reason we can't do all we can to assist them, especially if it means passing a class or not.
Barry Westling
It is very important that a student knows where he or she stands in the course. This way if there is an issue there is time to correct it. We do mid-semester evaluations with all students. It's quite a task, but has made a marked difference.
Scott
Nancy,
I like that student self evaluation activity. That would seem to offer a glimpse how the student see their performance giving the instructor the opportnity to provide accurate information. I imagine there may even be times when a student writes something the instructor completely overlooked - what a great chance to be able to comment or recognize good work or a worthy effort or a responsible reaction to the need for additional study in a particular area.
Barry Westling
I feel that it is very important for students to know what areas need more attention. I like to give students a program eval progress report and follow with the students evaluation of themselves to see where they think they may need more attentionl throughout the program. This gives myself and the student valuable information.
Tiwauna,
Like a journey, students need feedback regarding how close to their destination they are. Feedback also gives an opportunity to offer our support and encouragement, as well as advice and suggestions for improvement (if needed).
Barry Westling
It is important to keep students informed of their status at all times because it keeps them on task. If for some reason their performance drop, we're able to view and correct the cause. However, if that student is not informed of their progress, it could lead to a feeling and action of failure.
Ron,
Measuring progress towards the (successful) end of a journey is part of the instructional process. For me, I think frequent and early on discussion are best, as they allow for identification of needs, time for correction, and continued hope for the student. Hopeless situations are difficult to generate much motivation.
Barry Westling
It is important to keep students informed about their status, because it allows students to have an idea of where they stand I the course. Students can be aware if they are potentially going to fail a course. Knowing such information allows students to make certain arrangement to request additional tutoring or advise to improve overall academic outcomes.
Brian,
Yeah, and that catch is awful. It creates a feeling of frustration and probably sentiments like "how will I ever catch up?" We can combat this by frequent and early on discussions with students, offering advice, suggestion, encoragement and support. I like to convey "I'll pull you along to the degree you're willing to push ahead". It's a shared effort.
Barry Westling
If a student is not aware of his progress or, lack there of, they may find themselves stressed later in the course because they will always be playing catch up.
David,
Great. Immediate feedback is appreciated and many times is necessary for students to know how much more effort is needed to achieve successfulness in class.
Barry Westling
Students want immediate feedback, they often ask the next day how they did, so part of their motivation is to let them know how they are doing. I typically meet with them after the mid-term to update them where they are in the process. This helps guide them on areas they should place extra effort. They can also determine if they need extra help from me or another instructor.
maritza,
Progressing through a course requires benchmarks along the way to give students guidence as to what progress they are making towards the goal. I also like to personalize my meetings with students with grade information but also support and encouragement. I want students to see that I'm there to be their answer, not their prpblem.
Barry Westling
It's the only way they will know how they are doing in the course. Even if they feel the material was hard, only by studing and then taking the test would they know if they understood the material. Also, very important to return tests/homework right away, otherwise they can't make improvements.
Katherine,
I agree and think grading criteria should be clearly staed and discussed at the outset. Next, the grading system should be accurate and fair. Also, balanced in such a way that no one category in of itself will doom a student (e.g., "the killer final exam"). More variety of assessment categories allows the most comprehensive method of of assessing student learning, in my opinion.
Barry Westling
Every student wants to know immediately how they did on a quiz or exam. I hated waiting for weeks just to get test grades back when I was a student. Even though the syllabus gives the grading breakdown, some instructors don't have points assigned on test questions or homework assignments so it may be difficult for the student to keep a running total on their possible points. In our department, we give a weekly grade sheet to the students and they have to review it, sign it and turn it back in. I make sure all quizzes, exams, homeworks are graded and given back the next class meeting. It makes for some long nights, but the students really appreciate knowing where they stand. For those who may not be where they wish to be, it pushes them to work a little harder. Then again, there are those who look at their grades and calculate just how many points they can miss but still pull out the grade they want. All in all, as humans, we all want to know where we stand in any aspect of our lives, and if I can relieve a little stress on a student by keeping up with that weekly update, I'm a happy camper. And they really do like it.
