Jeff,
Boy, in this case, current and accurate course status would seem to be paramount.
Barry Westling
It will help students to feel confident about their progress in the course. Also, the student should never be surprised by their grade in the course. It should be an ongoing process.
My school uses a 3 week time table for each course our students must attend. During that 3 week period my students have very little time to recover from a low test grade or graded project. Keeping them up to date on their grade gives them valuable feedback on their progress in the course as well as forewarning them if they get into trouble.
Valerie,
Sure. Forging ahead without knowledge of progress made can have less than wanted results, like a vessel just a bit off course out in the ocean, over time, the destination becomes unreachable.
Barry Westling
It is important for students to get an update on their status so that they can develop a plan of action for studying, tutoring, and managing their daily schedules with work and family so that they do not fall behind in classes. It is good for students to know their status so they can make every effort to improve their grades if they are failing in particular areas.
Mark,
Wonderful. This frequency should keep all your students informed and up to speed.
Barry Westling
At the institution where I teach I am giving my students a progress report at least every other day to let them know exactly where they are in the course. I find that it really helps motivate my students and pushes them to do better. We use an electronic grade book which makes printing out progress reports very easy.
Earl,
Right. And respect is so valuable we should do all we can to sustain it.
Barry Westling
I think mid term is very important for instructors and students regardless if you graded as a part of exam. it can help you to evaluate each student and talk to them individually and knowing as an instructor your weakness of students knowledge and you prepare for next exam.
Berenice,
And I feel this also gives us an opportunity to recognize good work, and offer encouragement to those that need additional attention.
Barry Westling
Knowing their progress keeps them aware of their status. I've also noticed that keeping them informed and with a quick turnaround of test and lab scores builds trust.
Informing the student of their progression in the course has given them a sense of accomplishment.
So they know what they need to work on in the future in order to retain and pass.
It is easy enough for a student to get swamped enough with work in one class to lose their bearings. With their entire course load, it is almost certain that they require some assistance from instructors to keep them appraised of their progress. Yes, they should be able to self-evaluate and have all of the information but their progress is of concern to everyone on the team. So there is no reason why we shouldn't assist with big picture stuff.
Ajay,
Yeah, one very important piece is to intervene early and often. The least desirable outcome is to arrive at the end of the course and find there is not enough time to correct study habits, and too few points to compile a satisfactory grade.
Barry Westling
It helps them to take necessary action to pass the course , if failing or motivate them to improve it to higher grade point if they are missing it marginally.
Also failing students can be helped by extra help or assignment before it is too late.
It helps the instructor too as if a students fails he or she can not complain that he did not knew that he was failing or some time for getting 'B' where as he thinks that he is 'A' grade
TO keep them on track and their energy level up regarding their success
Carl,
Very true. It is important information to students even though it may be mere routine for the instructors.
Barry Westling
I believe all students want to know whether they are meeting the requirements of the course. They can then adjust their study habits accordingly. Sometimes we forget that our class it not the only class they may be taking and they need to know how they are doing in each class.
It is important to keep students informed of their status in the course at all times so the student knows where they stand in the course. By keeping the grade book up-to-date, the instructor can identify students that may need extra help before it's too late to turn their grade around in the course. The student will also be able to see the areas that they are weakest in or that they need to focus more of their time on, in an effort to improve their overall grade in the course.
