I find that when students ask me about their course status, they are taking ownership of their own progress. I hate to admit it but it also helps me to keep on track with entering assessment evaluations.
Gracie,
Yes, performance information can be a motivator especially when a higher performing student is tracking their progress. For less than stellar performers, taking extra time to work with them, sharing what needs to be done to make improvements, and displaying care and kindness to encourage these students can create trust and enhance trust and credibility.
Barry Westling
It is very important for students to stay informed of their status so that they will not get too far behind without even knowing it. On the other end of the spectrum, good grades can be a motivator for students when they see the rewards from their hard work. Students like to know where they stand. It is fair to them to be able to know this information. It also makes the teacher's life easier too. Students tend to perform better when they know their status. They will become frustrated if they have no idea what their grade is in the course.
Melvin,
I like to share class information early on and frequently because I understand students are very anxious to know their progress, especially after major tests, at mid-term, and as the term nears it's completion. I try to personalize my discussions to build trust and credibility, and offer support and encouragement along with advice and suggestions for improvement.
Barry Westling
Students need to know how they are doing in courses in order to make informed choices about what they should do about their class progress.
Allison,
Sounds like a good system! I do something similar by having the student complete a "fill in the blanks" statement regarding what they believe has interfered with their focus, what they could do differently, and moving forward, what they plan to do as a personal commitment to themselves to acheive the skills, knowledge and understanding needed. Although it's not binding, it forces a degree of accountability and in the end contributes to overall better student performance.
Barry Westling
Each week students need to do a self evaluation of their skill and knowledge of patient care, this is after I do their evaluation. This then allows the student and myself to fully see the level of understanding of their areas of strengths and weakinesses with input on how they can improve, therefore they can see to improve their grade. This system works well for me, because if a student comes back and has questions on a grade we can refer back to their own self evaluations to see if they have achieved their goal.In the beginning the student usually overrates their work-abilities and the realization sets in on the complexity of their task which may not have been completed achieved.
Thomas,
Right. Without some form of regular feedback, students may have no realistic idea where they stand in class. I believe this the perfect opportunity to share progress, give advice and assistance, and support and encouragement.
Barry Westling
I think we all want to know how we are doing. In life,school ,class and business as this is how we guage our progress in all that we do as we tend to compare our selfs to others. We all want to know when we do good and when we tend to work harder we we know we are not doing so good.
Kenneth,
I agree, and maintain that frequent and early on sharing of performance is as important as the instruction itself. Needed corrections, advice, assistance, and encouragement can all contribute to steering the student towards an optimal learning experience.
Barry Westling
I think it is very important for students to always know their status. If they are not doing well,they know that extra effort is needed. Also,I want the students to catch any errors I may make entering their grades as soon as possible. I prefer that to a student questioning a grade at the end of a course and I have to remember or review my notes as to why a certain grade was entered.
Carla,
I agree. Also, I think consistency is important. When students know when to expect their instructor will be sharing grade and course information, this gives a momentum to push a little harder to reflect the best performance to date. Encouraqgement and support really does go a long way to building trust and respect.
Barry Westling
Helping students stay on top of their progress can only help them know how important each session is. If they miss work or exams, this will help them to get more organized when these times come up. How it is done can motivate or discourage a student.
Kristen,
I think most students --adult and young adults alike want and deserve to know their progress. If we have end-of-course objectives to meet, then sharing progress towards those objective are essential. Also, by discussing status early on, intervention and time for correction is improved.
Barry Westling
As a student I wanted to know where I stood. It made me work harder and stay focused.
Alicia,
Right. Students will appreciate the time and effort an instructor will give to providing grade and class performance information. This also gives a time where supportive comments can be given, to help convey we are there for their success.
Barry Westling
Cynthia,
That personalized touch by an instructor can be a powerful tool. When poorer performance is discussed in a kind and caring manner, and positive, helpful advice for improvement are suggested, students usually feel their instructor cares and is interested in their success. This also can build trust and respect for the caring instructor who conveys "I am here to help you succeed".
Barry Westling
Students should be informed of their status in the course because it helps them to be aware of their performance and if tutoring may be needed.
Some students are over achievers and want to know every minute how they are doing in the class ... this can be driven simply by wanting to have a high grade or more importantly wanting the feedback to know if they are "getting it" as in understanding and processing the course content. Other students will avoid knowing their status for different reasons but these are the students that I need to make sure know on a weekly basis where they stand and how we can work together to get them more involved in their learning process.
Susan,
It's true. But really, all students want their progress known so that they can understand where they are and what they may have to do to make changes before it's too late in the term to make a difference in their grades.
Barry Westling
