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October 21, 2009
By Laurel Bollinger
Public Affairs Reporter
Students in 100 and 200 level courses are going to be a part of a new policy change made by the university’s retention program. The new policy requires faculty who teach lower level courses to turn in a student’s midterm grades for review.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education Karen Moranksi said the policy is going to affect younger undergrads and transfer students. Students who fall into the warning zone will be tracked.
“It’s part of our strategy for becoming a four-year undergraduate degree-granting institution. We felt the time had come to put into place some basic retention strategy that most other universities use.”
Moranksi said that this is a way of signaling when students are at risk. Also, she said it could be helpful for transfer students who may be coming to a four-year university for the first time.
The new midterm policy will be implemented through Banner, the student information system. Faculty of the lower level courses are required to turn in grades by today, October 21. It is also optional for 300 and 400 level departments and faculty.
Moranski said that this is an important policy in the retention program, especially during these hard economic times. Their main goal is to retain the students they have throughout their full careers.
“We know that midterm grades have some effect, a real effect and need to be coordinated with other retention systems,” said Moranski. “When you coordinate an early warning system with midterm grades, you can let students know how their doing and give them time if they’re having trouble to make changes in their study habits.”
However, students could be concerned that due to few grades and a midterm test to base their midterm review off of, they could be put in the warning zone. However, Moranksi said that the midterm policy would only help, not hurt.
“I’ve had many students say that, because they don’t get a lot of grades in the first half of the semester, midterm grades would be useful to them to let them know where they stand. A lot of kids really would like to get more feedback during the semester, and midterm grades give them that opportunity,” Moranski said.
