Transparency and communication between professors and students is imperative at the midterm point

When students are considering whether to withdraw from a class or remain enrolled, their grade is an important factor in the decision making process. While different subjects lend themselves to different grading procedures, with each professor having their own method, the midterm reflection point is still critical for student success.

When asked about the importance of midterm grades, Zella Belcher (‘27) explained how a lack of communication in some classes can impact students.

“I think that it can be hard for students to know where they are in the class,” she said. “As someone who is constantly checking their grades, it honestly makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong in the class because there are no grades entered.” 

The midterm grading point is critical for students. If they are not doing well enough to pass by the end of the semester–especially in a course required for their degree–it is in their best interest to cut their losses early. 

“There’s a cutoff for dropping a course, so if you’re doing bad but don’t know, and then you keep the class, it’s going to affect not only your GPA but how you feel in the class as well,” Belcher said.

In order to avoid the negative reflection on their GPA, students must “withdraw” rather than just fail the course and retake it. Additionally, for students to maintain full time status, they must take 12-18 credit hours. This means that if a student withdraws from a course and it drops them below 12 hours, they must pick up a midterm course–which runs for the second half of the semester–in order to keep their financial aid and full time status.

Students need to know where they stand in order to make informed decisions about their education, and do what is right for their schedule.

With the change from Self Service to Highlander Hub, students cannot access their midterm grades, making communication from professors even more important at this time. Between departments, professors approach this in different ways. One example is Dr. Sam Overstreet, professor of English and division chair of languages and literature, who does not use the Tartan Gradebook.

Glitches in the Tartan system or misclicks that delete data are some of the reasons why Overstreet steers clear of this method.

“I keep my grades on my own computer,” he said, adding that he uses Microsoft Access. “I just programmed the database so that with every new assignment it calculates a new cumulative grade.”

Additionally, Overstreet gives students an update on their cumulative grade with almost every assignment handed back. Since he is easily able to find that number, he figures he might as well save students the trouble of having to do the calculation on their own.

“Sometimes the math gets tricky,” he added. “I try to pick the formula that will give students the fairest feedback on where they stand.”

This is echoed by Professor of Statistics and Chair of Division of Mathematics and Computer Science Dr. Jeff Bay. 

“Something that’s important at a college like Maryville is to get early and quick feedback,” he said. “The quicker the better, while it’s fresh on [students] minds.”

A common complaint from the campus grapevine is that some professors have very few grades entered before the midterm, or they don’t get assignments graded in a timely manner. 

“I think if a professor doesn’t put their grades in until the end, they should at least have check-ins where they are communicating with students who are struggling. [Some] classes are really bad with this,” Belcher said, explaining that one class she is in only has five big grades. “If someone did badly on that midterm and didn’t drop the class, they are stuck with a bad grade and possibly no way to bring it up.”

The complaints continue that some professors will apply a blanket grade to all students if they cannot get grades in before the deadline. This means that midterm grades do not accurately reflect a student’s standing.

Bay’s response to this rumor is one of disapproval. “In that case, if [professors] don’t have a grade, they don’t have a grade. It’s better to leave it blank and talk with the registrar about getting something to them late,” he said. 

There are five days between the deadline for midterm grades and the first day of midterm classes. That is enough time for a professor to get feedback to students that may inform their decision to withdraw or not.

The pacing of the semester is another factor to consider, along with the adjustment period that all students go through when adapting to a new classroom, professor or course material. Often, a student’s worst test grade is on the first test, and they can adapt their study habits to do better on subsequent exams.

Many courses set the number of points you can receive in a semester, but sometimes these points are unevenly distributed over the weeks, with more assignments in the last half of a semester.

With every class varying, and each teacher taking different approaches, the main solution is through communication, but it is not just one-sided, and the responsibility does not fall only on a professor.

If a student has a problem, the solution is still through communication. Talking to professors is a good first step, but if a student is not comfortable addressing it with them, they can go directly to the department chair for more support.