Got Grades? Probably Not.

As the deadline for midterm deficiency grades finally arrives, some DSU students are getting a grade for the first time all semester. “I have already submitted 2 papers and 3 projects for this class,” shared one anxious student, “but I didn’t get any grades back until this week.” Though the student got all As and Bs on the assignments, the feedback the instructor left was meaningless to her since she doesn’t remember what she did with those assignments from as far back as Week 1.

Another student wasn’t quite so lucky. “I thought I was doing fine in that class,” he commented, “but when my instructor finally put my grades in this week, I saw that I was failing.” He added that he will need to withdraw from the class to maintain his GPA for a scholarship.

Some students began wondering what they could do to get faster feedback. One group of sophomore students discussed a rally. “We could get a bunch of students together, make signs and chants, and march to every faculty office,” exclaimed one particularly passionate student, who is rumored to be failing 3 out of 5 classes.

“We do the best we can to get grades back in a timely manner, and if there is an issue with a student’s performance, we reach out to them individually throughout the semester,” defended one instructor. “In reality, if students are doing their best and utilizing all the available resources, including communicating with us, they needn’t be too worried about the percentages and letters in the grade book.”

Unfortunately, many students do not put that kind of effort into their work, so they are shocked and appalled when grades are finally updated. One student, however, remained optimistic. “I like to think about Midterm Deficiency Grades Due Day as a holiday,” he remarked. “The grades are a fun surprise, kind of like the BeanBoozled jelly bean challenge…you never know what you’re going to get. It might be super sweet or it might leave a sour taste in your mouth.”