There is absolutely nothing more annoying than not knowing your grades unless it is midterms or finals, and yet that is the case more often than not. In high school, I used to check my grades daily and I knew exactly where I stood at all times. In college, I can only guess what my grades are and hope they are where I want them in the end. And yet, sometimes there is still a shocker you were not expecting.
When I ask teachers to tell me my grade, I usually get responses like “I don’t know the grades right now,” “I haven’t calculated what everything is right now,” or “it will come out at midterms.” It’s crazy! It’s unnecessary! I pay a lot of money to go to school and I don’t even have access to my grades except for two times a semester.
According to every teacher’s syllabus, tests amount for x amount of percentage, papers this amount, and everything else this amount. Yet, they still don’t know the grade? Not even in the slightest. How? Every teacher knows how much each item is weighted in the grade, but they cannot tell you. Academic software offers grading utilities that teachers are not utilizing that allows them to weigh things differently and allows students to see their grades at all times.
There comes a point in every semester where students have the option to change a class to a pass or a fail, yet how can a student accurately judge whether or not they should do that without being able to see where they stand? Gut reaction is usually a good starting point, but seeing the grade itself will ultimately be the best judge.
It frustrates me to no end not to know my grades. From going to a daily check to now not checking it at all is a hard change. I cannot be the only one that’s frustrated by it, and I certainly cannot be the only one who does not understand how teachers can deny you access to your grades. How can teachers tell you ‘no’ when you ask for your grade? It is my right to know and my money paid for that grade; I would rather not fail the class.
It just seems wrong to me. I need to know my grades continuously throughout the semester in order to know where to focus my time and energy. If I am doing badly in the test section of a class, I would know to focus more time on studying for that rather than a class I have an A in. It also helps to choose between two classes, when you do not have the time to get everything done. It’s agonizing not to know, and it’s frustrating to be denied.
Grades should always be updated and accessible to students. It should be a requirement. A student without a grade is a teacher and I am certainly not a teacher. I need to know how to improve myself and without seeing where I lack, I can’t fix anything at all.
Are you saying there are Profs who don’t return your work / exams? That seems unusual.