Freshman education major Madi Brown checking her five-week grades. Photo by Kirsten Schlumbohm.
Do you check your grades? How much do you think about your grades? Do you care about your grades?
Students may not know there are five-week grades. According to Iris Neufeld, registrar, Bluffton collects these grades for two reasons:
- to give the student a clear sense of how they are doing
- to show the faculty how their students are doing.
It gives a sense of how they can help their students if they are having trouble in class, Neufeld said.
In the fall semester the faculty are asked to enter grades of A through E for first-year students and D and E grades for all students. In the Spring semester faculty are just asked to enter Ds and Es for all students.
In the fall generally 90% of first year student grades are entered at the five week mark, Neufeld said.
Neufeld said this can help students to see their grade and “can help ease some stress.” She also said this can be a good wake-up call for those students. You could think you’re doing fine, and other students are surprised.
Jacqui Slinger, director of Academic Development Services said it is good for students’ advisors to see their five-week grades and be able to give those students support. Slinger contacts all students who have a D or an E to offer tutoring or study groups. So far, 72 students have used the services this semester; 127 used them in the fall.
There are services for students at every level, whether you are failing or doing just fine. It could be a good way for students to study in a new environment instead of on their own, Slinger said.
Neufeld said Bluffton used to collect more of a traditional “midterm” grade but moved the date up earlier. This gives students the opportunity to be able to turn things around. The timing is all put together rather than being a later notice for students to know they are failing.
This also gives students better understanding if they are wanting to withdraw from a course, Neufeld said. This semester the deadline is 5 p.m. March 1. This can help students who are struggling or doing poorly to allow them to withdraw for only one course without it affecting their GPA, assuming they still have at least 12 credit hours.
Five-week grades are not included on transcripts, which means they aren’t part of a student’s “permanent record.”
Students can check their five-week grades by logging in to their My. Bluffton accounts, selecting the “Student” tab, then”Academic Information”on the left. Under “My Grade Report” in the right-hand column, choose the desired term, then click “View Midterm Grade Report.” Click “Printer Friendly Grade Report” at bottom to print.
