After hours of studying for finals, it can sometimes feel as though the wait to see your grades is more agonizing than the exam itself. But starting this semester, students who complete their instructor evaluations (SETE) will be able to see their grades early.
Students will be able to access their grades as soon as a professor posts them online, so long as they completed their SETE evaluation for that course.
Official grades will be posted May 8, allowing those who completed SETE evaluations to view their grades at least three to 10 days early.
"On Friday, as soon as exams begin, the system will be open, which means if an instructor gives an exam that day, grades it and posts it that day, the student will be able to see it that day," said Thomas Nenon, vice provost for assessment, institutional research and reporting. "Typically, most professors have their grades in to me within two or three days of the exam."
Nenon said he hopes student participation will increase as people begin to take the evaluations more seriously.
"We want these evaluations to be taken seriously," he said. "And if they don't have a high participation rate, it can be easy for a professor to say, 'Well, not a lot of people did it, so it doesn't count.' Student input is very important. As an instructor, it helps me know where I need to improve."
Ann Harbor, director of administrative academic affairs, said when The University went from having students fill out bubble sheets in class to having them do it online, there was a large decline in participation.
In the fall of 2004, more than 54 percent of SETE evaluations were completed in the classroom. In the fall of 2007, about 29 percent were completed online.
For about a year, Harbor said she and other administrators looked at other universities and decided earlier grade access was the best incentive.
"We looked at schools that allowed students to see their grades the very minute the professors had put them up as well as allowing students to register early," she said. "A year ago, we did not have the technology to support this. But now the IT team has written the code, and it is ready to go this semester."
Harbor explained that when a student fills out an evaluation, it is saved on the system. Then, when a professor posts the grades for a class, the software goes through the students who took the course and determines whether they completed the SETE evaluation for that class. If they did, the system allows the student to access their grade.
Kenneth Fleming, junior, said he normally does not fill out the course evaluations unless professors offer bonus points.
"It was easier when it was on paper," he said. "It was more simple. You were there in class, and there it was. Now that it is online, there are just so many detours and distractions."
However, Fleming said he would definitely fill out each SETE evaluation for his courses this semester since it meant he would be able to view his grades early.
Ralph Faudree, provost, said he wants the option of being able to view one's grades early to encourage students to participate in filling out their course SETE evaluation.
"We just want to offer students an incentive to encourage them to fill them out," he said.
Danielle Campbell, sophomore education major, said she only fills out the instructor evaluations if she enjoyed the class.
"I don't like doing them when I don't like the teacher," Campbell said. "I feel bad if I can't find anything nice to say, and I don't want them to get in trouble."
Campbell did say, though, that she felt allowing those who completed the SETE evaluations to see their grades early was a good idea.
"We need people to give feedback, so it's good I think," she said. "I think it will probably increase participation."
Fabiana Vazquez, freshman, said she feels the option offers an advantage to teachers as well as students.
"It's an advantage for teachers because they need the feedback and so in a way, this offers students a gift, a thank you for doing it," she said.
As of now, the deadline for students to complete SETE evaluations is Wednesday, but Nenon said he is hoping to have the deadline extended if it is possible.
"No matter what we end up doing, students who have filled out their evaluations by Wednesday will be able to see their grades early," he said.
