UVM needs a policy for timeliness in returning grades

We need to turn assignments in on time and attend class on time. The same rules don’t apply to professors when it comes to putting in grades.

In every other profession, making deadlines is important for the entire team. In a classroom setting, the students are part of that team and rely on quick grading to improve their work and to predict their grade.

University policies need to keep professors accountable for being time-conscious.

Without this accountability, students have little time to improve their work before other assignments are due.

Many college students come across professors who don’t put in any grades throughout the semester. These are the same professors who constantly talk about how we as students need to get our work done on time.

I’ve had professors who didn’t report our final grades on time, leaving the whole class wondering what our grade ended up being for days after the end of the semester.

The same reporting extends to grading projects, homework and exams. After finishing an assignment, it can take weeks for the grades to come out.

Granted, some classes are big and not everyone could have taken the test on the same day. There is a point, however, where professors drop the ball on getting grades out in a timely manner.

UVM policy stated grades must be entered into the system no later than 72 hours after the final exam, according to the 2021-22 Undergraduate Catalogue. From what I could find, there is no policy surrounding posting grades throughout the semester.

This lack of responsibility leaves hardworking students stressed out about what their final grade may be throughout the semester.

Without knowing grades until late in the semester or until well after turning in an assignment, students cannot know whether or not they need to do extra-credit or communicate with professors about ways to improve.

A grading policy that gives students the same leeway as professors would level the playing field and reduce student stress.

For many students on academic scholarships, not knowing their grades until well after the assignment was turned in leads to even more stress. Academic scholarships force students to worry about keeping the grades in their classes up.

Students with scholarships must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0, according to UVM’s scholarship policies.

Not knowing the grade until later in the semester adds to the stress of possibly losing their scholarship.

Timely submissions should go both ways. If the students are expected to be on time, the professors should be as well.