This semester, first-year students will receive a midterm progress report of letter grades through Workday. According to staff involved in the creation of the policy, the primary reasoning behind it is to help improve first-year retention and student’s mental health. 

“It’s more helpful, particularly to first-year students who are new to the college academic sphere, to get direct feedback on their academic progress well before the end of the semester,” Rae-Anne Butera, Interim Vice President for Student Engagement and Dean of Students, explained.

The portal on Workday for professors to post their grades opened on September 29 and closed on October 13. After the grading portal closed, Kelly Hager, Associate Provost for Curriculum, Assessment, and Accreditation, emailed all undergraduate students detailing how to access their midterm grades.

According to Butera, faculty are encouraged to post grades for students in all years. Faculty are only required to post the midterm grades for first-years.

“Early, actionable feedback is going to assist not just with students’ emotional state but with learning,” explained Sarah Cavanagh, Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning. “Whenever you feel more self-efficacy… you feel like you are in control of your life, that assists with mental health… I think that feeling kind of powerless often can contribute to feeling down.”

Charlotte Russell, Professor of Biology and President of Faculty Senate said this policy is a way to provide additional support for students because “it’s also a really good way for professors to see how the class is doing as a whole and therefore assess what extra supports need to be had.”

First-year nursing major Gabriella Mina is in favor of the policy and said it will “probably be helpful to make sure you’re on track.”

Sam Schwartz, a first-year who has not declared their major, believes this policy will increase students’ stress. Students are already “struggling to find time to memorize” all their class content, and this policy could escalate their anxiety surrounding grades, explained Schwartz.

In response to some students’ worries, Butera said, “I could understand why on the front end before it happens, that may be a concern for some. But what I’m hoping is that when the information comes out, and conversations happen with individual students, that folks will see this as a really important and good tool to support their success.”