What Are Midterm Grades? A Student’s Guide

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If you’ve never heard of or had midterm grades, they can sound a little daunting. Midterm grades are a thermometer for your academic performance in classes, or an indication of your academic progress midway through the semester. Midterm grades serve as a reality check so you can determine if the strategies and techniques you have used so far are working. Are you where you want to be at the midterm point? If not, you have time to improve your grade and understanding of the course material. If you are on target with where you want to be, or have exceeded the goals you set for yourself, recognize your accomplishment because your efforts are working, but make sure to keep up the momentum!

What midterm grades are not!

Midterm grades are not reported on your permanent record. Midterm grades are not indicative of the grade you will earn for the entire course if you use them as a progress report to help guide how you move forward in your learning or your approach to courses.

What next steps can I take, and what resources are available to help move me forward in my progress?

Step 1. Reflection – What strategies and habits are working for me? What are my areas of growth? What obstacles are getting in my way? We all get in our own way sometimes. In what ways am I getting in my own way?

Step 2. Strategies for Success – What strategies can I utilize? How can I find new strategies to try?

Check Your Syllabus – Already looked over it? Read it again! There is a lot of important information in your syllabi, and if you’re not looking for it, you could miss it! This could include your professor’s contact information, preferred method of contact, and office hours. There could also be information on how your work is graded and how your grades are weighted in order to help you strategize goals for each of your courses.
Reach Out to Your Professor – Use the information in your syllabus to contact your professor – utilize office hours, reach out through email, go before or stay after class to discuss realistic outcomes, and how you can move yourself forward in their class. Ask questions, and then ask follow-up questions. Remember: your professors want you to contact them when you have questions and expect you will do so if you need to!
Meet with a Student Success Coach – Student Success Coaches can assist you in brainstorming ways you can move forward in success, such as helping you develop action plans to improve study habits, note-taking skills, and time management strategies, engage in class, and stay motivated. If you do not have a Student Success Coach and want to meet with one, email successcoaches@utulsa.edu.

Step 3. Asking for help – What resources are in place to help move me forward in my goal?

Again, Reach Out to Your Professor
Academic Advisor – If you are considering withdrawing from a course, you should set up an appointment with your Academic Advisor. In this meeting, your Advisor can help you determine if this is the best option for your degree plan. An advisor can tell you if the course is required for your degree, if there will be an academic penalty, and ensure you stay enrolled in 12 or more hours to maintain your full-time status.
Counseling and Psychological Services – The unique circumstances of a Covid19 semester are stressful. https://utulsa.edu/counseling-services

Tutoring – Tutoring is designed to provide students with a space to cultivate knowledge of course material and to provide guidance through the learning process. It is a valuable resource to ensure you understand important concepts and move forward with the pace of the course. Please go to https://utulsa.edu/tutoring-services to see the variety of tutoring services available to assist you.
Writing Center – The Writing Center is open and available for consultations! The Writing Center is there to help you become a stronger, more confident writer. They do this by reviewing your current work and helping you identify weaknesses in your writing by making suggestions for ways to address them. For more info or to book a consultation: https://utulsa.myconline.com

All of these offices and resources are put in place to assist you as a student; you simply need to ask!

Don’t know how to view your midterm grades? Watch the video below to find out how!

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