Imagine throwing yourself into a brand new job, and no one tells you whether or not you’re doing a good job.
That’s kind of how college works.
In order to make things easier for students striving to get good grades, grading websites and management systems like Canvas were invented. It’s easy to log in and check your grades, but not all professors or instructors use it.
I didn’t really have a problem with my professors not using Canvas my freshman year of college because they all used it. But when I entered my sophomore year, I started to understand the pain of what other students face when they don’t know where they stand in the class.
I even struggled with a professor last semester who used all of Canvas’ easy-to-function features, except for the grading portion of it. He made us calculate our own grades — not cool, man.
Some professors may argue their classrooms are meant to be a learning environment, and students shouldn’t focus on their grades so much. While that may be a good aspect to keep in mind, in today’s society, especially in learning institutions, it does revolve around grades and grading systems. The reason students are focused on getting good grades is because of pressure. Parents, friends and society as a whole puts this pressure on college students to get good grades in order to succeed.
Professors don’t submit reports to the university saying, “This student did well by focusing in class,” with no letter grade next to it. Students’ grades are based on how well they did on quizzes, tests, assignments and possibly participation. All these things mentioned come with a letter grade at the end of the semester.
When professors or instructors don’t give students an idea on how well they’re doing in class throughout the semester on Canvas, it causes stress, and students are forced to guess how they’re doing or calculate their own grades. This may seem like a lazy approach, but students have busy lives: school, work and other responsibilities.
Students’ experiences are different than the professors’, especially for students who are on scholarships. Most scholarships require a high GPA, and when students are unaware of their progress in a class, they might be unsure about the status of their scholarship.
Also, it’s almost nearly impossible to track your own grade when you don’t know all the points and assignments involved in the grading process. Every professor is different with his or her grading scales.
It should be required for professors to use Canvas because, whether professors like using it or not, they’re the ones in charge helping students learn, so why not make it a little bit easier on us?
Technology is prevalent is today’s world, especially in college. It’s time for professors to join their colleagues on Canvas and make students’ lives a little easier.
