Midterm Grades
A mid-semester report is made available to all full-time post-secondary students, summarizing their academic status in each course.
-Fanshawe College Policy A112: Course Grade System, Section 3.7
About Midterm Grading
Midterm grades are an important element in student success. These grades provide students with a clear understanding of their achievement in the course so far.
By the Midterm Grading deadline, you should have evaluated at least 25% of the final grade per Fanshawe’s commitment to student success. This will ensure that every student will have a good idea of where they stand at the halfway mark of the term and will allow all of our students to “step it up” should their midterm grades reflect the need to do so. This requirement is outlined in Section 2.2.5 of policy A131: Evaluation of Student Learning as follows:
2.2.5. Professors must return the results of graded evaluations to students, representing no less than 25% of the final grade, prior to the date on which mid-term grades are recorded. If a course does not adhere to this policy statement it must be communicated to students in the Course Outline or have been approved by the Academic Manager and communicated to students well in advance.
What is the date for Midterm Grades?
Midterm Grades generally occur around Week 7. To find the date, you can check the Academic Calendar.
As an additional reminder, you will be emailed approximately 2 weeks in advance by the SIS Designate, with follow-up reminders at 1 week and 1 day. These emails will be sent to your fanshawec account.
Midterm Grading
Midterm Grades are completed manually on WebAdvisor.
Students are assigned one of two letter grades, “S” and “U.” These designations are based on a 60% threshold.
- Less than 60% is a “U” grade for Unsatisfactory
- More than 60% is an “S” grade for Satisfactory
Reporting a U grade will indicate the student is achieving less than a C grade at the time the mid-semester grade is assigned.
You will also be able to add select comments in WebAdvisor.
Completing your Midterm Grades
Your gradebook must be accurate before you calculate your midterm grades.
You can tell if there is a problem by a red “Note” at the top of the page, which indicates where the error is located (see below).
Help Documents for Midterm Grading
Three handouts and two instructional videos are provided to help you complete this task.
The handouts are:
- Midterm Gradebook(PDF)
- Midterm Calculation Column (PDF)
- How to Submit Midterm Grades(PDF)
Creating a Midterm Grade Column
This instructional video will show you how to check your gradebook and set up a Midterm Grade Column.
Please note: Even though FOL looks different, all the menus, options, & instructions look the same
Direct Video Link: Midterm Grade Column (6:32)
Putting your Midterm Grades onto WebAdvisor
How to take your Midterm Grades from FOL and enter them on WebAdvisor
Please note: Even though FOL looks different, all the menus, options, & instructions look the same
Direct Video Link: Putting your Midterm Grades onto WebAdvisor (4:38)
I Have Some Questions
If you have a question about:
- Grading deadlines and information: Contact your SIS Designate
- Gradebook set up or submitting grades: Contact your Educational Support Technologist
- Grading, assignments, or student concerns: Contact your Coordinator
Ideas from Instructors
- Set yourself up for success: College policy states that 30% of students’ final grades should be accounted for when midterm grades are submitted. When I create my course schedule, I always check to ensure that I will have enough of the final grades assigned (and graded) by this deadline.
- Scheduling: Be careful when planning your course to schedule the due date for any mid-term assessment (test or assignment) before the Friday that mid-terms are due.
- At least one week before the midterm deadline, ask students to review their grades on FOL and let you know if any incorrect or missing grades are in the gradebook. This encourages students to look at their grades so they are not surprised if/when they see a U.
- Calculate a midterm grade and explain what has been included in the grade description field. It’s helpful to explain what percent of the total grade it represents. For example, “Your midterm grade includes test 1, the case study, and two assignments, representing 36% of your final grade.”
- When entering grades, identify students who earned U’s first and enter them separately. This makes entering the S’s easier, which leads to fewer mistakes when working with two windows.
- Since the midterm grade is for informational purposes only, I tend to give borderline students a “U” (unsatisfactory) rather than an “S” (satisfactory). I would not want a student to be surprised at the end of the term that they did not successfully obtain their credit. In my experience, a “U” grade motivates some students to increase their attendance and engagement during the second half of the course.
- For students who get a U, send them emails briefly explaining why. They can be group emails based on standing. Students who earn a U based on missed work are allowed to make up, and I indicate this is administrative rather than an assessment of their abilities. Students with only minor shortfalls (say 50-60%) indicate they can still pass and do pretty well. For students with significant shortfalls (below 50%), be firm that you are concerned about their ability to pass. Encourage students from all of these groups to meet with you.
