Classes can be hard for any number of reasons, whether it is because of a professor's tranquilizing lecture style, difficult subject matter or because it starts at eight in the morning and is a three hour lab. No matter the cause, it is always of paramount importance to at least know one's standing in a class in order to rectify the problem. Though if your professor's nickname is "ether breath" and he or she won't allow you to bring a case of Red Bulls to class, you may be out of luck. The ability for students to know their grades after a few weeks of classes is, therefore, necessary in order to fix problems before an "F" appears on a transcript.
The idea to allow students to see their grades four to seven weeks into a semester as suggested by Faculty Senate and championed by the office of the Main Campus' Provost, Rosemary Haggett, is really quite a good one then. If nothing else, it is a great example of faculty members and administrators working together for the welfare of students - a phenomenon that shouldn't be as rare as it is.
Some professors may have seen the provost's announcement and flipped out, regarding it as another oppressive dictate from her office or as a piece of unconsidered claptrap, but the measure is voluntary and was thoroughly considered by faculty members.
The proposed solution of informing struggling students about their falling status and having them meet with a college adviser, though, might need some further thought. The notifications will presumably be sent to students through e-mail, but this might prove to be a worthless measure if those students who are skipping class and failing are the same students who don't check their UT e-mail address.
If a more dependable form of communication can be found, the new strategy will hopefully be able to detect those students in need of help and to allow advisers to assist them in their academic pursuits.
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