As advocates and allies for student success, we’ve all likely had the experience of being eager to know how a student is doing academically in their courses, especially around midterms, when they’re exploring options for the next semester and deciding whether their current course of study is a good fit. We’re also likely to receive responses ranging from “I don’t know. How do I find out my estimated grade in the course?” to “It’s not going well. I’m not sure what step to take next.” Either way, we want our students to know that support is available in real time throughout the semester, and that policies and best practices are in place to offer transformative academic support.
As one of the newest members of the FirstGen Forward Network, Appalachian State University sought to expand our current services and resources to be intentional in our support for this new initiative, one that went beyond programming. The idea was simple: we added a group of 295 students who identified as first-year and first-generation to receive midterm grade reports and simultaneously receive support from Katharine Johnson, director of college success seminar.
We see it as essential that any student who receives midterm grade reports get connected with a campus contact who can provide advising support, assist in developing success plans, and remind them of their potential to be successful. Midterm grade reports are a student success initiative, so the inclusion of additional students was feasible to implement, but ensuring staff support was crucial. Once students received information regarding their performance in their courses, Johnson could help them process the information, offer encouragement, and provide actionable advice. Understanding academic information without context or prior experience can be difficult for any student, so we were intentional in ensuring that we avoided inflicting harm unintentionally.
“It was an honor to support our students through this process. Reviewing midterm grade reports helped me identify students who were thriving, adjusting, or struggling. For those facing challenges, our conversations focused on motivation and purpose. Even students I didn’t meet with followed up to share their progress. It was a rewarding reminder that they felt genuinely supported by the App State community.” said Johnson, director of college success seminar.
The reporting cycle ran from Sept. 29 to Oct. 22, the university’s course and term withdrawal deadline. The timing provided a critical window for students to decide whether a course withdrawal was appropriate versus risking a grade of F or an end-of-term GPA of 0.0, which could lead to academic suspension under university policy.
Of the 295 eligible students, 1,262 courses met our threshold, approximately four courses per student. We completed the cycle with a 92% completion rate, totaling 1,157 midterm grade reports. Through this process, we were able to observe trends related to estimated grades, participation, and suggestions for improvement. Students received a redacted version of their midterm grade report automatically upon submission, and Johnson sent an email based on the content of each report to offer encouragement and support.
One first-year, first-generation student responded with gratitude for the contact with Johnson: “Thank you for reaching out with your concern for me and my academics. It means a lot knowing I have that kind of support from the school and yourself. I’m open to meeting this week for more tips on time management, study strategies, and coping skills.” This intervention strategy allowed us to provide students with timely answers to any questions about their academic performance. While graduation is a goal for nearly every student, it’s the steps along the way that make that goal more real and accessible by boosting confidence, competency, and accountability.
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For more information on the Appalachian State University's approach, please visit their website here.
