Saving Grade Consultation Day: Low turnout could lead to obsolescence

Grade Consultation Day (GCD) is an opportunity for De La Salle University (DLSU) students to raise any concerns they have regarding the grades their professors have posted online during the scheduled release of grades. Even though a separate day is allocated for discussions on breakdown of grades, missed requirements, and other grade disputes, many students and even some professors choose not to attend it.

With the advent of technology, both students and faculty members have resorted to online communication instead of attending the scheduled GCD in hopes of extending their already short trimestral break by a day. Some professors choose to post and discuss the breakdown of grades in their respective class Facebook groups or in other education solution applications, while some students accept the outcome of their efforts outright, giving up on the idea that their grades could still be changed. These instances pose a threat on the decreasing relevance of the GCD to both students and professors.

Too many to mention

Students enumerate various reasons behind not attending the GCD. For many, they are already satisfied with their grades awarded by their professors, leaving them with no reason to go to school just to consult. “I don’t attend GCD because I believe that I deserved that the grade that I got,” Therese Lim (IV, OCM-MGT) points out. Riel Sucgang (III, CAM) shares the same rationale with Lim, adding that he never experienced getting a grade that required him to attend GCD.

For Jamie Chu Choc (IV, CAM-MGT), she does not believe that GCD affects her grades. “It’s only a way of checking if your grades are computed correctly and, 95 percent of the time, it is,” she elaborates. Choc also notes that professors usually give their grades before GCD, saying, “most [professors] also give out the breakdown of our grades before the actual online posting of grades, giving the students an opportunity to contest the results even before the release of grades.”

No incentive or additional credit could convince Shaunna Padlan (III, CAM) to attend the GCD. She shares her previous experience when her WIKAKUL professor required the class to attend the GCD, so the breakdown of grades could be discussed in detail. Although Padlan appreciates the intention of her professor, she opted to miss the scheduled consultation because of a previous commitment.

Unrequited and unappreciated

*Peter, a professor, believes that students do value GCD if they actually attend it. He furthers that the average number of students who attends his consultation is two, mentioning that a professor would be lucky if at least five students show up. In Peter’s experience, those who attend the GCD are usually students who are vouching for a higher grade.

“My criticism against most students who attend the GCD is that they have a different view of grade consultation; they think they can bargain for a higher grade when they attend the GCD. It should be clarified that GCD isn’t an avenue for students to ask for additional points or a higher grade, but to explain to students why they received such grade,” Peter says.

Philosophy Department Chairperson Jeane Peracullo shares her sentiments when her students do not attend GCD. “Students would barely attend my scheduled consultation. I’ve had terms where only two or three students would show up, and other terms where no one would show up at all.” Peracullo reminds that professors prepare for their consultations, too. They usually bring with them the requirements they will have to return to their students.

Peter shares several instances where he agrees with Peracullo when it comes to feeling bad about the low turnout of students during consultation. He expounds that he feels most frustrated when students would insist that he explain to them the breakdown of grades through email, right after the scheduled consultation. He has had experiences when his students would reason out that they are already on vacation, deterring them from attending the GCD.

“I don’t entertain those students who would send me emails explaining that they were unable to attend the GEC for whatever reason. I went to my grade consultation, I’m inside the assigned room…they were given an opportunity to inquire about their grades,” Peter stands firm.

He then rationalizes that the dismal turnout of students could also be a reflection of the teacher’s effectiveness. “If a student didn’t attend the consultation, it could mean that they agree with how you (professor) graded them. If a handful of students attend and at the same time raised a number of queries, it means the otherwise,” Peter illustrates.

(In)convenience

The use of the My.LaSalle (MLS) facility has greatly changed the way grades are posted and accessed. For Gallard Labares, a former lecturer from the Political Science Department, the online facility is convenient for both student and professor. “Only those who feel like they need a consultation will go to school for it,” he mentions, adding that the one day interval between the online release of grades and the grade consultation plays a crucial role in the turnout of students during GEC.

Some students express their discontent over the online facility because grade posting isn’t as regulated as they wish it to be. There have been reported cases where professors post grades a day late and worse, the professor didn’t even attend his or her scheduled consultation have reported having incomplete grades after the deadline of the submission of grades. When this happens, professors strip students of their right to contest the grades they received.

Grades weren’t always posted in the online fashion. Until 2009, Lasallians are required to attend the Course Card Distribution Day (CCD) wherein students would transfer from classroom to classroom to get their course cards with from their professors. Final grades were written on the course cards, and students could immediately contest their grades upon receipt of the card. Grades will only be uploaded in MLS once all disputes have been addresses.

Lasallians were more receptive of the distribution of course cards, since they were required to attend if they are too anxious to wait for their grades to be posted online. Previously, grades posted online were already deemed as final, incentivizing students to collect their course cards, so they could still consult with their professors.

Marj Geronimo, who experienced both CCD and GCD, shares that she prefers the current system of releasing grades online. “I used to dread CCD because of the amount of time that would be wasted while waiting in line for my course card to be distributed.” On top of that, Lasallians used to wait for hours just to collect their grades from the next professor. “The only factor I found useful during CCD was that students can directly talk [to] professors and convince them to change grades on the spot,” Geronimo adds.

Peracullo, who has been teaching at DLSU for ten years, recalls that her first four years teaching in the University had the CCD still implemented. “I remember distinctly that students would come to CCD in droves and all of them were really very anxious about their grades because there was very little way of knowing about their grades in advance.” She highlights that GCD setup is totally different from the distribution of course cards.

Most effective and efficient

For Geronimo, both systems have their own advantages and disadvantages. “It was easier to request for a change of grade during CCD, since the final grades would only be posted in MLS a day or two after the distribution of course cards. Some professors really do make grade adjustments during course card day,” she elaborates.

“One cannot dismiss the nostalgic feel of having a course card, it’s different after all if you hold your grades in your hands like a trophy… or a bitter reminder of a student’s lack luster performance, however they take it,” Labares quips.

On the other hand, Peter doesn’t see the need of reverting back to distributing course cards. “It’s paperless, there would really be no problem if the grading system of the professor is efficient,” he insists.

While the means of distributing grades have changed throughout the years, a student’s right to check and to consult their grades with their professors remains paramount. Whether students have to go around campus to get their course cards or wait for their grades to be uploaded online, students still have the responsibility to make sure that their professors could justify the grades they have churned out. In the same vein, professors have the responsibility to make their schedules available for student consultations during GEC to uphold transparency.

*Names were changed to protect the identity of the subject.