A WyoVocal petition to require all professors to post grades on WyoCourses is gaining support on WyoVocal and is now being researched by an ASUW committee.
The issue reached the minimum threshold of 200 votes on Dec. 17, 2014 to have ASUW delve further into the issue. The task of reviewing and determining if the issue has any plausible solutions is charged to the ASUW Academics, Technology and Sustainability Committee.
Currently UW regulations allow professors to use the grading software of their choice to inform students of their grades, whether it is WyoCourses or otherwise, leading some students to believe there is a lack of transparency in grading.
Madisyn Kirby, a freshman elementary education major, said she believes having one system to keep track of grades on will benefit teachers just as much as students.
“We wouldn’t have to keep asking them about grades and wasting their time, and we would be able to see exactly where we are with the class, keeping us informed and on track,” Kirby said.
Kori Snow, a sophomore elementary education major, said there is a lack of consistency with grading software use.
“I have had some professors update every single grade through WyoCourses, but I have also had professors who did not use WyoCourses at all,” Snow said. “Without it, it’s hard to know whether you have a 98 percent or a 70 percent, and as far as my future goes there’s a huge difference.”
Once an issue is reviewed by an ASUW committee and deemed to have possible solutions, the issue is then presented to UW Academic Affairs, and the issue is moved along from there, if possible, said Joshua Materi, chair of the committee handling the petition.
Materi said although ASUW is reviewing it, solving the problem and making opinions heard is up to students.
“Making WyoCourses mandatory is something ASUW has no direct say on,” Materi said. “Disgruntled students should express their opinion via teacher evaluations or through direct contact to department heads.”
Christine Boggs, lecturer for UW’s Outreach Program, said WyoCourses is a great tool, but acknowledges difficulty in implementing universal use by professors.
“Not all courses nor teaching strategies include an online component,” Boggs said. “There are some faculty who have complex grading systems that may not be easily migrated to WyoCourses.”
Keith Trujillo logs into his wyocourses account. Students are expressing their desire for all professors to use wyocourses to post grades through Wyovocal.
