Analysis of Poor Course Performance
Complete a form for each course in which you received a D, F, U, or N during the prior semester, or for which you considered your final grade unsatisfactory.
Course ______________________________ Grade __________
Please answer the following questions:1. My academic skills
(reading, writing, logical, quantitative, etc.) were:
_____ more than adequate to succeed in this course
_____ reasonably adequate
_____ barely adequate
_____ somewhat inadequate
_____ quite inadequate
2. My academic content
background (knowledge of prerequisite material and skills) was:
_____ more than adequate to succeed in this course
_____ reasonably adequate
_____ barely adequate
_____ somewhat inadequate
_____ quite inadequate
3. My study skills
were:
_____ more than adequate to succeed in this course
_____ reasonably adequate
_____ barely adequate
_____ somewhat inadequate
_____ quite inadequate
4. Attendance
- During the semester I missed:
_____ no classes
_____ fewer than 3 classes
_____ more than 3 classes
_____ about ½ of the classes
_____ most of the classes
5. Course
readings - During the semester I completed:
_____ all course readings in a timely manner
_____ most course readings in a timely manner
_____ about ½ of the course readings in a timely manner
_____ less than ½ of the readings in a timely manner
_____ no course readings in a timely manner
6. Other
assignments (homework, problem sets, papers, presentations, etc.)
-
During the semester I completed:
_____ all other assignments in a timely manner
_____ all but one or two assignments in a timely manner
_____ most assignments in a timely manner
_____ about ½ of the assignments in a timely manner
_____ less than ½ of the assignments in a timely manner
7. My class notes
were:
_____ very complete and more than adequate to succeed in this class
_____ reasonably complete and adequate
_____ marginally complete and adequate
_____ somewhat inadequate
_____ completely inadequate
Note: As a rule of
thumb, full-time students should treat academics as a full-time job and
devote at least 40 hours per week to study and attendance. That means
a student enrolled in five three-credit courses should devote an average
of about eight hours per week on each course: that typically amounts to
about three hours per week in class and another five hours per week per
class out of class.
8. My outside-of-class
preparation and study time (reading, working on assignments,
studying, etc.) for this course averaged:
_____ more than five hours per week
_____ about five hours per week
_____ 3-5 hours per week
_____ 1-3 hours per week
_____ less than one hour per week
9. While attending
class, I paid attention and participated:
_____ always
_____ almost always
_____ usually
_____ about ½ of the time
_____ less than ½ of the time
10. As exams approached, I:
_____ always knew exactly what I must do to prepare
_____ understood almost all of what I must do to prepare
_____ understood some of what I must do to prepare
_____ was unsure of how to prepare
_____ had no clue about how to prepare
11. Personal
motivation - During the semester I was:
_____ always interested in and motivated to learn the material in this
class
_____ usually interested in and motivated to learn the material in this
class
_____ often interested in and motivated to learn the material in this
class
_____ seldom interested in and motivated to learn the material in this
class
_____ never interested in and motivated to learn the material in this
class
12. What out-of-class contact did you have with the instructor? Did you make use of his/her office hours to ask for help? Was it helpful?
13. Working with other students is often a useful way to learn material and uncover difficulties. Did you seek any peer assistance such as tutoring or study group? Was it useful?
Go back over your responses and think about them. Any item for which you failed to choose one of the first two responses is a potential problem spot. Items for which you chose one of the last two responses are almost certainly problem areas. As a summary, try to list in order the three most significant reasons for your lack of success in this course.
1.
2.
3.
Finished? Problems typically fall into three broad
categories:
- Lack of skills or background
- Lack of time and effort
- Lack of study and testing skills?
The next step is to go through the Checklist
of Obstacles. Let these responses guide your answers.
[Student
Guide to Success][Obstacles to Success]
[Analysis of Poor Course Performance][Checklist
of Obstacles]
[Strategies for Success][Resources
for Success][Commitment to Success]
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