Why is mid-semester feedback important?
Mid semester feedback can serve as valuable sources of feedback for faculty and self-reflection for students. Surveys at the mid point of the semester can help you plan effective classes, and:
- Make course correction before big assignments
- Understand where your students are learning-wise and to maybe identify some areas where they are still struggling to grasp the material
- Rethink how you want to move forward and provide additional support to your students
- Identify areas where you may need to slow down or speed up
- Find out what kinds of activities your students get the most/least out of
- Find out how students are studying/preparing for assignments
- Find out about students’ sense of belonging/comfort asking questions in the class
What feedback do you want from your class?
General Feedback
Is it on the structure of the course? Your Performance as an instructor? Student Motivation? CITL notes: To get general feedback, your MSE could be as brief as 3 questions (What aspects of this course help you learn? What changes could the instructor make that would help you learn better? What could you do to improve your own learning?). Or you could write your own questions targeting specific teaching strategies or issues you want feedback on. Another option is CITL’s online mid-semester evaluation system, which includes both Likert-scale and open-ended questions. To learn more about CITL’s MSE, click on the video found on this page.
How to get more specific feedback
- Describe the kind of feedback you find most useful. In most cases, specific feedback with examples is more useful than general statements. See the handout “Providing Helpful Feedback to Your Instructions” from the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan for examples of specific, constructive feedback.
Tools for collecting feedback
Online polling tools (e.g.,IU Tools include Slack Polls, Zoom Polls, Top Hat)
- Real-time visualization of student responses
- Usually quick & easy to set up
- Cons: Each type has its own limitations (see Linked UITS pages)
Formal surveys (e.g., IU Tools include Canvas Surveys, Google Forms* Qualtrics Surveys, )
- Relatively simple to set up (See sample Google Form)
- Many question types
- No limit to number of participants (in most cases)
- Con: lower response rate if taken outside of class
After you receive the feedback, talk to your students about their feedback
- Consider feedback as a whole and do not get too upset by outliers. Even the very best teachers will get critical (and sometimes hurtful) feedback from a few students now and then.
- You do not have to respond to feedback in the moment. If you feel put on the spot, tell students you have heard their concerns and you need time to reflect and consider how to best incorporate their feedback.
- Keep in mind that it may take a lot of courage for a student to come to you with feedback. Even if you disagree, thank them for sharing and try to respond with this context in mind.
- Always follow-‐up when feedback is provided and offer some kind of response, including a thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. Students appreciate when their feedback is recognized. If students feel their feedback was ignored this could have a negative impact
- From (Tufts university): Instead of raw survey results or data, even in aggregate, share HOW you will respond to what you learned from the data. For example, rather than sharing a data point which indicates that only 60% of students agreed that the instructions for completing assignments are clear, share a plan for how you will clarify assignments and expectations.
- If you plan to make a change right away: “I heard from a majority of you that the instructions for the week three lab were not clear, so I will add some more detail to the lab assignments that are upcoming.”
- If you plan to make a change but aren’t yet sure how: “I’m still thinking about X and will follow up soon.”
- If you received feedback about something that can’t be changed: “It sounds like many of you want X, and unfortunately that’s not possible. Here’s why.”
Sample Feedback Forms
- Example Feedback Questions (Bates College)
- Teaching Resources: Sample Midterm Evaluations (UC Berkeley)
- Mid-Course Evaluations (University of Colorado Colorado Springs)
- Mid-Term Course Evaluations (University of Ottawa)
This list is not comprehensive. Please share any strategies that you use below, or contact me directly (luddytl) if you would like additional support developing a survey or diagnostic specific to your class. We are all in this together! I look forward to your feedback.
* Use your IU Google Apps account to create a survey in order avoid receiving student data at your personal G-Suite account.
References/Resources
- George Washington University Instructional Core Office https://instruction.gwu.edu/getting-feedback-students
- McGowan, W., & Osguthorpe, R. (2011). Student and faculty perceptions of effects of midcourse evaluation. In Miller, J. & Groccia, J. (Eds), To Improve the Academy: Resources for Faculty, Instructional, and Organizational Development, 29, 160-172.
- UCLA Center for the Advancement of Teaching https://www.teaching.ucla.edu/
- University of Pittsburgh University Center for Teaching and Learning https://teaching.pitt.edu/omet/midterm/question-library-items/
- Nilson, L. B., & Goodson, L. A. (2017). Online teaching at its best: Merging instructional design with teaching and learning research. John Wiley & Sons. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/iub-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5144407
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