Value
Many faculty members at Berea ask for anonymous student feedback about learning at midterm for several reasons:
- End-of-course teaching evaluations are mandatory, high-stakes and administered at the institutional level. Midterm feedback options are:
- Instructor-driven and tailored to a specific context,
- Confidential and outside of the formal faculty evaluation process
- Helpful to determine what, when and how students are learning what you deem most important
- Valuable for making adjustments midstream if necessary,
- Useful for communicating your goals for students’ learning or clarifying pedagogical choices.
- They can also support student learning and encourage motivation, serving as a means
- To engender student reflection on learning and on their own strategies and levels of effort
- To signal to students that they play a critical role in the educational process
- To communicate that their perspectives matter. Just asking and being responsive has that potential, even when you don’t make all adjustments requested.
Format
Many formats are available to you:
- You might distribute a simple paper survey in class
- You might develop an electronic survey (through Moodle or SurveyMonkey or another software).
- You may choose to arrange for a peer to interview students in your class.
- You might request a structured, confidential Midterm Assessment of Teaching process through the CTL. For more details, dial ext. 3067.
Follow Up
Regardless of what format you choose, it’s important to follow up after the feedback collection. In a conversation in the next class period, be sure to discuss:
- Key themes you have heard
- Any changes you would make as a result
- Clarifications about misunderstandings (of content or approach) or your rationale for particular instructional choices.
