Colleges and universities often have a form of mid-semester grades so that students know how they are doing in their classes in time to course-correct as needed. These institutional measures are important, but can be difficult to tailor to each classroom environment and forge the professor-student connection that motivates students to persist (Wilson & Ryan, 2013), especially in “highly challenging” courses (Micari & Pazos, 2012). 

In our Mid-Semester Course and Instructor Feedback Quick Note, we offer three key components to getting helpful student feedback, plus these strategies for gathering this feedback. Any way students can share their experiences and reflect on their performance is beneficial to students.

How to Get Student Feedback

Make it as brief and low-tech as two sides of a notecard

Index cards are one of my favorite active learning technologies. Revise the questions or prompts as best fits your course, but this teaching tip suggests students use one side to share what you do that helps them succeed in the course, and use the other side to provide suggestions on what the instructor could do. Read the full tip Notecard Mid-semester Feedback.

Ask students to reflect on their coursework in concrete terms

Do students know the grades they’ve received so far? Do they know if they’re on track? What goals are they reaching for? This brief progress report journal encourages students to self-assess and provides an opportunity to clarify, support, or simply acknowledge students’ experiences.

Use end-of-class assessments

Rather than waiting for one or two points in the semester, use simple methods for collecting feedback from students. In our Snapshot: End of Class Assessment Teaching Tip, students leave sticky notes in folders that share comments about what they learned, what questions they have, and what disrupted learning. For a quicker digital version for large classes, put the same questions in a Google Form and share the link as a QR code on the projection screen. Other even simpler strategies include one-minute papers and muddiest points.

Mid-semester as Meaningful Checkpoint

Collecting and talking with students about their feedback can help increase student feedback responses at the end of the semester, and redirect some of the negative and questionable comments they might have otherwise included in those end-of-semester feedback surveys (i.e., course evaluations). Making midterm grades meaningful by utilizing assignments discussed in this tip, as well as being transparent about the grading criteria, is essential for receiving substantial student feedback.

References

Micari, M., & Pazos, P. (2012). Connecting to the professor: Impact of the student—faculty relationship in a highly challenging course. College Teaching, 60(2), 41-47.

Wilson, J. H., & Ryan, R. G. (2013). Professor–student rapport scale: Six items predict student outcomes. Teaching of Psychology, 40(2), 130–133. 

Written and designed by Christina Moore, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Oakland University. Others may share and adapt under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC.

Receive Weekly Tips view all teaching tips Submit a Teaching Tip