6. GIVE STUDENTS A SUMMARY OF FEEDBACK + 1 OR 2 AREAS OF PROPOSED CHANGE

This is critical for successfully collecting and using student feedback. The summary can be presented verbally or on an overhead or handout in class, and should not take any longer than 5 to 10 minutes of class time. Any longer than this, and it can become tiresome for everyone.

In deciding what to select as the one or two areas for change, select those based on suggestions that are reasonable to implement, and those identified by the majority of students.

You may want to present an overhead of all the comments and then identify what you are going to change. This allows you to explain your rationale for not implementing other suggestions (e.g. not in your control, not agreed to by the majority of students.)

1. BE SPECIFIC AND BRIEF

Decide on 1 or 2 areas that you want to learn more about when deciding on the tools and format you want to use for collecting student feedback.

The quicker and easier the tool is for the students to use—the better (three or four questions are the maximum). Any more, and it can just become a chore for everyone to use, and ultimately not very helpful.

2. COLLECT FEEDBACK ON AREAS RELEVANT TO YOUR TEACHING

Focus on getting feedback about your teaching in terms of the relevance and quality of how the lesson was planned and conducted­—not about you as a person.

Collect feedback only on those areas that you have control over—class structure, assignments, readings NOT classroom facilities or scheduling.

Focus on feedback related to instruction that can be examined, analyzed and utilized without threatening your self-esteem or evoking defensive responses. If you are a new teacher and want to start with only asking for feedback on what you are doing well, this is a great place to start. The feedback will provide you with some confidence for when you are ready to ask for suggestions and/or what things you should change.

3. COLLECT FORMAL AND INFORMAL FEEDBACK

Keep your eyes and ears open. Take the opportunity to collect informal verbal and observational feedback as well as formal written feedback as part of your strategy.

4. VARY HOW YOU ASK FOR FEEDBACK

If you want to collect student feedback on a regular basis, change your format or tool so that students don’t get bored with the format which may lead to less helpful feedback.

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5. PICK YOUR TIME — THREE APPROACHES THAT WORK

i| Ask for feedback after every class for the first few weeks while you sort out the issues. After the major issues have been identified and addressed ask for feedback every couple of weeks.

ii| Collect feedback at the beginning of the course while students are still deciding whether to stay or drop the course. This can provide valuable information about whether the course description was misleading, or if there is something about the design of the course or teaching that put students off (e.g., how the assignments and exams were presented may have scared off some students). You can learn a great deal from these early leavers even if you may not always like what they say.

iii| Ask for student feedback again near the end of the semester to “check in” and get feedback on how effective the changes were in improving your teaching.