Teaching Tips

• Soliciting feedback. It is important to remember when soliciting views to make it quick and easy for the students to respond. Often the easiest way to request feedback (especially if you would like to have students do so anonymously) is to create a Google Form and send it out in a Canvas Announcement, email, and/or share in class. You can even consider asking students to complete the form before leaving class to increase your chance of a high response rate. Some common models to consider for mid-semester feedback include the four question model, start-stop-continue model (also known as stop, keep, start), or - if you’re feeling adventurous - you can use this bank of questions to develop your own survey. 
• Responding to feedback. The most important part of showing students that their feedback matters is picking some actionable feedback to address as quickly as is reasonable. If students are saying that they need more structure in their small group conversations, then consider making changes to how you set up those conversations – perhaps with one clear goal/product per breakout session – and then be clear that this change is addressing student feedback when you introduce the change. Not all changes are conducive to quick changes, but showing your students that you are being critically reflective about their feedback lets them know that their voices are heard and their suggestions are being considered as you work to support their learning.
• Staying balanced. Soliciting feedback is often viewed as an exercise to collect negative reactions to a course, but it is also a time for students to tell you what is working for them and what they would like to see emphasized going forward. It is important to ask questions that allow for this type of positive feedback as well such as including at least one question about what students think they’ve done well and what they could improve upon in their own approach to the course for the remainder of the semester. This practice opens up a more balanced conversation about improving student learning going forward.

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