Anita ,
I agree. It is important that students have an opportunity to assess their learning experience, at the midpoint of the course.
Tremayne Simpson
This comment has made me realize that mid term evaluation time, when I can speak to the student privately about their mid term grade is an excellent time to ask for each student's input about how the class is going and what can be done to assist their learning process.
Jeffrey,
In a situtation where a student has not performed well (in relation to the rest of the group), how do you get them to find mastery with their deficiencies, in addition to keeping pace with their classmates?
Tremayne Simpson
Teresa,
I agree. Finding ways to implement activities, which enable the students to utilize their various forms of technology/media, will further engage them. A lecture using just a dry erase board and handouts, will no longer keep students engaged and focused on the presented content.
Tremayne Simpson
At the end of each term, students complete a course survey that is both quantitative and qualitative. These surveys are reviewed by the faculty and their lead as well as the department chair and if specific concerns about the curriculum are raised, and we in academics feel a change is warranted, we will begin the revision process. Reviewing the curriculum is done on a regular basis to ensure what we are delivering is relevant and current, but typically it is the faculty who provide the suggestions for delivery, not the student.
Penny,
This is an excellent idea. It gives the students a platform to discuss any information that they may have found to be confusing and it serves as an assessment tool for the instructor.
Tremayne Simpson
At the end of each class I put aside enough time to openly discuss that lecture.
The feedback is formal. Instructors have a survey they hand out to students at the end of every course
Cheryl,
Is the student feedback that is provided formal or informal?
Tremayne Simpson
Some of the courses I teach have several small tests leading to a final exam. In those classes after the first test, I can see by test results how well the students and I are doing. I ask the class in open forum if they are o.k. with the pace I have set for the course and I often have private conversations with the students who are not performing well as to things I or they could do to improve things. It often works, and I always try to focus on success.
I ask my team to give their students an opportunity to provide feedback at the end of every course. It has been extremely helpful for faculty and students. The questions are pretty open ended and I have not seen feedback on lesson plan revisions.
I will always ask my students their input. I ask them if there was any content not covered that they think should have been covered
Great evaluation tool! I like to look for new ways of having students self assess their own learning, and getting feedback from them about the classroom experience.
I ask my students questions as to the content they worked on at home and if they have any questions at the beginning of class. That way, if they are having a problem, I can circle back and make sure the information is there before I go on to the next day. Mindy Smith
Revision suggestions frequently keep me mindful of the different kinds of learners. If I know their learning styles, I can rotate project leadership to take advantage of their various strengths. Given students' environment today is so media rich and bite sized in terms of information amounts, with a little more prepping, I can come to class and get everyone working quickly on assignments that hook them - most days.
We also utilize the end of course student surveys, which can be a very helpful form of feedback at the end of a six week cycle. In addition to that however, we are encouraged to survey our students from time to time with more informal polls about the days lesson or production. A lot of instructors use a "what went well? what could have gone better?" format to encourage open discussion about obstacles and successes after a day of production, which in turn allows the instructor to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the lesson plan.
The lesson plans at my school are done by corparate and I can not change them but we do allow our student to give feed back via student surveys.
I let the students write down their suggestions in a survey that they receive at the end of the course
I also find discussions with the students to be more helpful when trying to restructure and caiter to their needs. The surveys are usually where they vent about something they didn't like or how someone didn't have time for them at the moment they felt they whated the attention. Talking is more effective.
Yes, I always ask for input. Was the lecture a flop? What could have made it better? What did you think of the group work or the video? Did you find meaning in what ever we are doing, is it relevant to you and your career?
