Using the 3x5 index cards to evaluate where your students are at their midterm is something I plan to start using to see where they are in their overall learning process. I feel like this will make me to feel like I know if they are gaining all of the proper information for the building blocks of the program.
Student feedback can help an instructor to know what is working well in their class, and perhaps what isn't working as well. It can also provide an instructor with information on what students still need to work on. For example, after students write essays for a class at one of the universities I teach at, I have them take a few minutes to write an informal assessment about the process--what was challenging, what they liked/didn't like, etc. This can help me to figure out if we need to spend more time working on thesis statements (for example), or if we need to spend more time discussing the novel they were assigned, etc.
I like getting student feedback (most of the time). After all, if everyone besides myself thinks an essay I've assigned is completely boring, I'd rather pick one students might find more interesting for the next time I teach the class. Anyway I can get students more involved and engaged in their own learning process seems to be a good thing to me.
Always willing to admit both positive and negative feedback from students so you can improve on the weaknesses and build on the strengths.
ask students to come up with some creative ideas for class improvements and why they think it would make a positive change and improve the learning enviroment
Any type of feedback will help the instructor grow, if they are willing to grow.
Student feedback enables you to see where you reach your students or possibly where you lose them in the class. The feedback can remind you that teaching is about your students, not about yourself as a person. It can also help us after we have been teaching for a longer amount of time to get back our enthusiasm for the work we do.
Student feedback (either positive or negative) can help you to focus on providing a quality education to the student. We learn to become better educators by having students provide feedback.
Feedback is imperative to the overall success of the institution. Feedback allows for the instructor to evaluate their successes and areas for improvement. Feedback is the only true method for accurate evaluations.
Hi Carolyn,
Good points about the need for instructors to get and use student feedback. This really helps instructors to make adjustments in the course as needed to stay focused on the students' needs as they emerge.
Gary
This is very valuable for any teacher because it helps the instructor gain a clearer understanding of what the students need throughout the course to progress in their learning. It helps teachers get a "temperature check" on students' learning. It helps teachers see if students are understanding the material, if they are interested in the material, or find the class overall valuable. I have also received excellent ideas for improvements from students that I did not think of.
Hi Joel,
You make a good point concerning the need for a balance between how soon you return their work or quiz scores as it relates to the in-depth analysis and evaluation of their work.
Your comments about getting to know the preferences of the students and then meeting their needs through those preferences are good. This helps to customize the experience for each student.
Gary
Student feedback is very important for me to use as a guide to determine if my perception of what is important to the student agrees with thier perception and needs.
My recurring example is assignment grading. I am constantly struggling with the trade-off between timliness of the grade update and level of detail of my feedback and comments to each student. My perception is that the student will appreciate detailed feedback that examines the specific area that they may have had an issue with in the work for a given week. Based on this, my complete grading of an assignment for a class can take up to the full week of class ahead of the quiz on that material.
While many students do appreciate the feedback and personalization, I have many students that have indicated that they would rather have their grade back in one or two days in order to know early in the week which problems they had issues with and are more than happy to work through them on their own or seek me out for help if needed.
In these cases, it is important for me to acknowledge the preference and the process of the student as well as my own bias of what they should want :). The focus of the instruction method and feedback needs to blend with how the student works and what they want/need from me to do well in the course. It can be easy for me to focus on what I think is best for them, and their feedback and suggestions help make sure I maintain the appropriate balance with my feedback to them as well as help me develop new methods for my assignemnt grading delivery.
Feedback helps to separate some perceptions from reality, students will still have subjective opinions, but this helps to assess if their are deficits in your approach.
on our campus we utilize Datamark surveys which allow the student to give feedback on the instructor and the class. I feel this is a much needed tool. This allows the instructor to hone in on the areas whre they are week and redirect their focus to produce a better product
On the first day of class when I review my syllabus with the students, I have a tentative plan for the course. I know what I want to do and how I want to do it, but because all students learn differently, I ask for their feedback on that first day. Do they think my rules and requirements are doable? Do they think they will be successful taking quizzes and exams that consist of t/f questions, multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and matching items? I want all positive and negative feedback. That is how I adjust and become better at what I do. This also helps the students and their learning process.
Mid way through the course, we have our students complete an instructor evaluation form. This is also great feedback for the instructors; we know anonymously what our students like and dislike about us and the course/course materials.
Another way we get feedback is on the last day of class when the students complete the course/instructor evaluation forms. I always encourage my students to put the good and bad on these forms; it is the only way to improve as instructors and improve our campus!
Hi Kelly,
I have developed my own course evaluation sheet. I ask a series of questions directly related to the course, activities and assignments. This way the only way students can respond is by writing a response. My students like this form of evaluation. For the University of use their standard form with the bubbles but I don't really get any value from the evaluations because they are too general to be of help. I just do it because I have to.
Another source of evaluation is when my students complete an assignment I will give them a 3X5 card and ask them to give me feedback on the value of the assignment and how I can improve on it for future students. I get great feedback from this method. Also, the feedback gives some additional insight into the class so I can make adjustments should I need to while the students are still in the course.
Gary
How can I encourage students to write comments. Many times in evaluating my courses students just mark the bubbles and do not write further comments. I do find the comments that are written are very encouraging and effective in letting me know how I am doing as an instructor. Many times students who are not doing well do not write anything. I want to know how to get them to write comments so I can better help them and future students.
I would like to start by saying, student feedback is essential! I have worked with many instructors who do not view feedback as a construtive tool but as a critical statement of what they are doing wrong. Students providing feedback will give you a snapshot view on your progress, their interested and collaboration among instructor and students in the classroom. It allows the instructor to understand if rapport is there and areas of interest the students may have. They provide an outside view...instructors can become stale if they don't go outside of their comfort zone every once in a while. We expect our students to do that everyday with professionalism and respect. We should be creating that challenge for ourselves also.
By knowing what students are thinking about the course material it allows me to know if the presentations are engaging and effective, or if I need to readjust.
Hi Colleen,
Good point about listening to the feedback that is given. Something that I do that really helps me throughout the course is to have the students comment on a project or activity that we have just completed. I give each student a 3X5 card and have them jot down their reactions to the project or activity. I get feedback that helps me to "read" the current class and make needed adjustments.
Gary
