Overview
Student Feedback for Teaching and Learning
End-of-semester evaluations are problematic for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which is that we’re seeking feedback after all the teaching and learning is done from “people who are utterly fried and miserable and going to lash out.” Educator and author Jessamyn Neuhaus insists we can “counteract that with getting a ton of feedback from students [throughout] the whole semester, cultivating a culture of constructive, productive feedback.”
Not only will a culture of constructive feedback contribute to more productive final evaluations, but incorporating feedback processes throughout your course encourages student metacognition, gives you opportunities to make informed changes to your course, and provides you with valuable insight into student perceptions of the learning environment.
This 4-part teaching guide explores various approaches for obtaining student feedback including first-week questionnaires, midterm feedback, and CATs (classroom assessment techniques) as well as strategies for interpreting and reflecting on teaching evaluations.
This guide is adapted from the spring 2023 faculty development course, Student Feedback for Teaching and Learning.