Feedback and Grading: Midterm Feedback

Soliciting Midterm Feedback

Midterm is a great time to check in and get feedback from your students on their learning, your teaching, and just a general sense of how things are going for everyone.

Why get student feedback mid-semester?

We all recognize that end-of-semester course evaluations are deeply flawed, right? Even without the issues that make the collected data problematic, the information, coming as it does at the end of the semester, can feel like too little, too late. The course is over, the students have moved on and another semester is around the corner.

Midterm check-ins, on the other hand, have the benefit not only of being formative, thus giving you plenty of opportunities to course-correct based on student feedback, but also of being largely exempt from the weight and significance of those fait accompli evals. Think of the midterm check-in as the quiz version of the “final exam” of feedback.

Just as CATs and other low-stake assessments can provide you with insight into muddiest points and aha moments related to course content, mid-semester feedback can give you a sense of what is helping – and what is hindering – student learning with the added bonus of having the time to do something with the information you’ve gleaned.

Here are a few of the significant benefits of collecting student feedback at the midterm point:

Enhanced student learning: Feedback from students can give you a good idea of how well they are understanding the course material and whether there are any gaps in their learning. Use this insight to inform how you plan the rest of the semester. Do you need to spend more time on a topic? Can you add complexity to upcoming activities?

Improved teaching: Feedback from students at this point in the semester can help you identify what strategies, assignments, or activities you might start, stop, or continue to improve student learning.

Increased student engagement: By asking for student feedback before the end of the semester, you demonstrate that you care about your students’ opinions and are committed to creating a positive learning environment. Students who feel they have input into their own learning are more engaged, more motivated, and learn more.

Improved course evaluations: In an episode of the podcast Teaching for Student Success, Jessamyn Neuhaus (author of Geeky Pedagogy) explains how mid-semester feedback can mitigate end-of-semester course evaluations: “Counteract [the problems with that type of evaluation] by getting a ton of feedback from students the whole semester, cultivating a culture of constructive, productive feedback.” The midterm check-in can also alert you to – and allow you to address – any issues that would otherwise go unknown until the end of the semester.

Increased instructor self-awareness: Soliciting feedback from students can help you better understand strengths and weaknesses in your teaching practice. Considering student input is an important facet of reflective teaching – what you learn can lead you to professional development and growth.

What do you do with mid-term feedback?

Another advantage of midterm feedback over course evaluations is that the information you receive is just for you and your personal use. That being said, there are several recommendations for moving forward with whatever insight you gain from the data.

Critically reflect on student comments. In his book Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, Stephen Brookfield describes the value of seeing your classroom through the lens of your students’ experiences, especially in terms of power dynamics: “When we start to see our classrooms and our teaching through students’ eyes we become aware of the complex and sometimes contradictory perceptions students have of the same event.” You may not make changes based on student feedback, but seeing your class through your students’ eyes will provide you with valuable insight.

Review the feedback with a colleague. It might seem wildly uncomfortable to share student feedback on your teaching with someone else, but a supportive peer can help contextualize comments – especially critical, hurtful, or biased comments. This is excellent advice for end-of-semester evaluations, as well.

Identify patterns. Most of the recommendations around analyzing student feedback suggest that you read positive and constructive comments first – you can absolutely ignore polarizing comments. You’re looking for shared trends and themes that can inform your practice.

Close the loop. Following up with students after receiving feedback is an essential step in the midterm check-in process. Whether you schedule a debriefing conversation or share a summary of the comments you received, begin by thanking your students. Let them know that you value their input and share any themes, questions, contradictions, or ideas for change that have come from their feedback.

What do you want to know?

As with any student feedback requests, the approach you take and the prompts you provide will depend on what you want to learn from your students. MIT's Teaching and Learning Lab suggests that instructors ask themselves these questions:

1. What do you really want to know about student learning in your subject?
2. When and how often do you want to collect this information?

Mid-semester feedback is best solicited before the midpoint of the semester. If your subject has 2 midterms, you may want to solicit feedback after students have received feedback on the first midterm. 

1. How will you collect this information?

• In class, using a paper feedback form
• In class, using an online survey/feedback form
• Out of class using an online survey/feedback form

What do you do with mid-semester feedback?

Another advantage of midterm feedback over course evaluations is that the information you receive is just for you and your personal use. That being said, there are several recommendations for moving forward with whatever insight you gain from the data.

1. Critically reflect on student comments. In his book Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, Stephen Brookfield describes the value of seeing your classroom through the lens of your students’ experiences, especially in terms of power dynamics: “When we start to see our classrooms and our teaching through students’ eyes we become aware of the complex and sometimes contradictory perceptions students have of the same event.” You may not make changes based on student feedback, but seeing your class through your students’ eyes will provide you with valuable insight.
2. Review the feedback with a colleague. It might seem wildly uncomfortable to share student feedback on your teaching with someone else, but a supportive peer can help contextualize comments – especially critical, hurtful, or biased comments. This is excellent advice for end-of-semester evaluations, as well.
3. Identify patterns. Most of the recommendations around analyzing student feedback suggest that you read positive and constructive comments first – you can absolutely ignore polarizing comments. You’re looking for shared trends and themes that can inform your practice.
4. Close the loop. Following up with students after receiving feedback is an essential step in the midterm check-in process. Whether you schedule a debriefing conversation or share a summary of the comments you received, begin by thanking your students. Let them know that you value their input and share any themes, questions, contradictions, or ideas for change that have come from their feedback.

Strategies for Midterm Feedback

Plus/Delta
A short metacognitive feedback tool that asks students to consider what is working to advance their learning in the course (PLUS) and what could be improved (DELTA). Plus/Delta helps students to think about their own responsibility in learning and identify possible changes they might make.

PLUS - What is Working

• What is helping me to learn in this class?
• What am I doing to support my learning in the course?

DELTA - Opportunities for Change

• What changes are needed in this course to improve my learning?
• What do I need to do to improve my learning in this course?

Start-Stop-Continue 
Ask students to tell you: what you should start doing, what you should stop doing, and what you should continue doing. Collect the responses and organize them into a table or spreadsheet, then take a few minutes during the next class to discuss the feedback with your students

Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG)
The Student Assessment of Their Learning Gains (SALG) is a free, adjustable course-evaluation tool that measures the degree to which a course helps students reach a course’s student learning outcomes. The SALG invites students to reflect on their own learning as a result of a course, and the extent to which specific aspects of a course influence their learning.

 

Strategies for Midterm Wellness Check-Ins

A quick check-in with students regarding their academic well-being in your classroom can allow you to identify and address any widespread issues and/or subject components that may be contributing to their lack of well-being and belonging. Inside Higher Ed reports: “The survey also found that students are seeking more mental health help. Forty-eight percent of respondents said they want more remote mental and physical health services, and 41 percent said they want more remote social support and a greater sense of belonging.” 

Classroom Climate Inventory
A robust and validated instrument for use in small classes, this survey was developed to give instructors input on the actual climate within a class in order to evaluate how conducive that atmosphere is to learning.

Small Group Feedback

Small group individual diagnosis (SGID) is a faculty development technique designed to provide instructors with mid-semester feedback from students about the quality of their instruction.

During an SGID, a facilitator elicits feedback directly from students in the classroom. Typically conducted about halfway through the semester, this process is designed to help faculty strengthen their teaching during the remainder of the semester by providing them with anonymous, candid feedback on the course’s strengths and weaknesses. This carefully constructed process consists of several steps. First, the instructor meets with the facilitator to review the SGID process and schedules about thirty minutes of class time in which the SGID will take place. Next, on the day of the SGID, the instructor introduces the facilitator to the class, explains the purpose of the process, and leaves the room. The facilitator then divides the students into small groups; each group of students must come to a consensus about what they like about a course, what they do not like, and what suggestions they have for improving it. This information is then shared with the other students and with the facilitator. In some cases, the facilitator initiates a discussion about the results and asks the entire class to come to a consensus about the course’s strengths and weaknesses. After the session, the facilitator meets with the instructor in an individual teaching consultation to discuss the results as well as ways to improve the course. Finally, the instructor responds to the students’ feedback during the next class session.

Benefits of SGID

• the follow-up teaching consultation to discuss the results of the process is an important factor in determining the amount of improvement that a teacher make
• students have a genuine opportunity to evaluate the effect of their feedback and the receptivity and responsiveness of the instructor
• students generally consider the improvement of course content and format, thus creating an improvement in teaching as one of the most important outcomes of teaching evaluations
• SGID provides to students is the opportunity to compare views, which is not accomplished with traditional paper-and-pencil evaluations at the end of the semester
• students participating in an SGID can impose their own priorities and values, as well as provide constructive suggestions on how to handle current problems
• using small group discussion for organizational decision making will result in more active acceptance of changes

Source: 

Herman, J. H. and Langridge, M. (2012). 15 Using Small Group Individual Diagnosis to Improve Online Instruction. 

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, 31. http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/tia.17063888.0031.019

Transforming Midterm Evaluations into a Metacognitive Pause – Faculty Focus
(5 min read)
Strategies for posing student-centered feedback questions that encourage reflective thinking about learning.

Tip: Midterm Feedback – Tips for Teaching Professors
(4 min read)
A quick, anonymous survey can help you better understand your students & get feedback you can realistically implement.

Maximizing Your Mid-Semester Evaluations - Inside Higher Ed
(4 min read)
Advice for getting helpful feedback from your students. 

Responding to Student Feedback - Center for the Advancement of Teaching, FSU
(2 min read)
If you already collected students’ feedback, congratulations! It takes courage to ask them to comment on something you designed, and doing so communicates that you care about their success and value their suggestions. But now that you have the survey data and/or written responses, what do you do with it all?

The Value of Collecting Mid-Semester Formative Feedback – MIT Teaching + Learning Lab
(3 min read)
Collecting formative mid-semester feedback is an extremely effective way to gain targeted and specific information from students about what aspects of the subject support their learning and which aspects hinder (i.e., do not support) their learning.

How Does it Feel to Take My Class? – Center for the Advancement of Teaching, FSU
(2 min read)
There are many ways to invite our students to share their perspectives. We can ask them to write about how the course is going, or to take a survey on which they can provide quantitative, qualitative, or both types of feedback. 

Small Group Feedback Sessions - Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University
(1 min read)
In a small group feedback session (SGFS), a trained observer visits class and conducts a group discussion alone with students during the last twenty minutes. The observer then discusses the feedback with the instructor, and can provide a non-evaluative write-up of the feedback upon request. 

Additional Resources

• Sample Questions for Mid-semester Feedback Surveys [PDF]– Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale
• Early Mid Semester Student Feedback Question Bank  [PDF] - Center for Teaching and Learning, Columbia University

Unlocking the Promise of Midcourse Conversations: A How-To for Instructors & Educational Developers [video] - Stylus Publishers
(58 min)
This webinar will highlight the applicability of using midcourse conversations to solicit feedback from students about learning. The authors of “Midcourse Correction for the College Classroom: Putting Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID) to Work” will describe ways that instructors and Centers for Teaching and Learning staff can leverage the promise of the SGID, complete with opportunities to interpret real-life student feedback and deliver it to faculty. Regardless of campus role, you will discover something new about this transformative midcourse feedback process.