By LISA VOTODIAN
End-of-term teaching surveys allow students to provide feedback on their learning experiences. However, summative feedback received after the term has ended arrives too late to make immediate improvements that benefit the teaching and learning experience. Feedback is most effective when it’s continuous and ongoing (Wiggins, 2012), and collecting feedback throughout the term lets students offer perspectives that faculty can use to analyze their teaching and make any necessary adjustments (Tuffour, 2023).
Continuous cycles of feedback should include formal and informal measures, be carried out consistently, and be intentional in nature. As mentioned in this article, constructive feedback can be a catalyst for positive change and an essential tool for improving skills and knowledge. Continuous cycles encourage communication and strengthen relationships.
Continuous feedback
The Office of Measurement and Evaluation of Teaching (OMET), part of the University Center for Teaching and Learning, offers three survey options to collect feedback from students.
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Pre-course surveys. Discover important information about new students and prepare for the term. Use feedback to spark discussion on the first day of class.
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Midterm surveys. Check in with students to see how they’re doing. Can adjustments be made? Discuss the results. What can be changed? What cannot, and why?
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End-of-term Teaching Surveys. Reflect on the results. What worked, what didn’t work? Use feedback to prepare for next term.
More faculty realize the importance of collecting feedback at multiple points throughout the term. The number of faculty using both OMET pre and midterm course surveys rose 40% from spring 2024 to fall 2024. Pre-course surveys can be used to gather information about what students are looking forward to learning, whether they expect challenges, and what teaching strategies they find helpful. Checking in with a midterm course survey can uncover what’s contributing to or detracting from the learning process. All OMET surveys can be customized for targeted feedback. For instance, questions can be added to gauge prior subject knowledge on a pre-course survey or ask about a particular classroom activity on a mid-term survey. Results to pre and midterm surveys are only released to faculty.
Some faculty avoid discussing ways to provide effective feedback with students because they’re concerned about unintentionally influencing their responses, but evidence suggests that discussing the differences between effective and ineffective feedback, how results are used, and how important their feedback is to you can improve the experience for everyone. It’s important to let students know that the most meaningful type of feedback is specific and improvement-focused. It should be reasonable, actionable, descriptive, constructive, and offer suggestions for improvement. Students should be encouraged to respond to the survey, shown examples of effective feedback, and given multiple methods to provide feedback.
Whether student responses to surveys are clear or confusing, it’s important to share and discuss the results. Using feedback as an impetus for dialogue supports a co-creative classroom environment where students and teachers share information with one another about teaching and learning (Guskey & Link, 2022). Engaging in dialogue around feedback increases student engagement, allowing them to become active participants in their learning process. It also contributes to the creation of an inclusive and welcoming space for everyone.
Discussion can clear up misconceptions, provide an opportunity to expand on themes, and reveal pathways to move forward (Diamond, 2004). Students can pause and reflect on their own efforts (e.g. have they completed assignments? Have they attended office hours?) and ask themselves what steps they could take to improve their learning experience. Faculty can determine if changes are necessary and possible. Closing the loop is important, students want results to be shared and discussed even when change is not possible (Mair et al., 2024).
How can the Teaching Center help?
The University Center for Teaching and Learning offers resources to support faculty in the ongoing process of collecting, understanding, and using student feedback more effectively.
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Talking points you can use to discuss teaching surveys with your students.
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Our newly revised Question Library includes questions that are more intentional in asking students about specific behaviors and strategies and grouped together cohesively under broader categories that reflect current teaching and learning styles and methods.
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Our faculty reflection worksheet on student feedback contains links to helpful resources and space to record summaries of student feedback, actions taken, and outcomes.
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Teaching consultants can help with understanding feedback and developing action plans.
Connect with us
We can help design survey questions for targeted feedback about specific aspects of a course, understand what students are saying, and assist with developing action plans. Contact us for a consultation or with questions.
Lisa Votodian is a survey assessment manager in the Center for Teaching and Learning.
REFERENCES:
Alhamdan, B. “Students’ Perceptions about Course Evaluation: A Discourse Analysis from the Perspective of the Appraisal System.” World Journal of English Language, vol. 13, no. 1, 2023, pp. 187–199.
Diamond, M. R. “The Usefulness of Structured Mid-Term Feedback as a Catalyst for Change in Higher Education Classes.” Active Learning in Higher Education, vol. 5, no. 3, 2004.
Guskey, T., and Link, L. “Feedback for Teachers: What Evidence Do Teachers Find Most Useful?” AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice, vol. 18, no. 4, 2022.
Mair, C., Macaulay, C., Olowe, E., Beekman, E., and Brown, K. “Co-Creating Feedback Dialogue Tools Through Course Evaluations.” The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change, vol. 10, no. 1, 2024.
Tuffour, I. “Using Feedback from Nursing Students to Co-Create Teaching and Improve the Learning Experience.”