ETAP640

informal requests for constructive criticism

how well students are learning the material

the effectiveness of your teaching strategies

focus on what can be changed during the semester--for example, the pace of the course, turnaround time on exams and assignments, or the level of difficulty of the material

three or four weeks after the semester begins

teaching a course for the first time or have significantly revised a course you have taught previously, you may want to canvass students as early as three or four weeks after the semester begins

Distribute blank index cards during the last five or ten minutes of class

Ask students to complete a brief informal questionnaire

four to six short-answer or multiple-choice questions

issues posed should be ones you can respond to during the term; otherwise your students may develop false expectations about the remainder of the course

Consider asking students to list the one or two specific behaviors or incidents that weighed most heavily in their ratings

Arrange for your students to be interviewed

Select a spokesperson who will also write down the groups' comments. Name something in the course that they find helpful or worthwhile or that has helped their learning. Name something that has hindered their learning and that they would like to see changed. Suggest how the course could be improved

groups of five or six

Respond quickly to students' comments

Consider carefully what students say

Let students know what, if anything, will change as a result of their feedback

Thank your students for their comments

Ask students to write a "minute paper."

"What question is uppermost in your mind at the end of today's class?"

Ask students to list key concepts or ideas

Ask students whether they are understanding you or not

avoid the generic "Any questions

refrain from posing general questions that might put students on the spot: "Who is lost?"

Have students briefly paraphrase a lecture or a reading assignment

Ask students to provide a closing summary

Encourage students to form study groups.

Have students turn in class notes as an assignment

Encourage graduate student instructors to give you comments about the course

Feedback should be specific

Feedback should concentrate on observable behaviour

Feedback should not be personalised or use emotional wording

Feedback should describe the effect the behaviour has so the teacher can experience it from a different perspective.

Feedback should offer alternatives to the behaviour being criticised

Feedback should point out the good and the bad.

Give students adequate notice of the evaluation

Provide students with adequate instructions.

Provide the students with adequate time to give their feedback