Mid-Course Adjustments | Booklets-FaCET-WKU

A straightforward way to enhance your experience as a teacher is to seek input about course content and procedures from current students. This feedback can be helpful for several reasons.

1. Teaching is trying to hit a moving target. The students change from semester to semester and, to be effective, a teacher must adapt to each new class.

2. An occasional class will be a particular challenge — unresponsive, irritable even. Feedback from the students may help you identify the problem and adapt before the whole semester is lost and you are worn down.

3. In itself, asking students for input about their learning experiences in your class can convey an openness on the instructor’s part. That openness may encourage some students to ask more questions or seek additional help. In fact, routinely gathering and using information from students at the one-third to one-half points in the term may help you avoid the most difficult situations and improve the classroom experience for all of your students and yourself. A positive cycle of increased student energy/increased instructor enthusiasm may be started, simply by asking.

4. It’s fun to tinker with a class. Changing what you do keeps you intellectually alert and involved. It helps you to feel more alive. This booklet contains a number of ideas for obtaining feedback for your personal use as an instructor. The purpose of “mid-course adjustments” is to help in understanding the impact of your instruction on student learning and motivation, not to evaluate students or you. Even an outstanding teacher faces a changing audience and will benefit from adapting instruction to the current students.

If you wish to improve your end of term evaluations, you should check student feedback early in the term, respond to the feedback by getting information on how to correct problems, and implement the changes in the classroom (Cohen, 1980).
Cohen performed an analysis of studies conducted on the effect of student ratings feedback on improving teaching evaluations. He generated the following information which illustrates that instructors who sought feedback and then actively responded to the information were evaluated at the end of the term much higher than their colleagues who did not seek feedback or who sought feedback and did not act upon it.

To simplify, this means that teachers with no early student feedback received end of semester evaluations that were average for the group (50th percentile is average). Those who received feedback had evaluations somewhat better than average. Those who added consultation to the early feedback did much better than average on end of semester evaluations. Intervals between percentiles are not equal, the higher the number, the harder it is to attain

Cohen investigated the effect of feedback gained from tools which used numerical ratings. “Cohen (1980) performed a meta-analysis of 17 studies of the effect of student-rating feedback on improving teaching. Receiving feedback about student ratings administered during the first half of the term was positively related to improving college teaching as measured by student ratings administered at the end of the term. Typically there were three groups. All groups had ratings administered during the first half of the semester and again at the end. That is all the first group received, i.e., no feedback. The second group received the student rating feedback, quantitative data, from the first student ratings. In addition to that, the third group received some kind of consultation (which varied across the different studies). Using the end-of-term ratings as the measure of improvement and setting the first group’s mean ratings at the 50th percentile.”
References: Cohen, P.A. (1980) “Effectiveness of student rating feedback for improving college instruction: A meta-analysis of findings. Research in Higher Education." 13, 321-341.

In clinical courses, I conduct mid-term conferences with each student in my lab section. Students often indicate helpful/not helpful course strategies during this meeting.

On the first day of class, I give my students important course terms, and have them write a definition, or a few words explaining each term. During lectures, papers, and class discussions, we examine the various applications of the terms and concepts. At mid-semester, I give them the same form, and ask them to fill it out again. By comparing their answers from the first day and mid-term, I can see their progress or lack of, and know what concepts need to be recovered.

I solicit suggestions (verbal and written) from students about 3 times/semester. These times are: beginning of semester, 1/3rd of way through, 2/3rd of the way through. Students are asked to suggest topics of discussion that are not in the syllabus. Syllabus topics are replaced with suggested topics. The only restriction is [the replacement] must be a biological concept which is applicable to a non-majors course.

[I use a] 5 item survey about teaching and the course which I distribute to students. Space [is] provided for comments and suggestions for the remainder of the term. [It is] distributed about 1/3 of the way through the course.

I always ask students about problems of the “course in progress” in the classroom setting. Because one’s syllabus is a contract, you need widespread agreement for change. I, of course, must allow anyone to keep the old contract if so desired—usually there is no problem if you are reducing requirements or adding something for “extra credit.” For example, in Kentucky History this past semester—project #7 was to divide into groups of 5, read a Kentucky play, perform it (as interp. theatre for 20 minutes). Tell about setting, costuming, etc.—Agreed that 10 people who really wanted to do this project would receive “extra credit”— mostly students who already had “As” and a few borderline people actually did a play—Time ran out— really no time for 5 plays without extra meetings—I was in perfect agreement.

~ Carol Crowe-Carraco, History, 1996

I include “flex time” in my syllabus—weeks (one or two) after mid-term with readings and assignments “to be announced.” As they approach, I will ask my class how that time should be spent—what most needs to be covered, reviewed, or added to the scheduled course material. I often get unsolicited suggestions for this time, too. Once the class has decided, I type up a revised syllabus with specific details of the changes.

~ Ted Hovet, English, 1996

If you are using the course software Blackboard, you can create a “survey” and get anonymous feedback on the course. You can also create a discussion forum and permit anonymous postings. This secured method allows students to react to each other’s comments.

I ask for student input directly. If I try something new, I’ll ask them if they want to continue this activity/or some modification of the activity.

First, I use an interactive class journal to facilitate communications with my students. I invite students to tell me how things are going, give me suggestions about things to do differently, praise me when they like what I am doing :-), etc. in the journal.

The idea for this journal came from an article by Leslie Swetnam in The Teaching Professor (March 1994). Since the feedback is ongoing, I do not have to wait for evaluations to find out what student concerns are. Swetnam offers the following guidelines for effectively using the journal technique:
1. Use a spiral notebook for each separate course. (Different sections of the course can use the same notebook.)
2. Date each page before you pass it around.
3. Explain the purpose of the journal to your students and the kinds of constructive comments that would be helpful. . . .
4. Have a student pass the journal around halfway through the class period.
5. Students should write their comments anonymously, so they feel free to express themselves without fear of reprisal.
6. Read the comments after class each day. . . Respond during the next class period to those that need a response. . .

Second, sometimes after I have returned the first exam in the course, I say, “You have had an opportunity to receive some feedback from me on how you are doing; now I would like to have the same feedback from you. Please write on an unsigned piece of paper any comments you have for me about how things are going in this course. What am I doing that you wish I would do differently? What am I not doing that you wish I would do? What am I doing that you would like me to continue doing? What is your opinion about our use of class time? The text? The writing assignments? Etc.” This usually doesn’t produce many suggestions for change, but I think that at the very least, it communicates an openness to feedback. I think my students really like to be asked, and I hypothesize that it may contribute positively to student morale.

My online classes are designed to encourage cooperative learning through discussion, so I find setting up an online discussion forum with open-ended questions allows student to respond with feedback more freely. I ask blanket questions like “How is the class going?” or “What is going well and what needs improvement?” I require students to post anonymously, and find that they feel more comfortable giving feedback to me, and commenting on other students’ postings.

1. End class a few minutes early and ask students to write a response to “What was the most important thing you learned during this class?” and “What important questions remain unanswered or uppermost in your mind?” (This technique was developed by a physics professor at Berkely).

A professor of statistics at Harvard adapted this and asks only, “What was the ‘muddiest point’ in my lecture today?”

2. Ask students to list ideas that are closely related to a central term or concept. The teacher can learn how well the student understands the concept presented. (This could also be done before and after teaching the concept).

3. Give the students an “empty outline” of the presented material and ask them to quickly fill in the blanks to learn how well they understood the material.

4. Have students answer, for a particular topic, “Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?” using a single sentence.

5. Ask students to select a single word that summarizes a portion of course material. Then have them explain why that word was chosen.

6. Have students write at least one reasonable application for a principle or theory.

7. Have students write test questions—You will learn what they think is important or memorable and if they misunderstood some concept.

Angelo, T.A., & Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
~A user friendly handbook that describes how to use 50 classroom assessment techniques.

Forsyth, Alan et al. (1995). Evaluating a Course. London: Kogan Page.
Menges, R. & Weimer M. (1996) Teaching on Solid Ground: Using Scholarship to Improve Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
~A collection of readings on topics such as assessment, community learning, reflective teaching, the scholarship of teaching and instructor vitality.

Rando, W.C. & Lenze, L. (1994) Learning from Students: Early Term Student Feedback in Higher Education. NCTLA College Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press.
~A handbook containing over 20 techniques and procedures for obtaining useful formative feedback from students.

Weimer, M. Parrett, J. & Kerns, M. (1988). How am I teaching?: Forms and activities for acquiring instructional input. Madison, WI: Magna Pub.

According to Angelo, three of the costs associated with doing classroom assessments are issues relating to time, coverage and closure. Most of the suggestions contained in this booklet will take relatively little time to administer or review and many actually help achieve pedagogical goals such as encouraging students to reflect on material. Some reflection options include: to stop and re teach the material at the sacrifice of time for other material, to review more superficially, proceed slowly, or to proceed as usual in order to cover course material and hope the students grasp the concept on their own or offer make-up sessions. The “right” answer depends on the particular circumstances.

Receiving feedback is likely to raise questions to which there are no “right” answers. The classroom instructor may discover that students in the class are more varied in ability and preparation than they had realized. Responses to student comments, while helpful, are unlikely to completely resolve the dilemmas raised. This impossibility of closure may be unpleasant, frustrating, and psychologically costly to some. Others may enjoy the intellectual challenge or be able to accept an ongoing state of uncertainty as part of life.

Angelo reported that students seem to enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to provide information which may help them better learn. Angelo also indicated that many veteran faculty members experienced a reawakening of intellectual excitement when they contributed to research on classroom variables through data collection.

Reference:
Angelo, T.A., & Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Weimer indicates that a hit-or-miss, fad-of-the-month approach to growing as a teacher is unlikely to be as effective as using a systematic approach. Teaching is a complex, human task and the process of change is an ongoing one. There is no guarantee that good teaching will remain good teaching. Instructors, students, and organizations change. At the very minimum you must change to stay current in your discipline’s content. You may also desire to change the process of how you teach. This ongoing process of change must be adapted to the individual instructor’s style, discipline and setting.

1) develop your understanding of what you do as a teacher. How do you move in a classroom? How many questions do you ask? At what points do you use examples? Why do you use the pedagogical policies that you use?

2) seek objectivity in interpreting your teaching behaviors. Gather information from others about what you do. Try to identify a number of ways by which goals could be accomplished.

3) identify what you would like to change and how you are going to change it. Let your pedagogical philosophy guide that selection process.

4) try the change and give it a fair chance. You are more likely to be successful if you make the changes gradually or incrementally. You may need to try something across several semesters to work out the bugs.

Reference:
Weimer, M. (1991). Improving college teaching: Strategies for developing instructional effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Available for checkout at the CTL.

You can use Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs): a) to promote student learning and development; b) to assess the effectiveness of one’s teaching techniques; c) to enhance teacher communication skills with students. CATs, typically very brief, are innovative & fun activities other than “testing.”

1. Ask students to answer anonymously on an index card: “Of the concepts and ideas presented in class today, which ones are the most clear and understandable in your mind?” “...which ones remain unclear?” “...which of the unclear is the muddiest point?”

2. Randomly choose students to orally present a summary, in one phrase, of material presented.

3. Have students write a concrete example of an application of a topic presented. They might relate how a concept or topic discussed in class can be applied in a new situation.

4. Shortly after presenting a concept, give students a matrix or outline of the concept with pieces missing and have them fill in the missing concepts.

5. Ask students to write 1 word that represents the material they have read and give a brief explanation of why that word is a summary. This is not to be graded but completion is a sign of class citizenship. This leads to greater engagement with the material.

6. Stop class in the middle and have students anonymously record on index cards exactly what was in their minds the moment you said “stop.”

7. Do CATs at the beginning, throughout, and at the end of units “rather than relying upon our standard autopsy at the end of the semester.”

8. Although CAT’s can take class time, they can lead to more effective and efficient teaching; hence no time is really lost. Furthermore, a higher percentage of students will understand the material.

9. Identify instructor and student goals at the beginning of a course to identify “matches” and “mismatches.”

Don’t be an ad hoc member of a student group—let student groups solve their own problems.

Detailed handouts for these and other ideas from this workshop as well as a video tape of Dr. Walkers presentation are available at the CTL.

Sample Midterm Evaluation
by Johnston Njoku, Modern Languages and Intercultural Studies, 2003

I need your input as I strive to be a better teacher. See this assessment as a creative response to me. This is also a way to let you make a contribution to student learning for the rest of the semester.

1. So far, has this course contributed to your knowledge of the concepts, subject matter, and issues of this course? If yes, state in what way (s) and if no, leave this space blank.

2. What would you recommend to help me modify and/or refine this course and my teaching style? (Include things that you would like for me to add or take away from the syllabus.)

4. Do you have any concerns about this course that you would like for me to address in class?

During Term	End of Term Teaching Evaluations
No student rating feedback =	50th percentile*
Only student rating feedback =	58th percentile
Student rating feedback plus consultation =	74th percentile