1. “What Are They Thinking?” Collecting Feedback from Your Students
EDC
“What Are They Thinking?” Collecting Feedback from Your Students

2. Sound Familiar? You’re in the middle of a term teaching a course
Over a coffee/drink/meal with a colleague, you find yourself discussing a familiar source of frustration…
“What are my students thinking, anyway?!”
cdn-images-1.medium.com

3. The Quick-fix Solution
Stop wondering, and start asking them directly!
staples-3p.com

4. Learning Outcomes At the end of this session, you will be able to:
Reflect on the rationale for gathering student feedback
Describe key decisions to make when planning for a feedback session
Explain how to process/share/act on the feedback you receive
sc.edu

5. Agenda
Why bother?
Setting up
Following up
Wrap up
previews.123rf.com

6. Why Bother with Student Feedback?
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Part I
counselingoneanother.com
Why Bother with Student Feedback?

7. Why Bother with Student Feedback?
Identify:
1) content areas students are struggling to understand, &/or
2) aspects of the teaching that are(n’t) working for them
Every cohort has different struggles & frustrations
google.com

8. Feedback on Content
Larger assessments show where students are struggling after the fact, but that info won’t help you help them
Feedback allows you to identify gaps in understanding in advance of major assessments, so you can connect students to support resources or ‘re-teach’
google.com

9. Feedback on Teaching/Learning
End-of-term eval feedback comes too late to improve the experience for the current cohort
Student frustration early in the term with the teaching/course can quickly snowball, fueling further resentment
google.com

10. Advantages of Student Feedback
Better understanding of your students’ struggles, so you can provide new resources or ‘re-teach’
Improved understanding of your student frustrations, so you can make changes & gain suggestions for changes
australianseller.com.au

11. Advantages of Student Feedback
Better student understanding of your course design decisions & a sense of ownership in the course
Improved student “perceptions on the instructor’s responsibility, his [sic] commitment to teaching, and his desire for the class to do well” (M. J. Brown, 2008)—& improved scores on end-of-term teaching evals
australianseller.com.au

12. Setting up your Feedback Session
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Part II
cascadementalhealth.org
Setting up your Feedback Session

13. How’d You Do it?
Have you gathered feedback from your students yourself?
What things did you consider?
How did you set yourself up for a successful feedback session?
google.com

14. Setting Up Your Feedback Session
Key Considerations:
Are you ready for it?
When? How often?
Types of questions/exercises
Collection mechanisms
Resources for help
apanational.org

15. Are You Ready for it? Can you handle negative feedback?
Are you genuinely open to doing things differently?
Some feedback may press on something you can’t change, and that’s OK—explain your rationale
Plan to commit to at least 1-2 changes, big or small, based on the feedback. Your response can’t be 100% defensive, or the exercise will backfire

16. When? How Often?
Feedback on content comprehension: as frequently as you think is warranted, even as often as every week
Feedback on teaching: at least once in the first month~ of teaching, but no more than 3 times
previews.123rf.com

17. Types of Questions/exercises
Questions/Exercises should be:
Brief: 3-4 questions, 5 mins
Completed during class time
Strictly anonymous
Properly prefaced: explain what you’ll do with the info, & why they should take it seriously
image.sciencepublishinggroup.com

18. Types of Questions/exercises
Content:
“The muddiest point”
1- or 2-min essay
Teaching:
Stop/Start/Continue
Areas of Strength & Areas for Growth
image.sciencepublishinggroup.com

19. Collection Mechanisms
Low-Tech (small classes):
Cue cards
Scrap paper
High-Tech (larger classes):
cuLearn – Feedback, Choice, Assignment
Poll Everywhere
image.sciencepublishinggroup.com

20. Resources for Help
Don’t want to run your first feedback session yourself?
Contact the EDC!
Sign up for a Midterm Feedback session
carleton.ca/edc

21. Following Up on your Feedback Session
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Part III
Following Up on your Feedback Session
google.com

22. How’d You Do it?
If you have collected student feedback in the past, what did you do with it?
Did you share it? How did it influence the shape / structure of your course?
google.com

23. A Word of Caution
If you collect feedback, your students have to see you do something constructive with it
A feedback session with no response or new action from you, or a wholly defensive response, is worse than having no feedback session at all
google.com

24. Feedback on Content Key Actions:
Identify common questions or points of confusion, & share with students
Connect students to relevant learning supports
Discussion / re-teaching at start of next class
cuLearn post with explanations
Mini-lecture recording using Kaltura Capture
Additional vetted resources on cuLearn
google.com

25. Feedback On Teaching Key Actions:
Sort into categories, grouping like items
Tally the frequency of observations for each category
Decide which issues that must stay the same & which issues you can change
Add to your slide deck for class discussion
google.com

26. Feedback On Teaching Key Actions, con’t: Review results in class
Compose together a document that itemizes
1) what the instructor will do differently, &
2) what the students will do differently
Share this with class afterwards—& honour your promises
google.com

27. Resources for Help
In addition to Midterm Feedback, the EDC also has prepared slides (with step-by-step instructions) you can use to
1) collect feedback, &
2) debrief your class afterwards

28. EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Summary
Wrap Up
monipag.com

29. Key Take-Aways Reasons to gather student feedback:
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Reasons to gather student feedback:
Identify areas for additional support
Nip early resentments in the bud
Foster improved trust, student performance, and SET scores
Key Take-Aways

30. Key Take-Aways Decisions to make at set up: Committed to change?
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Decisions to make at set up:
Committed to change?
When & how often?
Type of exercise
Collection mechanism
Key Take-Aways

31. Key Take-Aways Actions to take for follow up:
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Actions to take for follow up:
Analyze/sort & share data
Connect students to additional supports
Develop plan for ‘next steps’ with students
Key Take-Aways