The benefits

Gathering mid-course student feedback can encourage self-reflection and continuous improvement, two essential tools for faculty development. It helps faculty gauge what’s working and what could be better in their courses. In many cases, mid-semester feedback can inspire small adaptations to improve the student experience or guide future course planning. Moreover, collecting—and acting on—student feedback signals to students an instructor’s willingness to meet their needs, and promotes a sense that they are valued members of the learning community. 

“The goal is to surface students’ ideas on What's working? What's not? How can we modify our course to make it even better?”

The challenges

Collecting feedback takes time. Whether instructors ask students to complete a survey, rely on representatives, or have a Teaching and Learning consultant observe and conduct a focus group, each mechanism requires class time or student investment outside of class. In addition, merely collecting data is not enough. Faculty must take time to interpret the data and reflect on what it means for their practice. Are there modifications that can be implemented now to address concerns? If not, how will you communicate this to students? It is then important to engage students in a conversation about the survey findings, identifying changes you plan to make, as well as a rationale for the ones you won’t. Explaining your perspective as the instructor validates that students’ views are important, illustrates that taking the time to share their feedback was not a waste of their time, and helps manage expectations. 

Takeaways and best practices 

• Consider timing.
  The timing of feedback collection is key. When will a snapshot of the student experience be most actionable in the semester? Faculty should aim to collect data early enough to make meaningful changes, but late enough that students have completed an assignment and received feedback from the teaching team. 
• Rethink your gathering mechanism.
  Surveys are popular and efficient tools for gathering student feedback. Faculty can give students time in class or require a screenshot of the completion page to ensure a high response rate. However, there are also more interactive models, such as having student representatives in the class who provide a consistent flow of information about how their peers are experiencing the class during the semester, or holding focus groups led by Teaching and Learning consultants with students. 
• Act on the results.
  Responding to and acting on student feedback is crucial. If students feel as though their suggestions or criticisms have disappeared into the void, they are more likely to disengage. Even if an instructor does not intend to make changes at the time, engaging students in conversation about why is key. For support interpreting the results and crafting a plan to move forward, contact your Teaching and Learning Center to set up a meeting with a cosultant.

 Bottom line

Mid-semester feedback from students creates a stronger sense of empowerment and investment in the learning community. It has the potential to improve classroom pedagogy in response to current students’ needs, rather than retroactively considering changes only when course evaluations are collected at the end of the semester. Remember, too, that Harvard has many resources to help you interpret the data you collect.