Collecting feedback about students’ learning experience in your course is an important component of effective instruction. You can get feedback about your teaching indirectly by considering how students are performing on assignments, quizzes and tests, homework, discussions, class activities, and so on. While student performance can provide some information about the effectiveness of your instruction, more direct forms of feedback can provide valuable and targeted information about the impact of your teaching methods, presentation of content, rapport with students, and more.
Feedback is not a one-time occurrence; it is better viewed as a continuous cycle or a loop. Evidence suggests that structured approaches to collecting early and mid-course feedback that effectively close the feedback loop lead to valuable results for instructors and students alike (Hurney, Rener, & Troisi, 2023; Taylor, Knorr, Orgodnik, & Sinclair, 2020). When feedback is thoughtfully collected—and responded to—during the term, students may report higher satisfaction with their learning experience on end-of-term surveys (Cohen, 1980; McGowan & Osguthorpe, 2011).
Instructional Consultants at the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning are trained to provide support for evaluating and improving the learning environment for students. They share constructive feedback on teaching strategies, learning activities, assessment methods, the organization of a course or a lesson, the presentation and clarity of content, whether the course has an atmosphere that facilitates student learning, and more.
Student Feedback on Instruction Services
There are many ways to assess teaching. Using an end-of-term survey like the Survey of Student Learning Experience is a familiar method, as it is mandatory for most instructors at Ohio State. End-of-term surveys can provide you with valuable information to shape your course and teaching strategies for future offerings. But how can you collect data that will help you enhance your course for current students? The mid-semester feedback tools below support you to address points of confusion regarding content and assignments, promote student engagement with course material and activities, and make meaningful changes and adjustments to your teaching that will positively support students’ learning experience during the semester.
Mid-Course Feedback on Instruction Survey
Developed through a partnership between the Drake Institute and the University Registrar, the Mid-Course Feedback on Instruction (MCFI) survey enables you to collect confidential formative feedback from students so you can plan meaningful changes to your course for the current term. Ohio State instructors of all courses eligible for an end-of-semester Survey on Student Learning Experience (SSLE) can opt-in to use the MCFI, which is administered through the Registrar using Blue (the same system used for the SSLE). To support more generative discussions during the feedback process, the MCFI is designed to be voluntary and fully anonymous for both instructors and students.
Small-Group Instructional Diagnosis
A Small-Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID) is a way to gather rich, contextualized information about your course and instruction through an in-class focus group interview, facilitated by a Drake Institute Instructional Consultant. SGIDs are normally conducted mid-term so that an instructor has the opportunity to react to the information gathered and apply it to the remainder of the semester.
The SGID process includes:
- An initial one-on-one consultation (about 30-45 minutes) to learn what you would like to discover through the SGID experience.
- An approximately 30-minute “focus-group” session during a class meeting, facilitated by the Instructional Consultant. The facilitator will engage students in small-group discussions about three questions related to their learning in your course. Then, the facilitator will lead a whole-group class discussion to summarize and clarify students’ feedback.
- A post-SGID meeting with the consultant (about 45-60 minutes) to review findings and work together to interpret student comments and plan future action. At the end of this meeting, you will receive a report providing a short description of the SGID process, as well as transcribed student responses. This report is shared only with you but could be a great source of data to include in your teaching portfolio.
SGIDs frequently result in better instructor-student communication and a greater sense of community in the classroom. Students are often impressed when their instructors the time to ask for feedback in a detailed manner, and, in return, they respond with honest, insightful, and articulate answers.
Individualized Consultations
There are many other ways to gather feedback from students, during the term and at its conclusion. Drake Institute Instructional Consultants are available to help you review and interpret the feedback you collect on your own or through other university tools.
- Mid-Semester: Additional formative feedback methods include early-term feedback, self-authored mid-term surveys, Classroom Assessment Techniques, and more. Learn more about approaches to collecting formative feedback from students.
- End-of-Semester: Ohio State requires all students to have the opportunity to complete a summative evaluation of their course experience at the end of the semester. The Survey of Student Learning Experience (SSLE) is the university's standard feedback tool, available electronically through the Ohio State app, Carmen, or BuckeyeLink. Learn more about the SSLE.
If you’d like to improve students’ learning experience in your course, our experienced consultants are ready to work with you to plan meaningful changes to your course design, teaching strategies, and activities and assignments. You can schedule a teaching consultation at any time.