Mid-course Feedback from Students
February 23, 2021
Dear Colleagues,
Thank you for all of the work that you are doing to support our students on and off campus. I encourage you to consider gathering mid-course feedback from students early this term. Your students’ feedback during the early weeks of a course can help you identify small teaching adjustments that will improve their learning and engagement. This Brandeis Mid-course Feedback webpage highlights further benefits and explains how to gather student comments anonymously through LATTE. This feedback will be shared with you alone and will not be used in any formal evaluation of your teaching effectiveness.
One of the most important aspects of mid-course feedback is the response to the feedback. Best practices are to summarize for your students what you learned from their feedback and identify any changes you’ll make to enhance their learning. The Center for Teaching and Learning staff and CTL Scholars are available to discuss the feedback and your response in confidence. Please contact them at CTL@brandeis.edu or sign up here for a confidential consultation. They can also observe a class meeting using this Confidential Peer Mentoring process or speak directly with your students to gather follow-up feedback using this 30-minute Mid-course Feedback process.
A common suggestion from students these days is that breaks during class meetings are necessary to maintain focus and avoid Zoom fatigue. These Guidelines for 90-Minute Class Meetings offer a possible model for incorporating breaks along with varied, equitable modes of learning during class meetings.
Sincerely,
Carol Fierke
Provost