Here's how to request mid-semester feedback that's refreshingly helpful
/By Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.
Feedback helps us learn and grow as teachers, but it’s nerve-wracking. I’ve taught in the classroom for more than 10 years and I still feel tense before looking at students’ responses.
To make the process less nerve-wracking and more productive, I’ve created a new Google Form template you can use to request mid-semester (or mid-school year) feedback from students. Click here to view the template and click here to copy it directly to your Google Drive to edit the form (it will show up in your Google Drive as “Copy of Mid-Semester Feedback Template”).
For mid-semester/school year feedback, use a “start, stop and keep” reflection approach – for you and your students. Ask students what they want you (the teacher) to start/stop/keep. But more importantly, ask students what they want to start/stop/keep for themselves and their own learning progress – an opportunity to engage students’ metacognition. The template also includes two open-ended retrieval practice questions to celebrate and strengthen students’ learning: “What is one thing you’ve learned in our class and why is it memorable for you?” and “What is one thing you’ve learned in a different class and why is it memorable for you?”
The reflection template is adaptable for grades 6+, including college students and graduate students, and it should take students no more than 5–10 minutes to complete. By using start/stop/keep as a reflection tool, combined with some simple retrieval practice, you can shift the vibe away from complaints and dislikes, and instead, toward celebrating students’ learning and accomplishments.
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Photo credit: Gratisography
Tips for requesting mid-semester feedback
Tip #1: Keep the tone light hearted. Pitch this as a reflection tool, not a feedback survey. Add memes to emphasize that this isn’t a course rating or evaluation form. The questions on the Google Form are simply for thinking through how things are going and what everyone can do collectively going forward. For my classes, I include the template questions as a section in the middle of one of my weekly Google Form mini-quizzes to give the vibe that the start/stop/keep reflection is nothing special or separate from our routine, and they can simply skip the section.
Tip #2: Keep the Google Form optional, including the two retrieval practice questions. You can add the Google Form to your LMS, email it to students, or give them a QR code to complete it on their phones outside of class. I discourage incentivizing responses with candy or points. The goal of this activity isn’t to get the most responses; the goal is to receive helpful responses. I’ve been using the start/stop/keep feedback strategy since 2016 and approximately 35% of my college students opt-in to provide responses (which is pretty good, in my book).
Tip #3: The Google Form does not have to be anonymous. When framed as a reflection tool, students feel more open to sharing how they’re doing and how they feel about the course. Plus, requesting help models your own learning from feedback as the teacher. By mid-semester, my students know that I always strive to improve my teaching, and that I genuinely take their feedback into account. When the form is non-anonymous, I’ve found that students are kinder in their language and more creative with their suggestions.
Tip #4: Share the feedback you received. The next time your class meets, share an aggregate of what students want to start/stop/keep for their own learning (my students often say they want to start arriving on time and stop procrastinating, which always gets a few laughs from the rest of class). You should also share the feedback you received about what you could stop/start/keep, ideally with at least one actionable step you will take to improve your teaching. Keep in mind that students who choose to respond are usually the ones who understand that changing the course structure mid-semester isn’t going to happen, so their suggestions are refreshingly realistic and practical.
Idea: A question I’d like to add in the future is to ask students what is something they like about how a different professor teaches. I rarely have the time to observe other teachers, so I’d love my students’ perspective on what works well in their other classes. Let me know if you try this out!
Want more ideas? Buy my book, Powerful Teaching!
Responses from my students
I included mid-semester feedback and reflection questions on my mini-quiz last week. Here are some responses I received: what students want me to start/stop/keep and what they want to start/stop/keep for themselves. I promise I didn’t exclude negative comments from the list below; I feel that the positivity and kindness from my students is a result of my class culture and the four tips above. Based directly on student reflections, I’ve made a number of changes to my courses over the years, with ideas I never would have thought of myself.
What my students want me (Dr. Agarwal) to start:
Pairing up small groups differently for discussions (e.g., by first letter of first/last name), that way we get to speak with different people every time.
I feel it would be neat to have a 5 or 10 minute period at the beginning of class for general questions about psychology, related or unrelated. Just a thought!
I would like you to tell me anytime when I’m not doing my best and give me some tips to improve my skills.
I would love to have more debates in class!
I would love to have a five minute stretching period or a five minute dance party. I believe it would help connect us all better.
What my students want me to stop:
I feel like the Retrieval Practice Google Forms (mini-quizzes) could be a little shorter. It does take some time for me to complete it.
I personally dislike the "3 sentences" for some of the more personal questions on the Retrieval Practices, as oftentimes, I find myself writing fillers as some of the psychological situations don't really apply to me. I believe people should have their own choice as to how much they want to write about their personal experiences. If they wish to expand, go ahead. Otherwise, if it doesn't really apply to them, I don't know how they're suppose to answer the question.
I think I would prefer if, instead of the Flips, we thought about the question at home and then discussed our opinions for a while in class.
This is a real thinker for me. Not to say there is such a thing as a perfect professor. I just am not able to think of something off the top of my head that I would want you to stop doing.
What my students want me to keep:
Everything. Keep showing us videos and articles, putting us into groups to discuss things, giving us a good amount of breaks, and opening our minds.
Keep the live captions! I like that I can read what you're saying off the board because it keeps me focused and also I have trouble hearing certain things, so I never miss any of the information.
I really think the retrieval practices are very effective and I do prefer them than tests. They're a very cool way for us to reflect on what we've learned and they also urge us to think critically about what we're reading about.
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What my students want to start doing for themselves:
I wish to contribute more real-life examples, as I find those to be the most interesting for our class. I've been trying to think of some situations that my family and I have encountered and I'll try to draw on those.
I’m really doing my best but I would like to participate more and get an A.
Talking more in class, I feel like I could participate more.
I want to start eating beforehand, so I'm not super hungry throughout class.
What my students want to stop doing:
I want to stop talking too much. I don’t think I do, but I will try to keep a limit on how much I've contributed.
Checking my phone for no reason, it's just a really bad habit and most of the times I check it for no reason.
I want to stop thinking that what I have to contribute is not important. I catch myself not speaking in class or taking myself back because I get so nervous to speak in front of my peers.
Stop feeling tentative to speak up in class!
What my students want to keep doing:
Learning. Plain and simple.
Stay happy and hungrier to learn.
Keep showing up and learning!
I think for now I am making a good job with keeping all of the deadlines and retrieval practices, so I hope I will keep it that way until the end of the semester.
I have a specific homework schedule that I've only started to implement during this semester thanks to study tips in this class, so I'd like to keep that up.
