"How Am I Doing? Opportunities To Correct Your Course Mid-Term,"
Vol. IX, No. 4, March/April 1997

Miriam Rosalyn Diamond

It's mid-semester. You've launched your class, navigated your way through half the course content, half of the problem sets, and the midterm. You wonder if you are reaching your students, and whether the means used to convey material have been successful. You know students will provide evaluations at the end of the semester, but that's too late to give you direction for this term. Don’t despair! You can get feedback now on how the class is progressing and what you can do to get it on the best track.

Mid-term feedback provides a compass. You can use it to discern where the course is going and paths you may pursue to improve your teaching during the semester. Each group of students has its own expectations, needs and personality. Instructional techniques that were on-target with one cohort may falter with another. Checking in at mid-term can keep you informed about how well you're responding to students' needs; whether you're presenting material at the right pace; how clearly you're describing concepts and methods; your proficiency in evaluating student progress; and the extent to which you are keeping students interested and stimulated. At the same time your students are able to understand how you made pedagogic decisions and the way their peers feel about the course.

There are several methods available for mid-term assessment. Each has advantages and limitations. These techniques are not mutually exclusive; each may be combined with other options to attain a more complete picture. The following is a list of the most commonly used options to help keep your subject afloat:

1) Devise or use a brief form to get written comments from students. These are best administered during (not after) the usual class meeting time, and should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Surveys can follow the Course Evaluation Guide end-of-term format. Or you may choose to ask a few general questions ("What aspects of the course are most helpful in facilitating your learning? Least helpful? What suggestions do you have that would improve your learning in this class?"). The questionnaires can refer to the details of your class (i.e., listing each aspect of the course, asking how that aspect facilitates learning and how it can be improved to increase the students' knowledge of the subject matter). You can also ask for summaries of key concepts the students feel they have mastered so far, what they are expecting to cover during the remainder of the sessions, and the advice they would give to students considering taking the class in the future. Although numerical data are easiest to tabulate, short essay questions may reveal more qualitative - and useful - information.

When analyzing and synthesizing this material, look for discrepancies between what you expected students to say and the actual reviews, as well as discernible patterns of responses and suggested modifications that can be made while the course is in session.

Don't forget to summarize findings in class and engage the students in a brief discussion. This allows them to clarify points, and for you to communicate modifications you plan to implement as a result of this exercise. Diversity in responses may reflect different experiences along gender or ethnic lines, background levels and learning approaches. Although this information is not available from the forms, you may discern such trends when processing results with the class. It also empowers the students to know that they have been listened to, and helps them appreciate the complexity of pedagogic decision making by learning about the variety of opinions among their classmates.

(A warning: Asking students to give verbal feedback during individual meetings or class time - in place of an anonymous written survey - can yield misleading data. Not all students speak up or are willing to say something that appears to go against what they perceive as popular opinion. This practice can also make students feel uncomfortable; often they are concerned about making honest statements without fear of repercussion.)

The advantage of this format is that the students themselves give reactions to the overall course structure, as well as pedagogic style. The main disadvantage is that information received can be contradictory, so it may not always be clear how to proceed

2) Have your class videotaped and reviewed with a Teaching Resource Network (TRN) representative and/or a faculty mentor. (You can arrange this by calling x3-7603 and scheduling a taping session.) This allows you to see yourself in action, and experience the class from the perspective of a student. In addition, you can get suggestions from an expert.

Videotaping is a powerful means to focus on one class session and emphasizes presentation technique.

Overall course structure, assignments, evaluation of student progress, and other out-of-class experiences may not be addressed through this medium.

3) Ask an accomplished faculty member or TRN representative to observe a class meeting in person and provide concrete feedback. This process takes into account not only presentation style, but includes interactions in the classroom and general atmosphere. It is important that your consultant be an expert instructor with an understanding of the range of options available for conducting a class. You should meet prior to the observation session to review the course syllabus, goals, and any specific areas on which you would like suggestions. Consider in what format their comments would be most useful. An evaluation instrument - with a checklist of major factors to consider - can help focus the observation. Alternately, you may decide that a narrative account would be more useful.

During the class meeting, introduce the observer to students. Clarify that s/he is there to help the instructor, not to evaluate the students’ performance. Within a week after the observed session, the consultant should meet with you to discuss what they saw. This conversation should be just that - a dialogue and problem-solving session. The observer can encourage you to think through choices made and whether you considered alternate means of addressing the same goals.

The data resulting from observation focuses on your instructional methods and effectiveness, as well as overall classroom atmosphere and interaction with students. It can situate the class in the context of your syllabus. However, it may not emphasize the general course structure or out-of-classroom aspects, such as assignments and examinations.

4) Participate in group meetings with peers. Through these, you may gain support, feedback, and ideas for expanding your repertoire. Critical events and decisions in teaching can be identified and processed as they occur throughout the semester. Participants are free to share frustrations and triumphs, learn how common particular incidents and concerns are, and discover new techniques that peers have found useful. Mentoring relationships between more accomplished faculty and new instructors can develop. At the same time, discussions are likely to focus on topics the participants choose to present/ emphasize, and may not provide opportunity to recognize all of your strengths and need areas.

5) Engage in self-evaluation/ assessment, through which you reflect on your teaching; goals, methods, and how you measure outcomes (by whether students stay awake? ask questions? performance on tests and homework? attendance?). Examine how the course is going, based on those outcomes. In evaluating yourself, remember to validate areas of competence, as well as room for growth. Devise a plan to improve skills that warrant attention. Also consider what you feel the students value about the course.

Examination of key incidents and interactions in the course can provide the stimulus for analysis, as well. Identify and learn from the challenges and mistakes you have faced. You may choose to keep a log, or periodically take an inventory check.

This method allows for self-evaluation and goal-setting. It also gives an opportunity to reflect on the entire course thus far, not merely a single class meeting. Yet, used by itself, this method does not provide important objective information.

As the semester progresses, it is helpful to chart the effectiveness of your class and your instructional methods. Are you closing in on your original goals? Through the use and combination of student feedback forms, videotaping, observation, discussion among colleagues and self-evaluation, you can re-navigate and improve aspects of your teaching while the course is current.

[You can reach our Teach Talk guest columnist, Miriam Diamond, by e-mail at diamondm@mit.edu.]