Collecting Mid-semester Feedback
Now (mid-term) is a good time to collect feedback from your students about how the course is progressing and to identify any mid-course corrections that can help improve their learning this semester. TLL offers the following resources to help you get started:
Templates
Downloadable templates for collecting written feedback from students, including:
- MUD Cards
- Exit Tickets
- Pluses and Wishes
You can find these and more on our Mid-semester Formative Feedback page in Teaching Resources.
Midcourse Formative Review (MFR)
TLL offers MFRs to support faculty and instructors as they grapple with how to best engage and support their students’ learning. At the instructor’s request, a TLL team member will conduct small focus groups with students in their class to discuss the following questions:
- What helps your learning in this course?
- What hinders your learning in this course?
- What suggestions do you have to improve your learning in this course?
- What are you doing that helps or hinders your learning in this course?
- What could you be doing to enhance your learning in this course?
After helping students write down, verbalize, and discuss their reactions, the consultant synthesizes the student feedback and shares it with the instructor. Lastly, the consultant provides guidance on how to make immediate course corrections and communicate these changes with students.
The MFR is a confidential, formative feedback experience that creates opportunities for innovation and transformation of teaching that are beneficial to both instructors and students.
If you’d like to learn more about the MFR, please contact the Teaching + Learning Lab (tll@mit.edu). We look forward to hearing from you!
Additional Information
Read Supporting Student Learning written by Dr. Raechel Soicher, Assistant Director for Evaluation and Research at TLL in the January-March 2024 issue of the MIT Faculty Newsletter.
Visit our blog The Value of Collecting Mid-semester Formative Feedback.