Introduction

As an educator, your ultimate goal is to help your students learn and grow. Student feedback is one way to ensure you are providing the best possible learning experience.

According to a Journal of Higher Education study, “It is evident that student evaluation, whether of courses, teaching quality or the overall student experience, is extremely important and has a significant role to play in the quality assurance process.” (Leckley & Neville, 2010)

Feedback helps identify areas of strength and weakness, allowing you to make necessary improvements. Unfortunately, feedback opportunities are scarce in most classrooms.

However, there are ways to encourage students to share their thoughts and opinions on your teaching.

Let’s discuss how student feedback can help you improve your teaching and how to gather it effectively.

The Benefits of Student Feedback

One of the biggest benefits of student feedback is that it helps teachers to improve their teaching. Effective feedback is a great way for teachers to use collected data in order to improve student learning.

According to the book "How People Learn," by Bransford, Brown, and Cocking, feedback opportunities in most classrooms are scarce. However, if you can create a culture that values feedback, you can empower students to take charge of their own learning. (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999).

Identifying Strengths

Student feedback can help you identify areas where you excel. Knowing your strengths is essential because it allows you to build on them.

For example, if students consistently rate you high for using real-life examples in your lectures, you know that this is a strength. You can then incorporate more real-life examples in your teaching to further enhance your lectures.

Similarly, if you receive positive feedback from your students regarding your ability to simplify complex concepts, you may want to incorporate more of those techniques in your teaching.

Identifying Weaknesses

Student feedback can also help you identify areas where you need improvement. Knowing your weaknesses is important because it allows you to address them.

For example, if students consistently rate you low for your ability to explain complex concepts, you know that this is an area for improvement. You can then improve your explanations of complex ideas to help your students better.

Similarly, if students comment that you are not providing enough practice problems, you can adjust your teaching to include more practice problems.

Improving Student Engagement

Student feedback can also help you improve student engagement. When students feel that their opinions are valued, they are more likely to engage in learning.

For example, if students provide feedback that they are struggling to understand a particular concept, you can adjust your teaching to better explain that concept. When students see that you are responsive to their needs, they are more likely to be engaged in the learning process.

Moreover, if students give you feedback that they are bored with your lectures, you can incorporate more interactive activities in your teaching to make it more engaging.

How to Gather Student Feedback

Now that we have discussed the benefits of student feedback let's talk about how to gather it. There are several ways to gather student feedback, each with its benefits and drawbacks.

Anonymous Surveys

One of the most common ways to gather student feedback is through anonymous surveys. Anonymous surveys allow students to provide honest feedback without fear of retribution.

The downside of anonymous surveys is that they may not provide specific enough feedback to be actionable.

For example, if a student provides feedback that your lectures are boring, you may not know what specific aspects of your lectures are boring. You can ask more targeted questions about specific teaching techniques, activities, or assignments to overcome this.

One-on-One Meetings

Another way to gather student feedback is through one-on-one meetings. One-on-one meetings allow for a more in-depth conversation about a student's experience in your class.

The downside of one-on-one meetings is that they can be time-consuming and may not be feasible for larger classes. However, you can use this method for smaller classes to gather more detailed student feedback.

You can ask students to share their thoughts on what's working well, what's not working, and any suggestions they may have.

Mid-Semester Evaluations

Mid-semester evaluations are a great way to gather feedback from students before the end of the semester.

Mid-semester evaluations can provide specific feedback on what is and is not working in your class. The downside of mid-semester evaluations is that they may not provide enough time for you to make significant changes before the end of the semester.

However, you can use this method to make minor adjustments to your teaching style, activities, or assignments.

Student Feedback is Vital - Find Ways to Integrate it Today

student feedback is a powerful tool that can help you improve your teaching. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses, improving student engagement, and gathering feedback are just a few ways student feedback can benefit you as an educator.

By using anonymous surveys, one-on-one meetings, and mid-semester evaluations, you can gather the feedback you need to improve.

As stated in a recent article on EdSurge, "Frequent and focused feedback was the key to empowering students to take charge of their learning." (Edsurge, 2022)

Let's ensure we provide our students with the feedback they need to succeed.