In a few weeks, it will be the middle of the term and a good opportunity to gather some feedback from students as to what they perceive is helpful to their learning. This allows instructors to consider student viewpoints as they evaluate whether to adjust any of their teaching practices for the rest of the term.
A popular and effective approach is the “Stop. Start. Continue.” survey. It can be as simple as the three questions below:
- What would you like me to stop doing?
- What would you like me to start doing?
- What would you like me to continue doing?
The prompts help students be more specific in their recommendations and increase the likelihood that they will also include “why” they would like changes. Some instructors include additional details within the prompts:
- What is one thing you like about our class that you would like to see continue?
- What is one thing about our class that you think could use improvement?
- What aspect of our class has been most difficult for you? Why do you think it has been so difficult?
- What are you going to do differently before the next assignment to make sure you succeed?
In these questions, students are explicitly included as part of the learning community, and in the final question, they are prompted to reflect on their own practices thus far.
Instructors often tailor the questions to their specific needs and craft questions based on their ability to make meaningful changes based on the feedback. If instructors are not able to respond to the feedback, they may use other approaches to gain students’ perspectives on their learning experience.
While Kathy Castle, associate professor of practice in communications studies, does not do a formal feedback survey in her large-enrollment hybrid course, she does get feedback from GTAs who work closely with students as they lead the recitation sections. She also pays close attention to themes that emerge in the end of semester feedback from students so she can be adaptive from one semester to the next.
"While there is not much flexibility for me in the online lecture portion of the class to make major adjustments mid-way through a semester across 24 sections, we listen carefully to students in their recitation sections and watch student performance. This gives us the opportunity to catch potential issues early, make small adjustments, and provide guidance and clarification quickly.
"I emphasize establishing a strong rapport with students in the smaller recitation sections that promotes a collaborative learning environment with carefully scaffolded activities and assignments aimed at identifying issues with understanding that can be addressed in real time. In addition to this, we place a heavy emphasis on identifying themes in end of semester feedback and making adjustments promotive of student learning and success in between semesters to ensure we can be as consistent as possible across all sections of the course.”
“Start. Stop. Continue.” surveys can be carried out using the Canvas survey tool or a simple sheet of paper. If using the paper-based method, put the questions on the board and have students fold the paper such that there is a defined space for their response to each question. For example, if you use a 4-question approach, fold the paper in fours. The fold lines create defined space on the page for student responses and will make the responses easier to read and synthesize.
If you would like assistance setting up or carrying out a “Start. Stop. Continue.” survey, contact an instructional designer assigned to your college. If you have an idea to share on how faculty collect and act on student feedback, contact ctt@unl.edu.
More details at: https://teaching.unl.edu/