IF YOU WANT TO:
Conducting and responding to a mid-term evaluation by students.
A critical aspect of conducting a midsemester evaluation is to let students know that their comments have been thoughtfully considered. At the very next class meeting, thank the students for their comments and their suggestions and give a brief, non-defensive account of those suggestions you can use this term, those which must wait until the next time you teach the class and those which you either cannot or, for pedagogical reasons, will not change.
Students often make valuable suggestions or point out problems that can be easily remedied. A professor of forestry conducted a midterm evaluation in which he received numerous complaints that he talked too fast during lecture. At the beginning of the class period immediately following the evaluation, he playfully handed out signs which said "Slow down," "Go more slowly," and "Too Fast!" to students scattered around the room. During the lecture, students were encouraged to put up a sign when they felt he was lecturing too rapidly.
Of course, not all student suggestions can or should be followed. For example, you may not give students as much guidance as they would like because you are consciously trying to foster their intellectual independence. The important thing is to acknowledge their suggestions and to give a brief explanation as to why you cannot follow all of their suggestions.
Limitations on Use of Suggestion
Copyright 1983 by the Regents of the University of California