Providing Student Feedback

As a Dean, one of the number one complaints I hear from students is: "My instructor doesn't give me enough feedback." And really, there's probably no such thing as too much feedback. Of course when you have 150 students in a semester, it's difficult to provide as much feedback as each student might like. Nevertheless, here are some ideas on how to provide more feedback to your students.

From: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/teachingtips.htm

It seems that no matter what college faculty do, students perceive that they aren't getting enough feedback. Some faculty make the following suggestions:

1. Give short quizzes over the day's material.

2. Have students grade objective quizzes and tests in class to provide more immediate feedback.

3. Reward successful behavior with verbal praise, an honor roll, or personal notes.

4. As a motivator, post all students' grades in bar chart form (using assigned student numbers rather than names to insure confidentiality). Unsuccessful students often see that others are succeeding and seek help.

5. Give midterm grades and offer suggestions for improvement.

6. Keep your gradebook current and encourage students to check it regularly.

7. Give a test early in the term (i.e. during the second or third week of the quarter). Return it the next class day. Discuss the answers and allow students to ask questions in class.

8. Ask students to critique each others' papers, projects or essay test answers for readability and/or content.

9. Discuss or post answers to ungraded quizzes or homework problems.

10. Ask that students write questions at the end of a lesson. Answer them individually in writing or discuss them during the next class.

11. Encourage students to use study groups to solicit feedback on their comprehension of class material.

12. Establish an atmosphere that is open and safe for students to ask questions that will help check their understanding of materials covered in class or reading assignments. Start each class with a question & answer session.