The informal early feedback you collect can be easily personalized. It depends on the questions you choose. The IEF Question Bank offers a variety of question with a focus on several aspects of instruction. Use them as is, modify them, or design your own to get the kind of feedback you want. An additional resource, the online ICES Catalog, offers a comprehensive list of questions including some on very specific topics.

RATED QUESTIONS

There are many kinds of rated questions. Some use the Likert scale; others use a multiple-choice format. Still others may call for explanations or reasons why.

Focus on content

• The content presented is (too fast  5 4 3 2 1  too slow)
• The content is (easy  5 4 3 2 1  difficult)
• The course is too theoretical  (strongly agree  5 4 3 2 1  strongly disagree)
• In lectures, the balance of theory and real world examples is appropriate. (more theory  5 4 3 2 1  more examples); can use descriptor “just right” under 3
• I can see the relationship between what I learn in class to what I will need for the future. (strongly agree  5 4 3 2 1  strongly disagree)
• The balance of time spent on small group vs. large group work is: ( ) far too much small group  ( ) a bit too much small group  ( ) about right ( ) a bit too much large group  ( ) far too much large group

Focus on instructor

• The instructor seems to sense when students do not understand. (yes, definitely  5 4 3 2 1  no, not at all)
• The instructor is sensitive to student concerns.  (yes, definitely  5 4 3 2 1  no, not at all)
• The instructor is well prepared for class.  (yes, definitely   54 3 2 1  no, not at all)
• The instructor encourages participation in class. (yes, definitely  5 4 3 2 1  no, not at all)
• The instructor circulated among small groups equally. ( ) always  ( ) most of the time  ( ) about half the time  ( ) rarely  ( ) never
• How effective was the instructor at facilitating learning in small groups? ( ) excellent  ( ) very good  ( ) adequate  ( ) not good  ( ) poor
• During discussion section, how much feedback did you receive on your solutions? ( ) sufficient  ( ) nearly sufficient  ( ) little  ( ) very little  ( ) none

Focus on student learning

• Examples and illustrations have helped my understanding (Very much  5 4 3 2 1  not at all)
• How confident are you that you understand topic  (very confident  5 4 3 2 1  not confident)
• What are the reasons for material being unclear (check all that apply)? ( ) unclear presentations by the instructor  ( ) no opportunity to ask questions ( ) lack of preparation/participation by you  ( ) other
• How much effort are you putting into this course?  (lots  5 4 3 2 1  little)

Focus on specific topics

• How helpful have the following activities been?  (very helpful  5 4 3 2 1  not at all)
  In-class group exercises
  Self-quizzes
  Class discussion
  Graded homework assignments
  Web sites 
  Discussion boards
  Review sessions 
  Other topics unique to your class

Aspects of grading

• How well do you feel the exams, so far, are reflecting the course content? (very well  5 4 3 2 1  not well at all)
• The grading is fair on assignments.  (yes, always  5 4 3 2 1  no, never)
• The grading is fair on exams.  (yes, always  5 4 3 2 1  no, never)

Open-ended questions

• What activities in this class best help you learn the material? Why?
• Are you doing the non-required homework on a regular basis? Why or why not?
• Have you attended any review sessions? Was the format helpful? How would you like to have the review sessions organized?
• How are you using the course management system (Compass, Moodle)?
• How does the use of new technologies help you learn? Examples: clickers, podcasts, Power Point in lectures, web assignments, etc.
• (For large lecture classes) How are you feeling in this class – isolated, connected? Is this a benefit or a hindrance? 

You may also want to think about other forms of and/or reasons for feedback. For example, the one-minute paper can provide a quick and simple way to collect written feedback on student learning. Likewise, the muddiest point will let you know which points were most unclear in a particular lesson or topic.

Additional Resources

• Lewis, K. G. 2001. Making Sense of Student Written Comments. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 87, 25-32.
• Lewis, K. G. 2001. Using Midsemester Student Feedback and Responding to It. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 87, 33-44.
• Ory, J. C. 2001. Faculty Thoughts and Concerns About Student Ratings.  New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 87, 3-15.
• Svinicki, M. D. 2001. Encouraging Your Students to Give Feedback. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 87, 17-24.