Getting feedback from your students Peter Newbury Center for Teaching Development, UCSD ctd.ucsd.edu 6 November 2013

1. slides and resources: ctd.ucsd.edu/programs/fall-2013-weekly-workshops/
CTD WEEKLY WORKSHOPS:
GETTING FEEDBACK FROM
YOUR STUDENTS
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu
@polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu
#ctducsd
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
12:00 – 12:50 pm Center Hall, Room 316

2. The Lament of the Instructor/TA…
“I WANT to know if they’ve got it, but how?
They just sit there!”
“I’m pretty sure the people who are asking questions
are the ones who understood it best. Why don’t
the ones who are lost SAY something?”
“Is what I am doing helping them?”
“Why don’t they ask any questions?!”
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Getting feedback from your students

3. How people learn:
Students need a chance to
try,
fail,
receive feedback,
and try again
…before a summative evaluation.
(Ken Bain (2004). What the best college teachers do.)
The same applies to instructors
learning how to teach!
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Getting feedback from your students

4. Solution: Get Feedback
1. Set expectations
2. Enable and encourage
honest communication
3. React to student challenges
and requests
(Image: sphere-itize me, captain by demibrooke on flickr CC)
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Getting feedback from your students

5. you
them
What’s it about?
Who’s it for?
Feedback
about how
you’re
teaching
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Getting feedback from your students
Feedback
about how
we’re learning

6. 1. The First Day: Critical
 TAs: Have discussion section the FIRST WEEK
Instructors: discuss this in the first class

If you can’t, send email via TED/class list.
 Be enthusiastic (or fake it)


about content of course
about your desire to help them learn
 Set expectations


6
tell them what you will do each week to help/prepare
tell them how you want THEM to let you know what they
want/need
Getting feedback from your students

7. 1. The First Day: Critical
“This was one of my favorite courses in undergrad. I am
so excited to be able to help you get the most you can
out of this course.”
“I am here to help YOU. And I will do what I can to
figure out what that is – but I can’t read your mind. I
will be asking you to tell me what you need and what
you’d like me to do.”
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Getting feedback from your students

8. 2. Enable/encourage honest communication
 Provide a private asking space



Email to TA or instructor (develop, discuss, follow your
email policy)
Googleform
Free surveymonkey
 Provide a public asking space



8
Discussion/Question Asking Forum in TED (be sure to
monitor the forum – TA’s job?)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on TED
Piazza: Crowd-sourced question answering
Getting feedback from your students

9. How can you get feedback
in class or Section?
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Getting feedback from your students

10. Muddiest Point Card /Minute Paper
 Index cards you hand out in lecture



hand out index cards every day as students enter the
room
ask them to write down things when they’re confused
collect during class (esp if break) or at end
 slip of paper with (smallish) text box drawn on it


ask students to write down what most confused about at
end of lecture
Drop in boxes on way out
 Can also be done before/in/after discussion section
http://www.flaguide.org/cat/minutepapers/minutepapers1.php
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Getting feedback from your students

11. Two-Minute Pause Procedure (



mostly
lecture
)
Stop every 10-12 minutes (middle of a topic is OK, too)
Ask students to talk with a neighbor for 2 minutes (use your
phone to time it): “Review what was just lectured – explain
to each other, check notes, ask a question.”
return from two-minute pause with class-wide discussion
 Research study: Students performed one letter grade
better ( Ruhl, K.L., Hughes, C.A., & Schloss, P.J. (1987))
 Why does it work?



11
reduces cognitive load
provides opportunity for metacognition
put in own words helps clarify/deepen understanding
Getting feedback from your students

12. CAPES for Prof
in
Dept.
12
100%
90%
Recommend Class
80%
70%
60%
50%
started using
two-minute
pause
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
SP10
Getting feedback from your students
SP11
FA11
SP13

13. “Any questions?”
NEVER, NEVER ask this.
Instead:
1. “Take a minute and talk with your neighbors to see
if you understand or to come up with a question.”
2. Wait 1-2 minutes: walk around listening in,
encourage “good questions”
3. Take questions and answer them or admit you aren’t
sure, need time to prepare a good explanations
(and get back to them!)
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Getting feedback from your students

14. What have you tried?
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Getting feedback from your students

15. 2. Enable/encourage honest communication
Reward participation and question-asking:
 Verbally “Thanks” “That’s important” “I didn’t
realize that. Thanks for asking.” “Great question,
Michael!”
Learning your students’
names, not just the ones in
 Candy
the front, makes HUGE
 Points?
positive impact on
“community” in classroom!
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Getting feedback from your students

16. 3. React to student challenges/requests
For TAs in discussion section or instructor running review
1. List topics you have prepared in top left corner of
board (Get these from attending lecture and ½
listening or forums or cards)
2. Ask students if they have other topics to add
3. Take vote on what students want to cover
4. Go from most votes to least (kind of)
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Getting feedback from your students

17. KQS – Keep Quit Start cards
1. around week 3-4-5 (late enough that they know your
class but soon enough you can make changes)
“Please write down one thing I should KEEP, QUIT,
START doing.”
2. Review cards before next class
3. Report back (selectively is OK)



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Include some things there was split (like going too fast/slow)
Things people wanted and you can’t change, explain:
“I HEAR YOU but I need to prepare you for the next class.”
If 90% of students say quit doing something – you are
going to have to quit
Getting feedback from your students

18. How to Get Feedback
1. Set expectations
2. Enable/encourage honest communication
3. React to student challenges/requests
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Getting feedback from your students

19. How to Get Feedback
1. Set expectations
2. Enable/encourage honest communication
3. React to student challenges/requests
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Getting feedback from your students
Concept: Martha Stacklin, UCSD-CTD
Images: Action in Lane 20 by djking on flickr CC
Ping Pong by MugurM on flickr CC

20. slides and resources: ctd.ucsd.edu/programs/fall-2013-weekly-workshops/
CTD WEEKLY WORKSHOPS:
GETTING FEEDBACK FROM
YOUR STUDENTS
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu
@polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu
#ctducsd
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
12:00 – 12:50 pm Center Hall, Room 316