Using Student Feedback to Improve Your Teaching

Designing a Feedback Form for use in your course

Teresa Dawson, UVic Learning and Teaching Centre, 2006

There are many reasons for designing your own feedback form for use in class

• If you are a new instructor you may wish to check your progress after about week 3 of the course. In this way adjustments can be made before the formal course evaluations are done at the end of term.
• Perhaps you have tried a new innovation and specifically want to know if it was useful.
• You are a graduate student and do not have access to a regular feedback process but nevertheless need student feedback on your teaching for your portfolio or to apply for a job.
  
  

Tips for getting effective feedback using a questionnaire

• Explain carefully to students why you are asking for their feedback and how their comments will be used (for example to improve the course in subsequent weeks/terms).
• Ask them to be specific and to use examples from the course to illustrate their points.
• Assure students it is anonymous
• Give them time in class to fill out the questionnaire to indicate how important it is to you.
• Only ask students questions about items they are able to judge.
• Only ask about issues you are prepared to (or can) change
  
  

Sample feedback questionnaire

If you do not have any specific questions you want to ask, you might start with the Sample Feedback Questionnaire form. Feel free to adapt it to your needs.