October is one of my favorite times of year: it brings changing leaves, sweater weather, pumpkin-spiced lattes, and the exciting realization that the semester is already halfway through. Yet the changing seasons also remind me that teaching is not static. Even once a course has found its rhythm, there is still time to pause, listen to students, and make changes that support their learning.
One of the practices I value most in my teaching is asking students for feedback while a course is still underway. Each semester, in my nearly 300-student introductory psychology course, our instructional team – faculty, graduate instructors, and undergraduate teaching fellows – pauses to ask students three key questions:
- What is helping them learn?
- What remains challenging or unclear?
- What changes might improve their learning experience in the weeks ahead?
This feedback enables me to make adjustments now, rather than waiting until the course has ended and the opportunity to respond has passed.
Seeking feedback from students also reflects a value I hope to model: intellectual humility. Inviting students’ perspectives communicates that I, too, am learning. It also communicates that their learning matters and that I take seriously my responsibility to create conditions in which they can succeed. In my experience, that invitation can also strengthen the mutual trust and respect that make a learning community possible.
Importantly, midsemester feedback can encourage students to reflect on their own role in that community as well. Alongside questions about what instructors might do differently, I ask students to consider what they might change to support their own learning and strengthen the learning environment for others. They frequently point to simple but important actions: coming to class prepared and on time, participating more actively, making room for others’ ideas, or trying a different approach to studying.
There is no single right way to gather this feedback. A simple anonymous index card or digital poll in Wooclap can suffice. Faculty who prefer more structured data may use a brief Google Form or Qualtrics survey.
Whatever approach you choose, the most important step is to close the loop. Let students know what you heard, what you plan to adjust, and, when a requested change is not feasible, why. Doing so helps students see that feedback is part of a shared process of learning.
The CTL offers guidance, templates, and tools for gathering mid-semester feedback. As we move through the semester, I invite you to consider: What might you learn by asking your students how their learning is going – and what might they learn by being invited to reflect alongside you?