Getting Feedback From Your Students

Early, frequent, and low-stakes feedback throughout the semester can provide you with helpful information on how your students are learning. 

In the FAS, course evaluations are known as “the Q”:

• Instructors must opt-in to run official Mid-Semester Feedback in Blue.
• All courses with 5 or more students run Q/Course Evaluations in the final weeks of the semester.

Bok Center staff are happy to help instructors with anything related to collecting and interpreting feedback from students, including: 

• Designing and implementing an early or midterm feedback survey if: you prefer to run your own survey, if you’ve missed the Blue deadline, if you're a TF/TA and your course head hasn't opted-in to the mid-semester Blue feedback, or if you want to collect feedback at additional times during the semester.
• Drafting optional questions for the Blue guides that will help prompt students to respond with the kind of feedback that will be the most useful and actionable for you.
• Designing lower-stakes opportunities for ongoing feedback, such as polls, minute papers or weekly exit tickets.
• Processing and responding to student feedback once you’ve received it. 

In addition to getting feedback directly from your students, a class observation can give you another set of eyes on your teaching and classroom dynamics.

Please contact us at bokcenter@fas.harvard.edu to schedule a consult.