Exit tickets and midterm surveys are great ways to collect feedback from students that can be used to improve your class sessions and identify what is already working well.
Exit tickets, or brief activities that are used to end a class session, can help you to do the following:
- check for student understanding
- collect feedback about the class session
- ask students to apply and document their learning
- identify starting points for the next class session
Exit tickets can be collected via
a poll, a D2L Discussion, a
D2L quiz, a templated
collaborative document, or individual reflection papers submitted to
D2L Submission folders.
Exit Ticket Prompts
Keep your exit ticket short (1-3 questions) and create your prompt with your goals in mind.
Prompts for Feedback on Instructional Strategies
- What action that anyone (teacher or student) took this week did you find most affirming or helpful?
- What suggestions do you have for how today's class could have been improved?
- What did you think was accomplished by the small group activity we did today?
- Which of the readings or activities you did for class today was most helpful in preparing you for the lesson or discussion? Why?
Prompts to Assess Learning
- What is one thing you learned today?
- What was the muddiest point in today's class?
- What is one question you have about today's lecture or discussion?
- What were you surprised by during today's class?
- How will you apply ______?
Prompts to Promote Student Self-Analysis
- At what moment were you most engaged during today's class?
- At what moment were you least engaged?
- What will you do to prepare for the next class session?
- How can you improve your experience in the class?
Midterm Surveys
Surveying your students at the midpoint of the quarter can offer you valuable insights into what is going well and not so well in the courses you’re teaching. A midterm survey
- Helps you identify immediate improvements that you can make before the end of the term.
- Benefits the students who provide the feedback, unlike end of quarter teaching evaluations which inform future iterations of the course.
- Allows you to address your current students’ concerns and gives you an opportunity to communicate how you will respond to them.
Developing Midterm Survey Questions
Reflect on the reasons why you are soliciting student feedback in the first place. Do you want to gauge generally what is working well and what is not? Or are there specific elements of the course that you are already considering modifying? Be prepared to act on the feedback that you receive, and keep the survey short and specific enough to help you do so.
Example open-ended questions
- What is helping you learn in this course?
- What is limiting or hindering your learning in this course?
- What can your instructor do differently to help you improve your learning?
- What can you do differently to improve your learning?
More specific open-ended questions
- Are you comfortable sharing opinions or asking questions in class or online? Why or why not?
- Which class activity (e.g., Zoom breakout rooms discussion, online lab simulation, reflection essays) helps you learn best? Why?
- Is there anything you expected to encounter in this course that we haven’t addressed yet?
- Please describe your reading habits for this course (e.g., When do you do the readings? Do you take notes? etc.).
Example Likert-scale questions
- The course schedule and assignment deadlines are clear.
- The assignment details or project guidelines are clear.
- The materials, activities, and/or assignments contribute to my learning.
- I receive timely feedback and help, when needed.
The University of Toronto has published a great
guide on creating specific mid-term survey question prompts for soliciting feedback based on your course and goals.
Choosing a Midterm Survey Tool
There are several ways you can create surveys. Some instructors prefer to use
D2L surveys or
Qualtrics, while others find
Google Forms a bit more user-friendly.
Sharing the Midterm Survey with Students
- Explain your purpose for soliciting feedback, which may include a discussion about why you incorporated certain questions. If you’ve previously made adjustments based on student feedback, you might provide an example to emphasize how you value student feedback and the type student feedback that is most useful. Indicate that results are anonymous and in no way connected to grades.
- Share your survey introduction and a link to your survey
in a news item in your D2L course. You can also
add a link and description of the survey in a specific module (e.g., Week 5).
- Encourage students to contact you directly if they have individual questions or concerns, as you will not be able to identify them individually in the anonymous survey results.
Responding to Midterm Survey Feedback
Review the results with your goals for collecting feedback in mind. Focus on trends that you see in the feedback. Thank students again for their feedback, communicate a few general observations, and discuss how you plan to address the feedback.
These are some examples of the ways you might address student feedback:
Student Feedback: I don’t know when assignments are due.
Instructor Adjustment and Explanation: I noticed several students said they have difficulty managing the deadlines. I've added the remaining due dates to our course calendar. Please also
download the Pulse app to receive notifications.
Student Feedback: I want to talk more with my classmates.
Instructor Adjustment and Explanation: A few of you said you wished you were able to talk with other students in the class synchronously. I've scheduled an optional class discussion via Zoom.
Otherwise, discussing the survey results with your students also provides you with the opportunity to:
- Highlight what’s working well in the course. Point to positive trends and provide students with credit for their role in creating a positive learning environment.
- Clarify your expectations and course policies. Use this as an opportunity to reinforce your expectations and direct students to resources in your course.
- Note the ways the feedback varied. For example, if your class is split halfway on the value of small-group discussions, communicate this to them. Doing so may help them to further consider the role they play in the course and the fact that there is not one perfect solution or method.
For additional tips on how to implement, and communicate survey feedback, see University of Toronto’s “Interpreting the Results of Evaluations” and Vanderbilt University’s “Soliciting and Utilizing Mid-Semester Feedback” guides. If you’re unsure how to interpret some comments, you may also find it helpful to review the feedback with a colleague or your
Instructional Designer from the Center for Teaching and Learning.
Some student feedback will address elements that you’re unable to change as the course is in progress. Note those items for later reflection and revision.
Feedback Brainstorming Activity: Stop, Start, Continue
During synchronous class sessions, you may also want to consider using a brainstorming tool like a Google Jamboard to solicit feedback using the popular "stop, start, continue" format. In this activity, students can suggest things that aren't working well (things that should stop), things that aren't currently happening that would be helpful (things that should start), and things that are working well (things that should continue).
References and Resources
Carol A Hurney, Nancy L Harris, Samantha C Bates Prins, & S E Kruck. (2014).
The Impact of a Learner-Centered, Mid-Semester Course Evaluation on Students. The Journal of Faculty Development, 28(3), 55-61.
Center for Teaching & Learning, Boston University.
Getting feedback from students.
Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation, University of Toronto.
Gathering Formative Feedback with Mid-Course Evaluations.
Lewis, K. (2001).
Using Midsemester Student Feedback and Responding to It. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2001(87), 33-44.
Marx, R., (2019).
Soliciting and utilizing mid-semester feedback. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.
Svinicki, M., Nicol, D., & McKeachie, W. (2014).
McKeachie’s teaching tips : strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (Fourteenth edition.). Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Wickramasinghe, S., & Timpson, W. (2006).
Mid-Semester Student Feedback Enhances Student Learning. Education for Chemical Engineers, 1(1), 126–133.