8 Quick Tips for Responding to Dynamic Student Feedback
Time to read: 5 minutes
Receiving feedback is simple, but that doesn’t mean it is easy.
As a self-proclaimed qualitative researcher, student feedback and personal testimonies are a great source of design inspiration! However, before requesting feedback,we must keep an open mind and plan to actualize the results.
What exactly does that entail? First, Remember that requesting student feedback is not meant to be an ‘open mic’ for criticism. Next, focus on creating space for meaningful conversations based on requests for help, affirmations, and communication suggestions expressed in the responses. And lastly, keep your audience in mind.
I empathize with the feeling that this type of data collection (encouraging the good, the bad, and the ugly) gives us a reason to pause! Like many of you, I value reflection, and by midterm, I have a general idea of what materials students have worked through and what I might want to adjust for the following semester. However, it is essential to keep the audience in mind.
Students must know that their feedback is received and valued. Whether you respond in real-time or asynchronously, consider the following tips.
Keep it simple
Utilize technology to capture the results (students use mobile a lot). Sometimes, an online survey tool will even put results and themes in chart format for you!
Survey fatigue is real
There is no need for a lengthy survey. A few simple questions can highlight depths of opinion and learning. Our example survey taps out at six questions.
Acknowledge them
Tell the students beforehand why you want their feedback, and then let them know you have received it, appreciate their suggestions, and are reviewing their comments.
Not everything has to change
There are always parts of the class that students enjoy and want to keep!
Take a moment to emphasize the positive responses and what’s going well.
Stress to students that their learning is fluid and ever-evolving —just like the course material!
strike a balance between challenge and support
If the students have suggested a change in rigor, evaluate whether this type of feedback stems from learning something new (learning new things can be challenging at first) and if the suggested change will compromise curriculum standards.
In my experience, requests for making content “easier” have more to do with motivation and volition than genuine suggestions for course design improvements. When these suggestions arise, I point to course resources, remind students of supplemental materials, and ask what other support they need to succeed. This strategy also helps empower students to help one another and be a part of the solution.
I rarely change the difficulty level of a particular assessment, assignment, or instructional unit.
However, I have clarified instructions, amended due dates, and provided more student examples.
We all have opinions
Not every item mentioned needs to be addressed; however, several responses surrounding the same theme or topic are usually worth exploring. If you plan to make a change, explain how it will take place and thank them for bringing the suggestion to your attention.
Have a go-to list of conversation starters
Feedback is always unique but tends to follow a pattern when you teach the same material multiple times. I have a list of go-to responses for several feedback types to help start conversations based on requests for help, affirmations, and communication suggestions. These include:
I appreciate your comments! One of the things you mentioned that I’m reviewing includes...
This is what we agreed is going well…
Based on your feedback, I am going to make the following adjustments...
Here's what I am not going to change and why ...
Be brave
When reading responses, I am sometimes amused, sometimes inspired, and other times just confused. But all of the comments and suggestions make me a better educator. I’m not one to shy away from or avoid challenging conversations, and you shouldn’t either! The conversations that have transpired due to student feedback are essential to making us better, more dynamic educators - so be brave!
Wait, there’s More!
Download a FREE sample set of 6, customizable survey questions.
Below you’ll find links to the sample survey questions in a few different formats…
An editable Google Doc
A Microsoft Word file
A fully-built Canvas survey file — if you use Canvas as your Learning Management System (LMS) that you can import directly into a Canvas course.
