At the heart of effective teaching is an ongoing process of self-evaluation and obtaining feedback from others. When data are collected during the semester, when suitable kinds of questions are posed, and when the procedures used provide sufficient detail to help teachers determine what is and is not working, the result can be extremely helpful. There are many different kinds of data you can collect, some less formal than others. But generally speaking, those data that ultimately prove to be the most useful share the following characteristics: they are (1) timely, (2) systematic, and (3) descriptive.

One obvious source of information about teaching is students themselves. As part of our consultative services, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) maintains a file of activities for obtaining effective student feedback. The following is a brief description of three kinds of activities that have been tried and tested in Penn State classrooms. Obviously, these procedures can be used at any point during the semester, but they have the greatest potential to improve teaching and learning when used early. You might consider administering at least one of these feedback instruments as early as the third week of class.

Our staff are available to consult with instructors about any of these activities. We particularly recommend a consultation for first-time participants. The spirit of the discussion involves a mutual exploration of what the data may mean and what future actions are possible.

Designing your own questionnaire, especially one that includes some open-ended questions, can be an extremely effective way of obtaining feedback if you ask questions that solicit moderately focused responses. Very broad and general questions (e.g., "What did you like most, or least, about this class?") may result in irrelevant or vague responses ("I liked your yellow shirt," "I don't like the lectures"). In contrast, specific questions (e.g., "What kinds of comments on papers and quizzes do you find most useful? Least useful?") will for the most part elicit more informative feedback by encouraging students to describe the kinds of behaviors that are working in a particular instructional situation ("I don't understand the symbols you use in your comments"). Some students will also offer very simple and concrete suggestions for how to make things work better ("Leave the overheads up longer so we can copy from them).

CELT would be happy to assist you in designing a questionnaire. A good first step is to assess your own teaching goals and methods. A sample self-analysis, along with a corresponding open-ended set of midsemester questions for students and a more extensive teacher-scored questionnaire are available in our collection of sample questionnaires. The Center is happy to assist as needed, either in designing a questionnaire or interpreting the results.

All too often, what goes on in the mind of the learner remains an enigma to those who teach. Cross and Angelo (1988, 1993) compiled a set of structured assessment activities gleaned from a variety of sources in order to better illuminate this frequently unknown territory. The most widely known and used of these activities is often referred to as the Minute Paper. Simple in its design yet profound in its outcome, this procedure has students write brief responses to two questions: (1) What is the most important thing you learned in class today? and (2) What important questions remain unanswered for you? The responses enable the instructor to assess what students have actually learned and to respond appropriately (for example, by providing additional explanation if necessary). Although the core questions may need to be adjusted, the basic concept is one that has utility within virtually every classroom. Moreover, it is an activity that can be as informative for students as it is for instructors. (For more information, see our Introduction to Classroom Assessment Techniques)

For those teaching large class sections, the prospect of reading and interpreting hand- scored questionnaires can be fairly daunting. Although you can get a quick idea of the basic patterns by reading a subset of the questionnaires, there are occasions when you need a summary of all student data but do not have the time or resources to do these tallies by hand. In addition, some new teachers are unclear about what questions to ask and would prefer to use a well-established instrument. In such situations, a standardized questionnaire can be an effective way to begin the process of obtaining feedback from students.

CELT has used one such form--the Students' Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ)--for over a decade with consistently good results. Penn State teachers can request copies on-line by filling out our Midsemester Request Form. We will supply forms for your students, an instructor's self-evaluation form, directions, data analysis, a Guide to Analyzing the Machine-Scanned Midsemester Feedback Form, and an optional consultation. When we receive the completed forms, they will be processed as quickly as possible, and a single copy of the printout will be returned to you with the complete set of student response sheets. Participants may share the results with appropriate administrators or colleagues, but that is a personal decision.