Department Name Change
UWM's Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL) has changed its name to the Center for Advancing Student Learning (CASL), learn more about it in our official statement. Alongside the name change, our website's url has changed to uwm.edu/advancing-learning/. Please update any bookmarks or links to point to our new url!

Gathering Midterm Student Feedback

Midterm feedback is a powerful tool for improving teaching and learning while the course is still in progress. Unlike end-of-semester evaluations, midterm feedback allows instructors a chance to pause, reflect, and recalibrate before a course has ended. It allows instructors to make meaningful changes while the course is still underway, improving student learning, engagement, and trust. It is not just about gathering data but about building a responsive and inclusive learning environment. Midterm feedback helps instructors: 

  • Course-correct in real time 
  • Enhance student engagement and motivation 
  • Demonstrate responsiveness and care 
  • Foster a collaborative learning environment 

How to Collect Midterm Feedback 

A good time to collect midterm feedback is after the first major exam or unit break, where there is still time to adjust if necessary. For large classes, consider using more close-ended questions with fewer open-ended questions. However, if there are TAs or the feedback is for TAs, consider including more open-ended questions.  

Survey  

  1. Choose a platform (e.g., Vevox, Canvas quizzes, Qualtrics, Zoom polling, or Microsoft Forms for asynchronous surveys). 
  2. Create a short survey with 3–6 questions. Determine whether responses will be collected anonymously or not. Sample questions include:  
    • What helps your learning in this course? 
    • What hinders your learning in this course? 
    • What suggestions do you have to improve your learning in this course? 
    • What are you doing that helps or hinders your learning in this course? 
    • What could you be doing to enhance your learning in this course? 
  3. Share the link via email, LMS, or in class. 
  4. Set a deadline and remind students to complete it. 

Tip: Vevox allows anonymous live polling during class, which can be great for quick check-ins or real-time feedback throughout the semester. 

Muddiest Point 

  1. At the end of a class session, ask students to write down the concept they found most confusing. 
  2. Collect responses anonymously (physical cards or digital form). 
  3. Review and address common themes in the next class. 

Exit Tickets or Minute Papers 

  1. Ask students to respond to a prompt like “What’s one thing that’s working well for you in this course?” or “What’s one thing you’d change?” 
  2. Use index cards, LMS discussion boards, or Vevox polls. 
  3. Review and summarize responses. 

What to Ask: Sample Questions 

  • What should we start doing to support your learning? 
  • What should we stop doing? 
  • What should we continue doing? 

Scaled Questions 

  • I understand what is expected of me in this class. (Strongly agree → Strongly disagree) 
  • The pace of the class is appropriate. (Strongly agree → Strongly disagree) 
  • I receive helpful feedback on assignments. (Strongly agree → Strongly disagree) 

Open-Ended Questions 

  • What has helped your learning most so far? 
  • What has hindered your learning? 
  • What could be improved in this course? 

Tips for Analyzing Feedback 

  1. Look for Patterns. Focus on recurring themes rather than isolated comments. If multiple students mention unclear instructions or fast pacing, that’s a signal to examine timing and clarity for the remainder of the class. 
  2. Separate Emotion from Action. Some feedback may feel personal. Step back and ask: What’s the underlying need or concern? 
  3. Categorize Responses. Group feedback into categories like “clarity,” “pace,” “engagement,” “materials,” and “assessment.” 
  4. Prioritize Actionable Items. Focus on changes you can make now (e.g., clearer instructions, more examples) vs. structural changes for future semesters. 

Share Changes and Comments with Students 

Transparency builds trust. After reviewing feedback: 

  • Share a summary of what you heard. 
  • Explain what changes you’ll make and why. 
  • Clarify what won’t change and offer reasoning as to why. 
  • Thank students for their input and invite ongoing dialogue. 
  • If you are not sure what action to take in response to student feedback, invite students to problem solve and offer solutions that would better support their learning.  

Example: “Many of you mentioned that assignment instructions felt unclear. I’ll now include a checklist with each assignment to help guide your work. Thanks for helping me improve the course!”