- For information about using the University’s course feedback system to collect mid-course feedback, please review the Syracuse University Resources and Mid-Course Feedback Timeline sections below.
Focus on Teaching and Learning Workshop Session:
Getting the Most Out of Mid-Course Feedback
Students are best at voicing what it is like to be a learner in your course. Requesting and responding to student feedback are integral to creating engaging educational experiences. In this 20-minute asynchronous session, Getting the Most Out of Mid-Course Feedback, you’ll learn more about how to gather and use student feedback to make small changes midway to deepen learning through the rest of the semester. The session also highlights Syracuse University’s online course feedback system which is a new tool you can use to collect student input in regular session courses (i.e., full semester).
Getting the Most Out of Mid-Course Feedback | Session Overview
In this session, we will explore:
-
- Benefits of mid-course feedback
- Good practices for creating an instrument and collecting responses
- Using the course feedback system for mid-course feedback
- Processing student responses and determining possible changes
- Communicating with your students about the results and adjustments you intend to make
Getting the Most Out of Mid-Course Feedback | Recording and Slides
- View the recording.
- Download session slides.
Getting the Most Out of Mid-Course Feedback | Sources
- Buskist, C., & Hogan, J. (2010). She needs a haircut and a new pair of shoes: Handling those pesky course evaluations. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 10 (1), 51-56.
- Center for Teaching Excellence, Duquesne University, How to Navigate and Cultivate Feedback on Your Teaching (scroll down to section on Informal/Early Course Evaluations).
- Keutzer, C. (1993). Midterm evaluation of teaching provides helpful feedback to instructors. Teaching of Psychology, 20 (4), 238-240.
- Marx, R. (2019). Soliciting and utilizing mid-semester feedback. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.
- McGowen, W. R., & Osgathorpe, R. T. (2011). Student and faculty perceptions of effects of midcourse evaluation. To Improve the Academy, 29(1), 160-172.
Syracuse University Resources for Mid-Course Feedback
- Consult with CTLE staff on how to interpret and respond to the feedback you receive in a private, one-on-one Zoom session.
- Contact the OIE course feedback team or visit the OIE website if you have any questions or would like more information about the University’s course feedback framework.
- Download a pdf of step-by-step instructions for creating a mid-course survey and attaching it to your courses.
- Instructors can create their own questions or choose from the mid-course feedback item banks:
- Receiving and Responding to Mid-Course Feedback in Answers.syr.edu
- Guide for Interpreting Mid-Course Feedback, Focus on Teaching and Learning
Mid-Course Feedback Timeline (Using Syracuse University's Course Feedback System)
Build
Starting at 9 a.m. on 9/23/2025 and ending 11:59 p.m. on 10/7/2025
Custom surveys can be created and attached to regular session courses in the two weeks prior to the mid-course survey opening date.
Collect
Starting at 11 a.m. on 10/8/2025
and ending 11:59 p.m. on 10/15/2025
The survey window for students to provide mid-course feedback in the system is about one week. Students will receive an email from "Syracuse University Course Feedback" about the open feedback window. They will receive reminders every three days if they do not immediately respond. When they log in to Blackboard, they will see a notification there as well.
Learn
Starting at 12:01 a.m. on 10/16/2025
Instructors access and download results within the course feedback system. Results are available to instructors only.
Getting the Most Out of Mid-Course Feedback | Session Overview
In this session, we will explore:
-
- Benefits of mid-course feedback
- Good practices for creating an instrument and collecting responses
- Using the course feedback system for mid-course feedback
- Processing student responses and determining possible changes
- Communicating with your students about the results and adjustments you intend to make
Getting the Most Out of Mid-Course Feedback | Recording and Slides
- View the recording.
- Download session slides.
Getting the Most Out of Mid-Course Feedback | Sources
- Buskist, C., & Hogan, J. (2010). She needs a haircut and a new pair of shoes: Handling those pesky course evaluations. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 10 (1), 51-56.
- Center for Teaching Excellence, Duquesne University, How to Navigate and Cultivate Feedback on Your Teaching (scroll down to section on Informal/Early Course Evaluations).
- Keutzer, C. (1993). Midterm evaluation of teaching provides helpful feedback to instructors. Teaching of Psychology, 20 (4), 238-240.
- Marx, R. (2019). Soliciting and utilizing mid-semester feedback. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.
- McGowen, W. R., & Osgathorpe, R. T. (2011). Student and faculty perceptions of effects of midcourse evaluation. To Improve the Academy, 29(1), 160-172.
Syracuse University Resources for Mid-Course Feedback
- Consult with CTLE staff on how to interpret and respond to the feedback you receive in a private, one-on-one Zoom session.
- Contact the OIE course feedback team or visit the OIE website if you have any questions or would like more information about the University’s course feedback framework.
- Download a pdf of step-by-step instructions for creating a mid-course survey and attaching it to your courses.
- Instructors can create their own questions or choose from the mid-course feedback item banks:
- Receiving and Responding to Mid-Course Feedback in Answers.syr.edu
- Guide for Interpreting Mid-Course Feedback, Focus on Teaching and Learning
Mid-Course Feedback Timeline (Using Syracuse University's Course Feedback System)
| Build | Starting at 9 a.m. on 9/23/2025 and ending 11:59 p.m. on 10/7/2025 | Custom surveys can be created and attached to regular session courses in the two weeks prior to the mid-course survey opening date. |
| Collect | Starting at 11 a.m. on 10/8/2025 and ending 11:59 p.m. on 10/15/2025 |
The survey window for students to provide mid-course feedback in the system is about one week. Students will receive an email from "Syracuse University Course Feedback" about the open feedback window. They will receive reminders every three days if they do not immediately respond. When they log in to Blackboard, they will see a notification there as well. |
| Learn | Starting at 12:01 a.m. on 10/16/2025 | Instructors access and download results within the course feedback system. Results are available to instructors only. |
This asynchronous session is part of the Focus on Teaching and Learning (FOTL) Lunch and Learn Series, a collaborative effort between the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE). To learn more about upcoming sessions and explore prior presentation materials, visit the FOTL webpage.