Mid-Semester Student Feedback
What is Mid-Semester Student Feedback (MSSF)?
The Mid-Semester Student Feedback (MSSF) process provides actionable student feedback to feed directly into your current teaching or future iterations of the course. It can help improve student learning, engagement and experience within your course. This form is informal and anonymous and not connected to formal collection of course feedback (CES) run via SPP.
The data collected through MSSF can also be used to help support your reflections of your teaching practice. Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning cycle supports not just reflecting on an experience but then considering what changes could be made to influence positive change in the future.
Image adapted from McLeod, 2024.
Data collected can also be used as evidence for award and impact applications and in teaching portfolio reflections.
What is the process?
Step 1 – Educator Self Reflection
Firstly, the Education Development (ED) team gather insights and reflections from you about how you feel your teaching is going, and how your students are progressing in the course. This helps prime you for the reflective process and inform the survey preparation.
Step 2 – LDTI Survey Preparation and Distribution
The ED team prepares a survey for your students to provide anonymous feedback on how they see the course is progressing, what is working, and what could be improved upon. Setting time aside during a lecture/tutorial for students to complete the feedback form via the provided QR code/link is recommended. The Learning Technology Support (LTS) team can also embed the survey link into your Canvas course site.
Step 3 - Insights and Feedforward
LDTI staff review the insights you provide along with the comments received from students, and compile a summary report of the responses with suggested recommendations. You are then able to discuss the results and work with LDTI staff to help implement any adjustments suggested (if required). We strongly recommend that you close the feedback loop with students by discussing the feedback received, and actions for the future so that there is a clear purpose for students’ participation, and students recognise how their feedback has contributed to course change. Feedback collected can also assist with guiding reflective writing about your teaching practice for promotion or award application, and inform future professional development and awards.
This proactive approach enables you to make real improvement in your teaching during semester, resulting in higher student engagement and overall student satisfaction.
Please note: This is not the formal collection of course feedback run via SPP. All feedback and insights received will remain anonymous. A consolidated report will only be provided to the staff member requesting the Mid Semester Feedback for student feedback on teaching.
Next step
If you are interested in running MSSF for your course
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.