"skids and skiffs"

““Skids and Skiffs”Skids and Skiffs”

Dakota County Technical CollegeJanuary 30, 2009

Lynda MilneCenter for Teaching & Learning651-649-5741 or [email protected]

Skids and Skiffs ? ? ?Skids and Skiffs ? ? ?

Small Group Instructional Diagnostics

or

Student Group Instructional Feedback

or

Mid-Semester Focus Groups

How’s it going?How’s it going?

Always?Always?

You can wait to find out…You can wait to find out…

……or ask students nowor ask students nowMid-semester feedback (Weeks 6 -

8) can:◦Tell you if changes can improve the

class◦Tell students you listen and care◦Change the climate of a class for the

better◦Improve end-of-semester evaluations◦Improve learning outcomes

Ok. How’s it done?Ok. How’s it done?

1. Peer (or even trained student) consultant meets with instructor.

2. Consultant visits class.

3. Instructor explains invited visit, leaves.

4. Consultant asks class 3 questions:a. What works (helps you to learn)?

b. What’s not working?

c. What do you recommend instructor do?

5. Consultant and instructor de-brief.

Is there a devil in the details?Is there a devil in the details?Instructor should pre-identify focus.Student feedback must be

anonymous.Only consensus comments

reported.Consultant doesn’t advise, just

reports.Instructor must follow-up with

students.

How much time does it take?How much time does it take?20-30 minutes (depends on class

size)Meetings before and after

Course content /topic /syllabus Course content /topic /syllabus /materials/materials

a. What works well for you as a learner?“He uses lots of helpful examples and adapts the course

topics to our varied backgrounds.”“All the readings and supplementary materials are good,

but not the textbook.”

b. What’s not working so well?“Too much of the graded work is due at the end of the

semester.”“It takes more than two weeks to get papers back; that’s

too long to be helpful.”

c. What changes might the instructor make?“Break up the final project for several earlier due-dates.”“Give papers back one week after due (should be possible

with smaller assignments.”

Classroom activitiesClassroom activities

a. What’s working, what are the strengths?“The way she previews application of theory before

discussing theory.”“Openness in the class; being able to talk to each

other and hear others experiences.”“Nice slides and media. They help me understand the

lecture.”

b. What’s not working so well?“Class discussion often seems open-ended and we

need more guidance on the course topics.”

c. What changes might the instructor make?“Be more sensitive to individual students’ reactions to

comments and humor.”

Students at end-of-semester on Students at end-of-semester on SGIFsSGIFs

Yes No No Repl

y

Not Sure

1. Were there benefits in providing and receiving feed-back at mid-semester?

84% 5% 8% 3%

2. Did the lecturer respond to the feedback you (students) gave at mid-semester?

74 3 20 3

Were there things not addressed in the feedback to the lecturer?

8 47 36 8

Would you like to see other lecturers use mid-semester feedback?

81 8 7 4

Why? What changed?Why? What changed?

“We had a chance to address any issues during the semester. We had a chance to be heard and, if needed, clear the air somewhat.”

“We could give our thoughts on how to make points clearer.”

“It was helpful to know that other students shared similar views or feelings.”

What possible issues would you ask a peer to focus on?

Would it work for you?Would it work for you?

Peer consultation Peer consultation

Private

Mutual

Voluntary

Inquiry-based

Professional development

Thank you!Thank you!