Student Feedback on Winter 2020
Students Consulting on Teaching (SCOTs) serving during winter 2020 were invited to respond to the four questions below, reflecting their experiences as students during this unusual semester. Asterisks (*) indicate identical or similar responses by more than one respondent. The following report was prepared by Emma Larsen, SCOT Student Coordinator, Center for Teaching and Learning.
What Are You Learning About Online Classes?
Summary: The quick adjustment has been difficult, as social, emotional, financial, and other living conditions are suddenly quite different. Additionally, each course and program is different, as some more easily translate to online instruction than others.
- Requires more internal motivation to stay on top of online classes.*
- Significantly more distractions.*
- Easy for all the assignments and content from your different classes to get jumbled together.
- Courses that are fairly dependent on having in-class or on-campus interactions have been especially hard—for both professors and students.
- Not retaining as much.
- Staring at the computer for so many hours.
- Take a lot of time to complete.
- Very different experiences from course to course.
What is HELPING Your Learning?
Summary: An overall sense of gratitude for flexible professors who openly communicate was expressed by all of the SCOTs. Additionally, courses with clear expectations, professors willing to implement student feedback, and purposeful use of technology are especially successful.
- Teachers who are flexible and understanding.*
- Recorded lectures.*
- Clear and easily available expectations (e.g., on Learning Suite).*
- Frequent communication from professors.*
- Asking for, listening to, and implementing student feedback (expanding course evaluation questions and/or surveying the students in some way will be helpful to prepare better courses/methods).*
- Setting aside a place in my house, where I don’t sleep or eat, to do my work.
- Zoom and Dropbox.
- TA/Student interaction (e.g., TA’s conducting Zoom sessions and posting videos and/or homework feedback).
- Pacing/due dates.
- Variety (e.g., linking videos, digital dialogue discussions).
What is HINDERING Your Learning?
Summary: In addition to the difficulty that has come simply from the sudden change in expectations and a growing need for motivation, SCOTs expressed that a lack of communication and connection among professors and students, delayed or reduced feedback, and lack of structure or due dates seem to hinder learning the most.
- Mid-course change in expectations/assignments/assessments.*
- Group work (“both inefficient and not conducive to learning.)*
- No feedback on homework.*
- Lack of motivation or focus.
- Professors slow at answering emails.
- Too many emails (condense to a weekly email update or post on Learning Suite instead).
- Outdated assessment preparation.
- Open due dates on everything.
- Lack of class discussions.
What Suggestions Do You Have?
Summary: One of the most prominent suggestions from SCOTs was a need to establish rules and expectations for Zoom lectures, including encouraging Zoom participation through turning cameras on, splitting into “breakout rooms,” and varying instruction methods. Two other notable suggestions include reaching out to students periodically for feedback and maintaining an accurate and complete Learning Suite for every course.
- Encourage Zoom participation (including cameras ON).*
- Establish rules/expectations for Zoom lectures.*
- Reach out to students (at the beginning of the semester and periodically).*
- Create new tests, study materials, and assignments.*
- Complete Learning Suite (have all the assignments with the description and grade weight in Learning Suite Assignment tab—not just in the syllabus).
- Provide feedback on assignments.
- Checkpoint due dates.
- More variety—keep students’ attention (e.g., slide animations, objects to show, participation activities).