Guidelines For Facilitating The Process of Gathering Feedback From Students
"Feedback is not praise or blame. It's what you did or did not do, whether you realized it or not." -Huba and Fried
- Help students make the distinction between criticism and feedback.
Feedback describes what took place and what did not in terms of the goals.
Feedback is value neutral. - Allow students to provide feedback anonymously, at least initially.
- Focus questions, and encourage students to focus responses on behaviors and processes, not personalities.
- Focus on using the data for improvement, not to convince students they are right or wrong.
- Learn to practice listening skills by
- viewing the situation through the students' eyes.
- avoiding acting defensively.
- avoiding rationalizing undesirable behaviors/processes that students may identify.
- looking for recurring themes.
- avoiding brushing off feedback through sarcasm.
- avoiding putting yourself down.
- avoiding assuming students are always right.
- Respond to students' feedback with proposed changes to the course.
- Reinforce mutual feedback by thanking students for their input.
References
Huba, M.E, and J.E. Freed. Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses: Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning. Needham Heights: Allyn and Bacon, 2000. Print.
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