As you close out the semester, consider ways for students to reflect on the important new knowledge, skills, and growth they have gained in your course and encourage them to share that information with you.  

Self-reflection allows students the time and space to consider the importance of what they have learned. Take just 5 minutes of an upcoming class and ask students to (individually or in small groups, written or verbal) reflect on the following prompts: 

• What was the most significant idea you learned in this class? 
• What did you learn in this class that will help you in your next class (or in your internship or career or…….)? 
• What did you not expect to learn, but you did in this class? 

Explore additional prompts for self-reflections on the Powerful endings and reflection page.  

Encourage student feedback. Every semester, students are asked to provide feedback via the electronic class climate course evaluation system. Encourage the students’ constructive input by:  

• Taking class time for students to complete the end-of-course evaluations. It is best practice for the instructor to excuse themselves from the room (physical or virtual during this process). 
• Telling students directly how much you value their feedback. 
• Sharing how you incorporated past feedback into your previous courses.  
• Sharing examples of constructive feedback comments.  
• Explaining to students how evaluations and feedback comments are used at the department and college level.  

For more approaches, see the Strategies for better course evaluations page.  

With a joy for teaching,

Sara Marcketti, Director

Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching