Student Notes

What are they?

At the end of every class, I will collect a quick, short class evaluation from the students. Each student is asked the following three questions about the class that just finished:

1. How did (or did not) the assignment today help prepare you for class?
2. What stood out (good or bad) in today's class?
3. What unanswered questions do you still have?

The answers are presumptively anonymous.

What happens to them?

I read them. I look for patterns in them. I post the patterns I see and an aggregation of commonly asked or uniquely useful questions. I provide a brief (1-2 minute) summary of the previous classes Student Notes at the start of each class. I try to answer the unanswered questions. Or direct students to resources to answer them. Or leave them unanswered (and explain why). I revise future lesson plans based on the feedback I receive.

Why do this?

I do this mostly to create a feedback cycle on my classes to make sure that what I thought was going on in the class is what the students thought was going on in the class. I also do this to give my students an explicit opportunity to give me feedback on my teaching and on their learning in a timely manner. And I do this to push my students to think more about what and how they're learning.