The middle of the semester is a milestone for both instructors and students. For instructors, this can also be a great time to determine how the course is progressing. A midpoint survey is a quick and easy tool you can use to get a snapshot from the student’s perspective.
How’s it going?
It’s likely you will already know if there have been any major issues, however, you may not know how students are feeling in general about the course content or delivery. Is there some content that is still unclear? Is there something they want to know more about? For online courses, is the layout of the course intuitive? Are there any logistic issues with assignment/assessment submissions or deadlines? Are students feeling engaged with you, the content, and each other?
There is still time!
No course is perfect and not every student will be perfectly happy, but small changes and tweaks can make a big impact. The simple act of surveying your students shows you care about their learning and experience. Students can also share information on the LMS (Carmen) that is not always available from the instructor’s perspective. Often minor adjustments can bring about a better experience for everyone.
Creating the survey
There are many different techniques and questions to use for a midpoint survey. Most include some type of questions that ask: “What is going well?” and “What would you like to change?” and may offer an opportunity to share suggestions or concerns. The DELD team has created two examples in a quiz format that you can upload directly into your Carmen course from the Carmen Commons Catalog. Once uploaded you can edit the questions to suit your needs.
Carmen Commons
Carmen Commons Catalog (search “DELD” to find mid-point survey examples to use in your course)
What to do next?
Now that you have your results; what’s next? Some feedback might be easy to respond to with adjustments in Carmen or slight modifications in your content. Any common issues or confusion can be clarified and addressed with an email announcement to your class or in your next lecture. Other changes might not be possible this semester but could affect your plans for the next offering of this course. You might also hear about what activities students enjoy and decide to do more. At the very least, your students will feel heard and know you care about their current experience and are willing to do what you can to improve it.
Reach out to the DELD Team!
Your instructional designers are here to help! From adjusting items in Carmen and brainstorming active learning ideas, to improving videos and multi-media experiences, the DELD team will work one-on-one with you to address any issues and help you enhance your course. Contact us at EHE-DistanceEd@osu.edu to get started!
