Collecting Mid-term Feedback

Collecting student feedback is a key component of the multifaceted evaluation approach. Asking your students for mid-term feedback allows you to get the information you need to make meaningful changes in your teaching within the same term, which directly benefits students’ learning.

Mid-term feedback is a type of formative feedback that helps identify learning gaps and strengths, so you can confirm what’s working well and adjust your teaching strategies to improve outcomes when something is not.

Mid-term feedback is distinct from end-of-term feedback, such as SPOT surveys, which measure the students’ perceptions of the course design and your instructional approach. This summative feedback informs changes for your future course offerings and student outcomes.

Benefits of Collecting Mid-Term Feedback

The recent Student Experience Action Plan revealed that students appreciate being asked how their learning is progressing at the midpoint of the course (University of Alberta, 2023).

When you use the information your students provided in the mid-term feedback to make meaningful changes in the course, you:

  • Foster collaboration and trust: You demonstrate to students that you value their input, which helps to build trust and a collaborative classroom culture.

  • Increase motivation: You show your students that their feedback leads to action, thereby increasing your students’ investment and motivation in the course.

  • Improve summative evaluations: You are more likely to have better scores on summative evaluations, such as SPOT surveys.

(Taylor et al., 2020; Taylor et al., 2025; Veeck et al., 2016)


Collecting feedback

Question types

There are various question types commonly used for collecting mid-term feedback. Choosing the right question format will help you get the specific information you need:

A popular, straightforward, and not overly time-intensive approach. These types of questions can be tailored for specific areas of the course or left open for general feedback.

Example:

  • What is one thing you’d like me to start doing?
  • What is one thing you’d like me to stop doing?
  • What is one thing you’d like me to continue doing?

Useful for quickly analyzing feedback data, they can focus on the overall course or a specific part of it. It is recommended to pair scales with a few open-ended questions to collect more detailed feedback.

Example:

Please rate the following statements:

The instructor helps answer questions.

Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree

Class time is used effectively.

Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree

Open questions can be specifically tailored to collect the feedback most useful to you at the mid-point.

Example:

  • What do you like? What do you not like? What other feedback do you have?

  • When have you felt most engaged in the course? When have you felt the least engaged? Describe the circumstances or learning activities that led to either of these.

Consider using mid-term feedback as a collborative exercise, by including prompts for students to reflect on their own learning in the course. For example:

  • What could you, as a student, do to make the course better for yourself, your classmates, and the instructor?

  • Think of a time in the course where you have felt successful and proud of your work as a learner. What actions did you take to enable that?

Encouraging meaningful feedback

Before collecting feedback, it’s essential to set the stage. Explain to your students why you are asking for their input, how you will collect it, and what you plan to do with the information. This helps students understand they are partners in their own learning and encourages them to provide thoughtful responses.

Tips for encouraging meaningful feedback:

  • Explain what you want to hear about. If you want feedback on a specific area, like the clarity of your assignment instructions or the pace of your lectures, be direct to guide their responses.

  • Clarify the difference between helpful and unhelpful feedback. Use concrete examples to show them the distinction:

Unhelpful feedback Helpful feedback
"I’m not enjoying the course so far." "During our whole-class discussions, I feel uncomfortable speaking up in front of everyone. I would feel more comfortable sharing in small groups or with partners."
"I don’t like the sound of the instructor’s voice." "Sometimes, you speak too softly, and I'm not able to hear what you're saying from the back of the room. Please use the classroom microphone so we can better hear you."
"This course sucks and is a waste of money." "I would really appreciate having some case studies as part of our lecture so I can connect the content to the real world."
"Everything is great!" "I am really enjoying the in-class activities this semester. I particularly like the think-pair-share and Wooclap polls."


By taking these steps, you will be more likely to receive feedback that you can realistically use to make a positive impact on the rest of the semester.

Modes of feedback collection

You have several options available to collect midterm feedback:

A link is sent to your inbox (typically three weeks into the semester) to opt in to a mid-term questionnaire. You can use a pre-made template or create your own questions. Student responses remain anonymous to instructors, allowing for honest feedback.
Google Forms

Google Forms allows you to customize your survey completely. To encourage honest and constructive feedback, ensure that student responses remain anonymous. Avoid collecting identifying information such as names or email addresses so students can share their perspectives freely without concern about how their feedback might affect their grades.

CTL has created a template "stop-start-continue" mid-term evaluation survey. Please make a copy before editing.

Online polling with Wooclap
If you are looking for a faster and more informal way to collect feedback, consider using online polling in class.

Analyzing and reporting on mid-term feedback

Analyzing student feedback

As you review your students’ feedback, try Borton’s (1970) ‘what, so-what, now-what’ analysis model.

This stage focuses on summarizing the feedback. Treat the data as a neutral observer, describing the facts without initial interpretation or judgment:

  • What are the common themes across the responses? (e.g., Students mentioned the lecture pace is too fast, and they found the group project disorganized.)

  • What specific examples or quotes stand out?

  • How did the feedback make you feel (e.g., defensive, validated, surprised)? Acknowledge these emotions before moving on to analysis.

In this stage, you’ll analyze the significance, consequences, and deeper meaning of the data:

  • What is the potential impact of these issues on student learning? (e.g., If the pace is too fast, students may not be able to process key concepts).

  • Does the feedback suggest a mismatch between your intentions and the student experience?

  • What does the feedback reveal about your teaching practice that you hadn’t considered?

In this last step, you'll develop concrete, forward-looking actions based on your analysis:

  • Identify specific, achievable adjustments to your teaching for the last half of the term, and create a plan of action.

  • Though you are acting on mid-term feedback, you can create a note for future course revisions.

Steps for closing the feedback loop

It is crucial to respond to and act on student feedback. Ignoring suggestions can lead to student disengagement (University of Victoria, 2020). Showing them you've heard their feedback, even if you cannot implement all suggestions, creates a more trusting and collaborative learning environment.

  1. Summarize the main points: Synthesize the feedback into a few key themes and share them with students so they know what you have heard.

  2. Explain the changes you'll make: Be specific about what you'll adjust based on their input. For example, you might say, "Many of you asked for more practice problems, so I'll be adding an optional worksheet to each week's materials."

  3. Address feedback you cannot act on: If a suggested change isn't feasible, provide a brief, honest explanation. For instance, "I appreciate the suggestion to change the final project, but it's a core part of the course learning outcomes, so we will not be changing it this semester. However, I have made a note to consider this for future courses."

This practice helps prepare you and your students for end-of-semester SPOTs by establishing a pattern of listening and acting on feedback.


Learn more: Additional resources

External resources

Borton, T. (1970). Reach, touch, and teach; student concerns and process education. McGraw-Hill.

Taylor, R. L., Knorr, K., Ogrodnik, M., & Sinclair, P. (2020). Seven principles for good practice in midterm student feedback. International Journal for Academic Development, 25(4), 350–362. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2020.1762086

Taylor, R. L., Knorr, K., Ogrodnik, M., & Sinclair, P. (2025). Exploring immediate and sustained changes in teaching practices following midterm student feedback. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 13, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.13.30

University of Victoria. (2020, October 21). Seeking mid-term feedback from students. Teach Anywhere. https://teachanywhere.uvic.ca/help/latest-updates/seeking-mid-term-feedback-from-students/

Veeck, A., O’Reilly, K., MacMillan, A., & Yu, H. (2016). The use of collaborative midterm student evaluations to provide actionable results. Journal of Marketing Education, 38(3), 157–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475315619652