Ways to get Feedback on Teaching
The ECEC has materials, resources, and processes available to help College of Engineering faculty get feedback on their teaching. We promote three types of input that can be used to generate actionable feedback to help individuals improve their teaching.
Peer Observation
The ECEC's preferred tool for peer observation is the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS). COPUS is a tool for systematically documenting student and teacher behaviors as one means of assessing instructor effectiveness in STEM classrooms. Student and teacher behaviors are classified into activities such as asking a question or lecturing and are logged in two-minute intervals. The resulting data can be used to reconstruct the nature of instruction on the observed day, and class sessions can be classified according to their predominant activities.
In the ECEC's Peer Observation of Classroom Activities (POCA) program, you will observe and be observed using COPUS, and the data will be used to generate a personalized report that can help you improve your teaching.
Learn more about the ECEC's Peer Observation of Classroom Activities (POCA) program.
Student Feedback
Student feedback can be formal or informal and can be solicited at multiple points during the semester. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's standard end-of-course student survey is called the Student Learning Experiences (SLE) survey and is distributed through Canvas and the online platform EvaluationKit.
After the SLE survey, use the End of Semester Teaching Reflection Activities packet to get the most out of your SLE survey results!
You can also ask students for formative feedback during the middle of the semester. Mid-semester surveys can be created in EvaluationKit, or you can do an informal survey during classtime. See recommendations for soliciting mid-semeseter feedback.
Reflection
The ECEC recommends engaging in multiple different types of reflection.
- The Teaching Practices Inventory is a self-report instrument that helps you think about instructional choices you make for your classes. You can complete the TPI here or click here for a pdf version. If you provide your name and email address in the survey, you will receive a summary of responses from the ECEC.
- Structured written reflections can also help you think through different aspects of teaching including your strengths, challenges, and steps you might take to improve students' experiences and learning. You can access the multiple reflection packets available from the ECEC here.