Spring 2001

Notes from the Undergrads . . . Teaching Tips
from Thoughtful Students

On Student Evaluations

End-of Semester student evaluations often provoke strong responses from all members of the academic community. Recently, we asked a group of seven undergraduate students to tell us their opinion on the issue. Several points stood out as notable for faculty consideration:

• Students take evaluations more seriously when they are given time at the beginning of a class to complete them, believing that such a decision indicates that the teacher values their comments.
• Students in the group found midterm evaluations to be useful for assessing and improving teaching. Teachers who seek comments during the semester are perceived as conscientious and interested in student feedback.
• The majority of our participants preferred combined evaluation forms (containing both qualitative and quantitative questions), reasoning that specific questions generally stimulate better and more specific feedback than a general call for comments.

On Note Taking and Study Habits

Student note taking and study habits differ by individual, as do lecture styles. A recent group of nine students agreed on several basic tips to help them succeed in class:

• Spending time at the beginning of the semester teaching students how to read and study in a particular field saves time later for both the student and the instructor, and it allows the student to contextualize the material more effectively.
• Providing an outline for each lecture helps students see how the lecture is organized and highlights the most important points.
• Students find that study guides and worksheets help them understand course readings in relation to other course material.
• Practice exams help prepare students for problem solving in all types of classes and provide a model for the types of questions for which they will be responsible.