University of Virginia Teaching Resource Center

Mid-term feedback & end-of-course evaluation data

Although the primary purpose for the student perception data collected during mid-term and end-of-course evaluations is for course improvement, the two differ slightly. Mid-term feedback is a type of formative assessment. Formative assessments provide information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening. In contrast, end-of-course evaluation data is a type of summative assessment. Though helpful "next time," summative assessments typically happen too far down the learning path to provide information at the classroom level and to make instructional adjustments and interventions during the learning process. At UVa, instructors can take advantage of both assessment mechanisms.

Mid-term feedback
The Teaching Resource Center and ITC have partnered to create the eTAP (electronic Teaching Analysis Poll), a simple solution for collecting mid-semester feedback from your students. The eTAP is a short, anonymous, student feedback instrument which is grounded in the literature on effective teaching and learning. It offers a great way to find out what your students think most helps and impedes their learning in your course and also elicits suggestions for improving their overall learning experience. Best of all, you can take advantage of the information immediately—not next semester.

The eTAP, available through the Test & Quizzes feature of UVaCollab, includes eleven questions, four open-ended, qualitative questions and seven likert-scale questions. Similar to end-of-semester evaluations, you are welcome to add additional questions to help you learn more about your specific learning environment. Whether you choose to use only the pre-set questions or add your own, all of the feedback collected from the eTAP is available only to you, the instructor.

We recommend that you conduct the eTAP sometime between the 4th and 10th weeks of the semester, mid-term is ideal. This timeframe helps you confirm strengths of your course(s) and identify areas for improvement. Small changes you make based on the feedback will help you and your students get more from the course—with no delay.

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End-of-course evaluation data
Course Evaluations is UVa's online evaluation system used for all courses at UVa except those in the three professional schools (Medicine, Law, and Darden Business) who run their own systems. The Course Evaluations system supports question contributions from several sources:

First, there are seven questions specified by the Provost's office that appear on the evaluation of every course;
Second, the department and/or school may contribute questions to the evaluations for their courses;
And, third, the individual instructor(s) may contribute questions to their courses for their own professional development.

Students anonymously submit evaluations at the end of each of their courses via UVaCollab. Appropriate evaluation results are made available to instructors and department/school administrators via UVaCollab, and to students via SIS links to the Course Selection Guide.

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