With the teaching survey period about to begin, instructors can act now to help boost student response rates and generate meaningful feedback. Here’s a quick checklist for faculty to use leading up to April 1:

1.  Verify that surveys are scheduled for your class by going to the teaching survey dashboard.
2. Once confirmed that your surveys are scheduled, you can customize them through March 31. Adding custom questions to Teaching Surveys is a great opportunity for gathering feedback about specific aspects of your course.
   • Go to the Teaching Survey Dashboard to add questions. Refer to our instructions before getting started. Our Question Library lists suggestions or you can write your own.
   • Here’s just a sampling of question categories:
     • Assignments
     • Class room activities
     • Diversity and inclusion
     • Generative AI
     • Online teaching and learning
     • Student development and motivation
3. Encourage your students to respond to their surveys before the survey period begins. Let students know they’ll be asked to complete a survey for your class.
   • Before April 1: Let students know they’ll be asked to complete a teaching survey for this class.
     • Discuss the importance of feedback and how it’s used.
     • Provide students with samples of effective feedback and ask them to be specific in their comments and provide examples. The University of Michigan provides a nice guide for students [PDF – 62KB].

You can learn more about  collecting and using student feedback throughout the term on our website.