Resources for Educators

Teaching Tip

From the Teacher’s Aide Newsletter

2012 January

Getting Immediate Student Feedback the Plus/Delta Way

Waiting till the end of a course is not always the most effective way to obtain useful student feedback. It can help in altering the next course, but does nothing for the students who took the current course.

In the November 2, 2011 issue of Faculty Focus, Susan Codone, PhD writes about a way to get immediate student feedback. The plus/delta evaluation is a brief, half-page form that she hands out at the beginning of class. She asks students during class to think of a “plus” — something they like about the class, and a “delta” — something they’d like to change (substantive feedback, not things out of her control). When class is over, she asks students to leave their completed forms (with no name) by the door. She usually gets good, solid comments that she can use to improve her teaching.