Effective classroom management is about developing proactive ways to prevent problems from occurring in the first place while creating a positive learning environment. Strategies that might have worked for years suddenly become ineffective in the face of some of the challenges today's students bring with them to the classroom.

Are you noticing that students are not preparing for class or their energy level is low? Perhaps your students are not doing homework and aren't doing well on weekly quizzes? How can you manage classroom dynamics, foster active and interactive learning, deal with problem students and situations, and create activities conducive to learning?

You might be doing everything right and wondering why students are not doing as well as you expect. As faculty members, we don't necessarily see everything from our students' perspective. How can you learn about your students' experiences in our classes?

You don't have to wait until the end of the semester to ask your students about their course experiences. One way you can gauge your students' perceptions of the class is by using an online "Mid-Semester Feedback" survey. The feedback is confidential, anonymous, and provides a way to assess and be responsive to students' needs while the semester is in progress.

What are the benefits?

Mid-semester feedback can help you manage your classroom and enhance student learning. The survey can help you understand what is working well and what might be improved. One advantage of this approach over the standard end-of-semester course evaluations is that mid-semester feedback occurs early enough in the semester that you can make changes in the course right away and see their effect. Students respond positively when their comments result in changes to the course, leading to improved student attitudes about the class and/or instructor in the end-of-semester evaluations (Keutzer, 1993; Overall and Marsh, 1979).

How does it work?

You can sign up for mid-semester feedback here [http://goo.gl/KL2iid ]. After signing up, you will receive a sample list of survey questions from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). You can use all the questions, select a subset, add additional questions, or modify the questions to suit your course. One member of our staff will assist you in setting up the survey and give you materials to publicize it to your students. After your students complete the survey, CTL staff will help you interpret the survey results and decide how to best respond to your students' needs. Sometimes your response might include making a change to how an aspect of the course is structured. Sometimes your response might be a conversation with the students in which you explain the rationale you used in designing the course, and how they might engage better with it.

Interested in more conversation on classroom management?

Join your colleagues and the Center for Teaching and Learning in an online workshop about classroom management, beginning on November 3 and continuing, via VoiceThread, for 10 days. Some of our NYIT faculty and staff will be joining in as ‘resource people' and discussion facilitators providing their expertise and insight. Specific topics will include:

• teaching strategies fostering active and interactive learning
• holding students accountable for preparing for class
• preventing problems from arising and staying in control in difficult situations
• responding appropriately to problem students and class disruptions
• developing strategies dealing with students who leave at break, do not attend class, or turn in assignments
• using educational technologies to support classroom management

The workshop is asynchronous, meaning that you can read the materials and comment at your convenience. All you will need is a web browser and a webcam. Here's how it will work: On November 3, resources will become available on the web. Participants will then have a conversation on VoiceThread for 1–2 weeks. Our goal is to bring faculty together from all our campuses, so we can explore the topic from all the cultural and societal frames of reference that comprise NYIT.

Please register to receive the link to materials and to be added to the email list. The registration link for the workshop is at: http://goo.gl/w1EDt7

We hope to see you there!

Resources:

• Keutzer, C.S., 1993, Midterm evaluation of teaching provides helpful feedback to instructors; Teaching of Psychology, v.20, p.238–240.
• Overall, J.U., and Marsh, H.W., 1979, Midterm feedback from students: Its relationship to instructional improvement and students' cognitive and affective outcomes; Journal of Educational Psychology, v.71, #6, p.856–865.
• NYIT offers a number of services to students including:
  • Enrollment Services Center http://www.nyit.edu/esc
  • Tutoring Services http://www.nyit.edu/student_resources/tutoring
  • Advising and Enrichment Services http://www.nyit.edu/advising
  • Peer Advising Services http://www.nyit.edu/advising/peer_advising
  • Supplemental Instruction http://www.nyit.edu/student_resources/supplemental_instruction
  • Technology Services http://www.nyit.edu/service_central
All these services support student academic progress and assist students in improving their performance in coursework.

Contributor:
Olena Zhadko, PhD
Manager, Course Development, Center for Teaching and Learning
New York Institute of Technology
ozhadko@nyit.edu