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Course feedback · Use case

“What should I change in this course before next week?”

Course evaluation questions ask students what's helping them learn and what isn't, like “What's getting in the way of your learning right now?” Ask a few mid-course, follow up when the answer is “it's fine,” and you can change next week's class for the students still in it.

Send these questions See the 39 questions ↓
The answer

Students want a worked example before each problem set is due. Re-teach regression on Tuesday and move the due date.

An example of the line the Agent Results Brief leads with.
Choosing when

Mid-course check-in or end-of-term evaluation

“Course evaluation” and “course feedback” usually mean the same thing. The difference that matters is timing: an end-of-term evaluation helps the next group of students; a mid-course check-in helps the one you have now.

End-of-term evaluation
  • Runs in the last week, often on a form your school or company sets.
  • Answers usually come in too late to change anything for these students.
  • Good for comparing one term with the next.
  • Often mostly rating scales, with a box or two for comments.
Mid-course check-in
  • Runs after the first graded assignment, while the course is still moving.
  • Three or four open questions, a few minutes to answer.
  • You change something next week, and the students who asked see it happen.
  • Sits alongside the end-of-term form rather than replacing it.
01 · The questions

Course evaluation questions Spoke asks, and what it asks next

Under every question is the follow-up Spoke asks when the first answer is vague. That second question is where the real answer usually is.

Mid-semester feedback questions (start, stop, continue)

When to ask: after the first graded assignment, about a third of the way in. Pick three or four. Make it anonymous and say so (see below).

  1. What's helping you learn most in this course so far?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Which class or assignment comes to mind first?

  2. What's getting in the way of your learning right now?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What were we working on the last time you ran into it?

  3. What should I keep doing for the rest of the course?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What would you miss most if it stopped?

  4. What's one thing I could change starting next week?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What would that look like in a normal class?

  5. Which topic so far is still unclear to you?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    At what point did it stop making sense?

  6. What's one thing you could do differently for the rest of the course?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What would make that easier to stick to?

Course content

When to ask: at the end of a unit or the end of term

  1. Which topic in this course has been most useful to you?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What's one thing from it you've already used, in this class or outside it?

  2. Which topic felt least worth the time?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What would have made that time worth it?

  3. How well does the course match what you expected when you signed up?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Where is it different from what you expected?

  4. What would you add to this course?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What's one thing you'd want to be able to do by the end that you can't yet?

  5. How clear is the goal of each class to you?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Think of last week's class. What was it trying to teach you?

  6. How relevant is this course to what you want to do next?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What would make it more relevant to what you want to do next?

Pace and workload

When to ask: mid-course, while there's still time to move the schedule

  1. How is the pace of the course for you?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Which week or topic are you thinking of?

  2. How many hours a week do you spend on this course outside class?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What takes up most of that time?

  3. How manageable is the workload in a typical week?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What did your busiest week in this course look like?

  4. How does the difficulty of the course compare with what you expected?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Which assignment or topic shows that best?

  5. What would you change about how the work is spread across the term?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Which week felt most out of balance?

Teaching

When to ask: mid-course or at the end of term

  1. What do I do in class that helps you learn?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What happened in the class you're thinking of?

  2. What could I do differently to help you learn?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Where in a typical class would you notice the change?

  3. How clear are my explanations in class?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What's the last thing you had to look up or ask about after class?

  4. How comfortable do you feel asking questions in class?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What happened the last time you had a question?

  5. How much do the in-class activities help you learn?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What did you take away from the last activity we did?

  6. How easy is it to get help when you're stuck?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Where did you go the last time you were stuck?

Materials and resources

When to ask: a few weeks in, once students have used them

  1. Which course materials do you use most?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    When do you usually open them?

  2. Which materials do you use least?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What do you do instead?

  3. How well do the readings prepare you for class?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    How did last week's reading show up in class?

  4. What's hard to find in the course materials?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What were you looking for the last time it took too long?

  5. What would you add to the materials to help you study?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Which topic would you want that for first?

Assignments, exams and grading

When to ask: after work is returned, or at the end of term

  1. How well do the assignments help you learn the material?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Which assignment taught you the most?

  2. How clear is what's expected on an assignment before you start it?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What do you check or ask about before you start one?

  3. How fair do the exams and quizzes feel?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What would have made it a fairer test of what you know?

  4. How useful is the feedback you get on your work?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What did you change after the last feedback you got?

  5. How well do your grades match how well you think you know the material?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Which assignment are you thinking of?

Online and self-paced courses

When to ask: a few lessons in, and again at the end. For course creators, trainers and cohort courses.

  1. Which lesson has been most useful so far?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What did you do with it afterward?

  2. What decides when you sit down to do the next lesson?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What happened the last time a week went by without one?

  3. How does the length of the lessons work for you?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    Which lesson are you thinking of?

  4. What do you do when you get stuck on a lesson?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    How long did it take to get unstuck the last time?

  5. What did you hope to be able to do after this course?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What's one task you'd want to handle on your own by the last lesson?

  6. Who would you recommend this course to?

    If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

    What would you tell them to expect in the first week?

Send these questions Spoke asks each person on their own and follows up on every vague answer.
02 · The interview

How the interview goes.

Every person gets interviewed, not surveyed. Spoke asks, listens, and follows up on what that person actually said. Here's an example.

Spoke
Intro to Statistics · week 5 check-in · 5 min
We're five weeks in. What's getting in the way of your learning right now?
Mostly the problem sets. They're hard.
Hard in what way? Think of the last one. Where did you get stuck?
Question 3, the regression one. It was due Tuesday, and we didn't see a full example until Thursday's class.
So the example came after the deadline. If one thing changed next week, what should it be?
03 · The answer

What the answer looks like.

Read the answer, not the transcripts: themes ranked by how many people raised them, the quotes behind each, and the places where two groups disagree.

Agent Results Brief Final
Summary

Students like the course and the live worked problems most of all. What's slowing them down: regression got one class, problem sets are due before the example that explains them, and slides go up too late to use. Change next week: re-teach regression, move the due date, post slides the night before.

On the pace, two groups disagree.
Slow down on new topics · 15
Keep the pace, add practice · 9
Change next week
1Open Tuesday's class by working one regression problem live, start to finish.
2Move problem set 5 so it's due after Thursday's worked example, not before.
3Post slides the evening before each class, in the same folder every week.
What students said · Regression got one class
“I followed the lecture. I couldn't do the homework.”
“One class on regression wasn't enough for me.”
“Can we see one full example before it's due?”
Themes · 27 responses
Live worked problems help most17
Regression got one class14
Problem set due before the example9
Slides posted too late to use6
Sentiment
52% positive33% mixed15% negative

An example Agent Results Brief. The counts, themes and quotes are illustrative, not from a real survey.

Timing

Course feedback questions for the start, middle and end

The end-of-term form is the one everyone knows, but by then you can only fix things for the next class. Ask at three points instead: a starting line, a mid-course check-in while there's time to change, and a short read at the end. Two or three questions per stage is enough.

  1. Week 1–2

    At the start

    Learn what students came for and what's worked for them before, so you can check at the end whether they got it.

    1. What do you want to be able to do by the end of this course?

      If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

      What's one situation where you'd want to use it?

    2. What has helped you learn in courses like this before?

      If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

      What did that look like in class?

  2. Mid-course

    The mid-semester check-in

    Send it after the first graded assignment, when students know how the course works and there's still time to change it. Keep it to a few questions, or use start, stop, continue: what should I start, stop and keep doing? The next class, tell students what you heard and what you're changing.

    1. On a scale of 1 to 5, how is the course going for you so far?

      If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

      What's the main reason for that number?

    2. What's one thing that would make next week's class more useful to you?

      If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

      What would that look like in the first ten minutes of class?

    3. What's one thing you'd like me to go over again?

      If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

      Where did you lose the thread the first time?

  3. Last week

    At the end of term

    Ask before final grades go out, while the course is still fresh. These answers shape how you teach it next time.

    1. What would you tell a friend about to take this course?

      If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

      What would you tell them to do in the first week?

    2. What's the most valuable thing you're taking from this course?

      If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

      Where did you first notice it?

    3. What will you remember from this course a year from now?

      If the answer is vague, Spoke asks

      What made that part stick?

The follow-up

What “it's fine” means in a course

A first answer like “fine” or “a bit fast” is common, and it doesn't tell you what to change. One specific follow-up gets to the week, the assignment or the lesson. Examples, not real students.

Example · Evening workshop for new managers, after session 2
QuestionHow is the pace of the course for you?
First answerKind of fast, I guess.
Spoke follows upWhich week or topic are you thinking of?
Real answerTonight, really. Giving feedback and difficult conversations in one evening. I'd have liked to practice one before we moved to the next.
What it uncovered

Not the whole course: two skills packed into one session with no time to practice either.

Example · High school English, week 6, anonymous
QuestionHow useful is the feedback you get on your work?
First answerIt's fine. Helpful.
Spoke follows upWhat did you change after the last feedback you got?
Real answerHonestly I just look at the grade. The comments on my first essay came back after the second one was due, so there wasn't anything to change.
What it uncovered

The comments are good; they arrive too late to use. Returning them before the next essay is due matters more than writing more.

Example · Self-paced online course, lesson 6
QuestionWhat decides when you sit down to do the next lesson?
First answerWhenever I have time.
Spoke follows upWhat happened the last time a week went by without one?
Real answerLesson 6 is the 40-minute video. I keep saving it for a free evening, and that evening doesn't come. The short lessons I do on my lunch break.
What it uncovered

One long lesson is where learners stall. Splitting it into short parts fits how they actually study.

Example · College biology, week 4 check-in
QuestionWhat's helping you learn most in this course so far?
First answerThe lectures are good.
Spoke follows upWhich class or assignment comes to mind first?
Real answerThe one where you drew the whole cycle from memory on the board and got a step wrong, then fixed it. I finally saw how to work through it myself.
What it uncovered

Worth keeping and doing more often: working it through live, mistakes included.

Anonymity

Anonymous course feedback: what to tell students

A student who thinks the person grading them can see their name has every reason to write “it's fine.” If you want honest answers, make the check-in anonymous and tell students so, plainly.

  1. Turn anonymity on before you sendIn ScatterSpoke, anonymous responses are a setting you choose for each survey, on the paid plans (Pro and Business). It isn't available on Free. If the setting is off, don't call it anonymous.
  2. Say it in the invite, in one sentenceFor example: “This is anonymous. I'll read what the class says, not who said it, and it has nothing to do with your grade.” Say it again at the start of class when you share the link.
  3. Leave out questions that identify someoneIn a small class, asking for section, major or year can point to one student. Ask only what you'll act on.
  4. Show them you read itIn the next class, say what you heard and what you're changing. That's what tells students the next check-in is worth answering too.
04 · How to run it

Three steps, ten minutes.

  1. Write or pick the questionStart from “What should I change in this course before next week?” or say it your own way. Spoke drafts the goal, the audience and the follow-ups; you edit any of it.
  2. Send the linkShare one link however you reach people. They answer in the browser; you set the time: 5, 10 or 15 minutes (10 by default).
  3. Read the answerThemes ranked by how many people raised them, the quotes behind each, and what to do first. Every transcript is there too.
Send these questions

What do you want to learn, and who's answering?

What should I change in this course before next week?

Drafted the spec. Should Spoke ask about grades, or leave those for the end-of-term evaluation?

Live survey spec
Goal
What's helping and what's getting in the way of students' learning so far, and what to change next week.
Audience
Everyone enrolled in Intro to Statistics, one link posted on the course page
Topics
Pace and workload
What helps them learn
Who asks this

People who need the answer.

Professors and lecturers
Find out mid-semester what to fix while the same students are still in the room.
Teachers
Hear what a quiet class won't say with their hands up.
Trainers and workshop leads
Learn which session to change before you run it again.
Online course creators
See which lesson people stall on, and why.
FAQ

Questions about this one.

What are good course evaluation questions?

Open, neutral questions about one thing at a time: “What's helping you learn most in this course?”, “How is the pace for you?”, “How useful is the feedback you get on your work?” Each one works better with a follow-up that asks for the specific week, topic or assignment, listed under every question above.

What questions should I ask for mid-semester feedback?

Three or four open ones: what's helping you learn, what's getting in the way, what should I keep doing, and one thing I could change starting next week. Send them after the first graded assignment and tell students what you changed. That timing is the real difference between course evaluation and course feedback: an end-of-term evaluation helps the next group of students, a mid-course check-in helps these ones.

How many questions should a course evaluation have?

A mid-course check-in needs three or four. An end-of-term evaluation can cover more, but every extra question shortens the answers to the ones that matter. With Spoke, a few questions plus follow-ups can replace a long form, and you can cap it at 5, 10 or 15 minutes.

Are course evaluations anonymous?

It depends on who runs them, so check before you tell students. In ScatterSpoke, anonymous responses are a setting you choose per survey on paid plans; if it isn't on, don't promise anonymity.

How do you get more students to fill out course evaluations?

Give them time in class to answer, keep it short, and tell them what you changed after the last round. If you send it by email, ScatterSpoke can remind the people who haven't answered yet.

What questions should be on a training or workshop evaluation?

Ask what people will use first, which session was most and least useful, how the pace felt, and what they would change before it runs again. Ask within a day, while the sessions are fresh, and follow up on vague answers by asking which session they mean.

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