“First and last class sessions are the bookends that hold a course together.” – Maryellen Weimer, Author of Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice
As the semester draws to a close, it’s a good time for both instructors and students to reflect on the last 15 weeks. But while many of us begin the semester with a bang, courses often end with a whimper as looming deadlines and fatigue set in. Here are three grab-and-go tips that can help you improve your courses going forward and help students reflect on their learning.
Revisit the syllabus and review the learning outcomes. Then engage students in a conversation about how these goals were met. Encourage them to share insights on which texts and assignments worked best for them and why. Prompt them to suggest constructive changes for improvement, focusing on how assignments did (or did not) contribute to their skill development.
Compile a list of all the assignments in the course and invite students to use a “Green, Yellow, Red” system to provide feedback. Which ones should you continue or stop or implement with caution? Emphasize that feedback should focus on how assignments enhance learning skills and subject mastery rather than personal preferences.
Ask students to write or record an end-of-semester reflection on their learning experience. What are they proud of accomplishing, and what could they have done better? What went well in the course, and which tools or resources contributed to success? Also invite them to discuss the challenges they faced, what they learned from overcoming hurdles, and how these experiences shaped their learning journey.