GATHERING MID-TERM FEEDBACK
One way to find out how students are experiencing your class before your end-of-semester course evaluations is to gather feedback from them during the semester. There are two important categories of student feedback: what are they learning and how are they perceiving the class? Another FDC tip-sheet describes ways to collect informal information about actual student learning throughout the semester by using classroom assessment techniques. This tip-sheet describes how to gather early feedback on students’ perceptions of their learning by administering some form of mid-term evaluation. These formative assessments provide targeted information to you about student perspectives of the class that you can use to confirm or change your teaching choices.
Mid-term feedback forms differ from end-of-semester evaluations in two important ways. First, their purpose is to provide some insights for you, the instructor, about student perceptions of their learning in the class, and they are seen only by you. Second, the questions asked on the form are usually more open-ended than formal class evaluations, though you may ask specific questions that you rate with a numerical scale. Some common questions to ask students on mid-term feedback forms are:
The last question above is important because it reinforces the idea that your students, too, need to take responsibility for their learning.
You can also ask students how specific aspects of the course are affecting their learning and collect their perceptions on a rating form. For example, you can ask students about particular readings or labs, or how a certain class exercise worked for them. You can generate your own questions or select from some sample questions for different class formats that the FDC can provide.
Some faculty ask students to complete the questionnaire outside of class, or they provide it as a survey on Blackboard or on Google Forms. These approaches save class time, but they may result in a lower response rate. It may be worth a few minutes of class time to get broader participation.
In the digital age, faculty are exploring new ways to collect this information. Some faculty pose questions and have students respond using a classroom response system such as clicker technology or various smartphone apps. Not too long ago a faculty member who writes a blog for the Chronicle of Higher Education described using Google Docs to allow students to answer anonymously and edit their fellow student responses:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/make-your-midterm-evaluations-public-with-google-docs/38680
The final steps in gathering mid-term feedback are to compile the responses and talk with your students about what you learned. Which of their suggestions can you incorporate into the class now? Which ones are not appropriate to incorporate and why? Showing students that you care about and are responsive to their perceived needs can be a powerful motivator for them. And in the process you receive feedback that can help you make mid-term changes to create a more positive class environment for student learning.
Fools and Madmen in partnership with Motor House presents:
Much Ado About Nothing
Written and adapted by Josh Thomas and Caitlin Carbone
Directed by Aladrian C. Wetzel
Casting 10 performers of color for a hip hop adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The show will tour and perform at Baltimore City Public Schools, plus one weekend of ticketed evening performances at Motor House this May 2019.
Roles are open to all genders and ages.
]]>Topology Optimization of Wind Tunnel Balance Axial Section
Professor Soobum Lee has received new funding from NASA for the development of a new topology optimization methodology for the design of a 3D printable wind tunnel force balance.
Wind tunnel force balances measure multidimensional aerodynamic forces applied to an aircraft in the wind tunnel testing. They need to be designed to detect/distinguish directional forces while satisfying the basic load carrying performance.
The objective of this research is to develop a topology optimization methodology for a force balance design that considers both global and local measures (e.g. local strains) and determine the positions of multiple sensors (strain gauges) as well as overall structural layout for 3D printability.
Registration is OPEN!
Attendee & Education Session Registration
Date: March 27, 2019
Venue: Turf Valley Resort
2700 Turf Valley Road
Ellicott City, Maryland 21042
Don't miss the largest Life Sciences Showcase in the region. Attend the
education sessions, join us for the keynote lunch or just attend the
showcase and After Party. So many options and a lot of new features.
Be part of the largest biotech / pharmacuetical conference in the area. Highlights include:
You don't want to miss this opportunity and it's FREE to attend the exhibit hall and After Party if you register before March 11th. Don't delay!
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Agenda:
12:30pm - 2:00pm Keynote Lunch
2:00pm - 6:00pm Showcase Open
Education Sessions
(You may sign up for 2 education sessions, but please note the times of the sessions when registering.)
2:15 pm - 3:45pm
Education #1 - Recruiting and developing talent in the Biohealth Capital Region
Education #2 - Single Use Technology presentation by AstraZeneca.
Single Use technology has been used successfully for decades to improve the flexibility of existing stainless steel manufacturing plants. More recently, entire production facilities are being designed with single use flow paths. AstraZeneca’s Director-level process and manufacturing team leaders will discuss AZ’s journey from the introduction of single use through current production strategies and the establishment of a single use management system.
4:15 pm - 5:45 pm
Education #3 - State of the Market. Panelists from different sectors of the industry to discuss trends and the state of the market.
Education #4 - BIO 101: Overview of upstream & downstream BIO processing + cGMPS
Whether you are entirely new to the industry and trying to figure out how terms like process development, mammalian cell lines, and protein purification apply to what your company does, or you’re currently working in a GMP environment and looking for a way to grow your skills and knowledge to advance your career, this program is for you.
6:00pm - 7:30pm After Party -
Food and live music by The Fluid Guy and magic by Andrew Lees, Fina Biosolutions.