Law students are preparing to storm the law school exits and rush off to their exciting jobs and externships all over the world. Before they go, some students take the time to fill out the online “Student Ratings” forms about our teaching. I look forward to reviewing those ratings after every semester, but I have been surprised both by negative and even positive comments that seemingly has come out of the blue. I have also been disappointed by the lack of constructive feedback from students. Here are my thoughts on student feedback and tips on eliciting constructive comments from students.

Over the years, I have learned the following from student feedback:

  1. Expect different feedback styles from international students versus U.S. students. International students tend to be more respectful and less specific in their comments. This results in feedback that is positive but not helpful for improving teaching. U.S. students tend to be more blunt and specific but not always realistic in their expectations for a course.
  2. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Between my Canvas page, informational slides at the beginning and end of each class session, and emails I send out to students, I think I do a good job of keeping my classes informed. But no matter how many times I tell students something, someone has missed the information. Students appreciate almost tedious levels of communication, and it reflects well on feedback forms.
  3. Manage student expectations by overplaying the difficulty of assignments and grading. Once I made the mistake of telling students that the final exam was straight-forward, and they could all do well on the exam if they studied the material from the slides and the review sessions. The students did well, and I had a typical exam curve. Later, at least two students commented in the ratings that I mislead them about the level of detail expected on the exam and the grading was too hard. I was surprised—this is law school after all, and the exam instructions state that highest points are given for the most complete answers. I now tell students that my exam requires detailed answers, and I will be very picky with my grading. The following year I had the exact same exam grade results but no negative comments on the ratings. I had managed student expectations much better.  
  4. Be real.  Students respond positively when I share both my career highs and lows with them. They appreciate seeing teachers who have made mistakes but still find themselves happy in their careers. That honest sharing has reflected favorably in reviews.

Here are my tips for eliciting constructive feedback:

  1. Don’t rely solely on end-of-semester feedback forms. In my experience, these forms elicit only very general feedback, making them of limited usefulness.
  2. Include feedback questions on assignments, quizzes, and exams. I started including questions about specific assignments and learning activities on exams and quizzes a couple years ago, giving students easy points for a thoughtful response. Students have been open with me about what has been helpful or not helpful and why. I have gotten useful feedback from both U.S. and international students this way.
  3. Give students the opportunity to assess their progress along the way. I give students several chances throughout the year to share how confident they feel in their research skills, what they want to improve, and what they still have questions about. This can be done anonymously or not.
  4. Administer pre-tests and post-tests. I give a similar assignment at the beginning of the school year and again right before summer. This method allows students and me to see their growth objectively. The results are always rewarding.