online meeting information

Zoom link to EdTech Talks

Slides from the presentation

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AI Meeting Summary / Zoom

Meeting summary for EdTech Talks (10/10/2024)

Quick recap

Ed and Katherine discussed their plans for the day and the importance of regular student feedback in improving teaching practices. They also discussed their contrasting approaches to conducting surveys in their classes, the use of Canvas surveys for anonymous polls, and the importance of creating a culture of feedback. The conversation ended with a discussion on the use of forms for various purposes, the creation of an infographic for student feedback, and the distribution of bookmarks for easy feedback collection.

Next steps

• Katherine to update the feedback infographic with QR codes instead of links and create a bookmark version for distribution to departments.

• Ed to explore distributing the feedback infographic to staff rooms and break rooms across campus.

• Katherine to send the updated feedback infographic to Sarah for review and feedback.

• Ed and Katherine to consider implementing more frequent, informal surveys like exit tickets in their classes.

Summary

Student Learning Event and Teaching Improvement

Ed and Katherine discussed their plans for the day, including a potential reenactment and a student quiz. They also talked about the weather, with Ed mentioning that it was supposed to be 80 degrees and then cool down the following week. Katherine expressed her interest in seeing the Northern Lights after work. The main topic of the meeting was a response to the student learning event from the previous week, where they were asked to reflect on the feedback given by students and how to improve their teaching and learning. Ed and Katherine agreed to record the meeting for future reference and to send it to others who couldn't attend.

Creating a Culture of Formative Feedback

Katherine and Ed discussed the importance of regular student feedback in improving teaching practices. They emphasized the need to create a culture of feedback, rather than relying on end-of-semester evaluations, which can be punitive and unhelpful. They highlighted the benefits of formative feedback, including its ability to improve the student experience, promote continual improvement, and provide real-time snapshots of teaching effectiveness. They also discussed various methods for gathering student feedback, with a focus on using surveys, which they consider an efficient and effective way to gather data. Ed agreed with Katherine's points and added that feedback should be impactful and timely, not just for the end of the semester.

Survey Approaches and Tools Discussion

Katherine and Ed discussed their contrasting approaches to conducting surveys in their classes. Katherine uses anonymous surveys to encourage candid feedback, while Ed prefers non-anonymous surveys to address concerns directly. They also discussed the use of Zoom polls and the piloting of Mentimeter, a survey tool, at their institution. The conversation ended with the possibility of expanding the Mentimeter pilot, which would require additional funding. They also discussed the use of asynchronous options in their course, which could be applied to both online and in-person classes. Katherine offered to provide further guidance on creating Zoom surveys for those interested.

Using Canvas Surveys for Regular Student Feedback

Katherine and Ed discussed the use of Canvas surveys for anonymous polls, with Katherine expressing concerns about the ease with which anonymity can be removed. They also discussed the frequency and timing of soliciting feedback from students, agreeing that it should be a regular part of the class culture rather than a one-time event. Ed suggested surveying students at the end of the third week and beginning of the fourth week, and at the end of the eighth and twelfth weeks. They also discussed the use of frequent informal surveys, such as exit tickets, and the importance of students understanding that their feedback is being used. They agreed that surveys should include a balance of multiple choice and open-ended questions.

Creating a Culture of Feedback in Classes

Katherine and Ed discussed the importance of creating a culture of feedback in their classes. Katherine shared her method of distributing surveys and emphasized the need for students to understand why their feedback is important and how it will be used to improve their class experience. Ed agreed with Katherine's approach and added that he also uses an unpublished page in Canvas to note down things he wants to address in future semesters. Both agreed on the need to close the feedback loop by communicating the results and actions taken to the students. They also discussed using Microsoft Forms for data collection due to its ease of use and availability of templates.

Survey Creation, Testing, and Distribution Discussion

Ed discussed the various types of questions that can be asked in surveys, including choice, text, rating, and ranking questions. He emphasized the importance of testing surveys before distribution to ensure anonymity and accuracy. Katherine asked about the necessity of specifying people who can respond, to which Ed responded that it depends on the distribution method. Ed also demonstrated how to create a form, add questions, and customize settings such as response duration and receipt after submission. He further explained how to collect responses, including options for who can respond and how to distribute the survey.

Embedding Surveys and Analyzing Results

Ed explained the process of embedding a survey into a course using an embed code or a QR code, and demonstrated how to use these tools. He also discussed how to view and analyze the survey results, including average ratings, question-by-question ratings, and responses to specific questions. Ed emphasized the convenience of exporting results to an Excel file for further analysis. He also discussed the ease and convenience of using forms, highlighting their reusability and the ability to share them within a department. Katherine confirmed the availability of resources, including a Canvas course and an infographic on how to make MS forms, and added that the embed code can be used in email HTML editors like Mailchimp.

Continuous Improvement and Student Feedback Strategies

Ed, Katherine, and Sarah discussed the importance of continuous improvement and the use of forms for various purposes. Katherine shared that the idea of a "note to future self" page was introduced by a former colleague, Mimi Charnik, which has been helpful for her. They also discussed the creation of an infographic for student feedback in the form of a bookmark with QR codes for easy distribution. The team agreed on distributing the bookmarks early in the semester to allow time for feedback and follow-up discussions. Ed expressed his gratitude for Katherine and Sarah's contributions to his career and acknowledged the need for both of them in their work.