Large lectures are an increasing reality at UCLA and other public universities. And in classes of 300 or 400 people, the flow of information is one-way: Professors talk; students listen.
This may be a necessary model given the recent decline in state funding, but it can be problematic when professors are unable to get to know the majority of their students.
While this is a large issue with no single-shot solution, one thing that could help improve education quality is a system where course feedback is collected throughout the quarter.
Professors are often in the dark about how students want a class to be taught, and many lectures end up being dry, hard to follow or too slow-paced.
The university’s remedy has been to hand out end-of-quarter evaluations, which professors presumably scan through to find ways to improve.
Though providing feedback like this is a good idea, recent changes in the course feedback process are concerning. UCLA has been making a push to move evaluations online, reasoning that this will save class time, money and unnecessary use of paper.
Unfortunately, the response rate of online evaluations has been low. They go out around finals time, and most students have other things to worry about.
In general, the university’s policy of asking for evaluations only at the end of a quarter is not ideal.
It means students are unable to receive any benefit from changes a professor might make to a course in the future. It also leaves open the possibility of students rating professors based on the grade they expect to get rather than actual teaching quality.
While students could admittedly talk to a professor about ways to improve a course during office hours, most are unlikely to do this because of schedule conflicts, shyness or simply not wanting to take the time.
Some professors ask for student input halfway through the quarter. This, to us, is a much better way of doing things.
It allows students to discuss with their instructors how they would prefer material to be presented. Students, after all, take the tests and pay for the classes.
By improving lecture formats at the halfway point in a quarter, students may be able to better learn the material and improve their scores on final exams.
Moreover, not all groups of students have the same learning styles. One class might want PowerPoint slides; others might opt for a standard lecture instead.
Mid-course evaluations should not take the place of their end-of-quarter counterparts, but we encourage professors to think seriously about offering them as a helpful teaching supplement.