Legal Commentary

For the last few semesters, I have asked students to give brief mid-semester class evaluations.  It is about that time of year, so I'd like to hear about others' experiences with this and suggestions for shaping the process. 

I hand out blank index cards and ask students to write down a few things that they like or don't like about the class and to suggest any changes that would improve the class for them.  The emphasis is on practical changes that would improve their experience for the remaining weeks.  The cards are anonymous and I give them a bit of class time to fill them out.  These are informal in the sense that I am the only person to read them and they don't become part of any institutional record.  I've found that  there are some changes I'm not going to make (e.g., handing out powerpoint before class), but that a few can be addressed easily (e.g., more summary of prior material). 

The mid-semester review makes sense to me because students give comments while they still can be addressed.  I have also heard the theory that students feel less need to vent in their final comments  when they've had a chance to put in their two cents.  I wonder if the role of final evaluations in the (junior?) professor's employment file/teaching record sometimes overshadows other aspects.  My hope is that informal mid-semester evaluations allow more room for constructive suggestions.