Why Conduct a Mid-Semester Assessment
1. Get information that may help you make adjustments that improve the
course.
A founding premise of the Sherrerd Center is that all teaching and
learning is improvable. Most of the time a syllabus is a rough
blueprint for a course. We almost always make changes in the way
our courses unfold. Mid-semester is a good time to gather some
information that might help us make informed decisions about course
changes.
2. An equally important reason is that a mid-semester assessment creates an
occasion to converse with students about LEARNING the content of the
course.
The vast majority of time in our classrooms is spent on the content we
are teaching. This is as it should be. However, research about
learning supports the idea that students learn better when they are
intentional and reflective about the learning process itself. Midsemester is a good time to step back and talk with students about
what they are being asked to learn and also to discuss effective
strategies for learning it. Students benefit when they understand that
a course is a collaborative venture. There are many things students
can do to improve the educational experience for themselves and
their peers. A mid-semester assessment is an excellent opportunity
for students to assume more responsibility for the success of the
course. It is an occasion to sustain or create a sense of learning
community among the course participants.
How to do it?
The sample mid-semester assessment formats and guidelines that follow
provide a sound basis for planning.
We believe that the three “core” question types for the assessment are the
following:
1. What about the course do you think needs improvement?
2. What are your suggestions for improving this(these) aspect(s) of the
course?
3. What would you say is the most important / interesting idea you have
encountered so far? or In a few sentences tell a friend what this course is
“about.”
More specific questions can be added or students can be asked to address
specific aspects of the course as they answer the questions above. In terms of
specifics, faculty often benefit from knowing what students think about:
 the academic work (readings, assignments, collaboration, etc.)


how class time is spent
how learning is assessed
We recommend devoting class time for mid-semester assessment and spending
some time discussing the results. Smith faculty who currently use mid-semester
assessment or their own design are split on the question of anonymity.