When instructors reflect on their courses — evaluating components such as their own instructional practices, student engagement and learning, assignments, and course structure and design — they can adjust and improve as they prepare for the semesters ahead. Instructors should consider what worked and what didn’t work, including possible reasons for successes or challenges, to help them make informed decisions moving forward.
As you reflect on this semester and begin to plan for the next, consider asking yourself these questions for each of the courses you taught:
- What worked well in this course? What are some potential reasons for this success?
- What challenges did I face in this course? What are some potential reasons for these challenges?
- When did my students seem most engaged with the course content? Why might this be the case?
- When did my students seem least engaged with the course content? Why might this be the case?
- How could I further support student engagement in the future?
- What are the key takeaways from student feedback?
- How might I incorporate what I learned from student feedback in the future?
- Did student learning outcomes align with course content and assignments? If not, what changes can I make to improve alignment?
- What changes would I make to this course in the future?
- What innovations or instructional strategies might I incorporate into this course in the future to make it even better?
Whether you’re teaching the same course again or a different course next semester, take a moment to reflect on the highs and lows of this semester to help you make meaningful changes to your instruction moving forward.
By Kimberly Tomeny