Here’s a list of all the teaching to-do’s for you to tackle before (and during) the winter break. Don’t forget to hang the printable copy in your office!
- Incentivize your students to complete their course evaluations
- Consider offering a few points of extra credit, or count the evaluation as a small assignment (while the responses are still anonymous, you will still get a list of who completed the forms)
- Make time during a class period (preferably not the very last one) for students to complete the evaluations.
- Prep your students for completing their course evaluations
- Tell your students before you distribute them how this feedback is really important to you. You can say something like, “I’ve really enjoyed teaching and learning with you this semester. Your feedback will help me make the course an even better experience for your colleagues who come after you.” If possible, provide examples of past feedback that has influenced your course design.
- Give them some guidance on what feedback is most helpful. Try these kinds of comments and questions:
- I’d really like to know what aspects of your learning experience could be improved. I’ll use this feedback for the future.
- When you answer the evaluation questions, please focus on the course content, delivery and schedule.
- What elements of the course, such as the readings, the discussions, or the Canvas site, could be improved in the future?
- Keep in mind that your feedback may directly affect the way this course is offered for future students. The more constructive, specific, and actionable your feedback is, the better.
- Block off some time to reflect on your courses for this semester. Annotate your current syllabus or course materials now so that when you revisit the course in the future you’ll have a good record of how things went the last time.
- Update your CV and your teaching dossier in UDAcademe. Include any examples of student work (including rubrics) that highlight some of your unique teaching tactics.
- Backup all of your files.
- Set your goals for what you wish to accomplish over winter break.
- Clean off your desk (and desktop)!
- File, recycle, or destroy any student work that you no longer need for your course purposes.
- Reshelve this semester’s books to make room for your Spring course materials.
- Organize course files on your computer so that you can easily find your materials for the next time you teach the course.
