MTSI (Mid-Term Student Interview): An Intervention Process for Teaching Feedback

 

Kristen Miller & Mara Evans

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2015, Volume 36

Abstract

This mini-workshop will describe the development and use of the MTSI (Mid-Term Student Interview) as a means to gather mid-term student feedback about teaching practices and how they affect student learning. Although most higher education institutions give end-of-semester evaluations, the students who provide feedback do not directly benefit as they have completed the course and have moved on. At the same time, the instructor is left with feedback that can only be applied to future teaching assignments. The MTSI is a process by which a trained teaching consultant (also a non-biased third party) meets with a class approximately half way through a teaching term and through a short questionnaire and peer discussion, helps students to prioritize their struggles with their instructor’s teaching practices. The consultant then meets with the instructor for a consultation to review all feedback, using the meeting to focus on prioritized student issues. Preliminary data indicate that both instructors and students report benefits to using this process including better communication between and clarified expectations of instructors and students. This workshop will be interactive so that participants can discuss and share issues related to student evaluations of teaching, teaching preparation for instructors, and sustainability of the MTSI process.

Keywords:  teaching assistants, teaching assessment, assessment, graduate teaching assistants

University of Oregon (2014)