Here are some additions to the previous list of recommendations on how to end your semester.
Reflect on your semester (Modified from Arizona State University):
Reflection is not only an important aspect of student learning but also offers an opportunity for faculty to seek insights from past teaching experiences. At the end of the semester, when the memories are still fresh, take a few moments to reflect on each course and write down a few notes about what went well and what you would like to change in order to avoid forgetting important details over the break.
Or, invite a colleague for a coffee to chat about your courses. You can also schedule an appointment with me, or a member of CITL to reflect on your course and start strategizing a plan for the Spring Semester….
What are some steps that need to be done? By what time? Depending on the number of topics, it might be necessary to prioritize.
Collect the Best Possible Feedback from Students (from Columbia University)
Encourage your students to fill out the end of course evaluation surveys and remind them to do so. Let your students know that their feedback matters. Explain to them how you use the information they provide to help improve the course. For free-response comments, ask students to provide specific examples of what would improve the learning experience. Remind them that their responses are confidential and that instructors only receive the data after final grades are submitted.
Ask Students for Permission (From Arizona State University)
Student artifacts are a powerful and helpful resource that can be used as a model for future students or as proof of student learning. To avoid any privacy or copyright concerns, the end-of-the-semester is a good time to ask students for their written permission for sharing those artifacts with outsiders.
Thank your students for taking your class.
Even if they were required to take your class. They will appreciate hearing you thank them. And if you want to include providing coffee and donuts (for the smaller classes), this will show them even more appreciation.
Student Reflections
In a previous blog post, I mentioned having current students write a letter to future students. This is a modification of the idea. Use VoiceThread for this activity. Provide students with prompts that they can discuss in an interactive video such as:
it most helped my learning of the content when…because…
it would have helped my learning of the content if…because…
the assignment that contributed the most to my learning was… because…
the reading that contributed the most to my learning was… because…
the kinds of homework or in class activities that contributed most to my learning were…because…
the approach I took to my own learning that contributed the most for me was…because…
the biggest obstacle for me in my learning the material was… because…
a resource I know about that you might consider using is…because…
I was most willing to take risks with learning new material when… because…
during the first day, I remember thinking…because…
what I think I will remember five years from now is…because…
Encourage them to incorporate visuals (photos of prototypes or screenshots) of anything they produced in your course.
You can allow future students to (optionally) review this feedback from students during the following semester or incorporate the feedback with the review of the syllabus. Future students appreciate reading honest information from previous students about what they can expect.