HSTEM 2025 Project by Juli Keiper
The goal of this HSTEM project is to examine the benefits of implementing more direct lines of communication between students and professors in the form of short-term learning reflections and mid-semester reflections. Short-term learning reflections, such as weekly reflections or one-minute sheets, can help students reflect on their own learning and can help professors address small or large disconnects by identifying points of confusion. Mid-semester reflections will allow professors to assess the progress of the class as well as find ways to improve the course going forward. This project will attempt to find ways to make these forms of feedback more useful and effective and will create a resource to help professors implement student feedback into their teaching by using the short-term reflections and mid-semester feedback surveys effectively.
Implementing these lines of communication between professors and students is helpful for many reasons:
1. Students, especially those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, have ways to access the professor.
Students may not know how to use office hours effectively, and students from advantaged backgrounds may be predisposed to attend office hours. HSTEM readings such as The Privileged Poor: How Elite Universities are failing Disadvantaged Students and Meanings of Mobility: Family, Education, and Immigration in the Lives of Latino Youth focuses on how students, especially disadvantaged students, come into college with different levels of knowledge and confidence regarding classes, interactions with professors, and many more aspects of college life. This project helps aid this disconnect by allowing students to communicate with the professor on a weekly or daily basis with the short-term learning reflections, and/or check in about progress through mid-semester reflections.
2. Professors create a collaborative and responsive classroom environment.
“[Weekly reflections] definitely did improve my experience. She made me feel heard and often implemented any changes we asked for and listened to our concerns.” (Amherst College STEM Student)
“By engaging in this [feedback] process early, you build rapport with the students. They see that you are interested in their ideas and suggestions and that you will take them into consideration.” (Lewis, 2001)
“The ‘value’ in flexible learning – as in face-to-face teaching – is in the teaching and interaction with students and creating the right conditions in which they can learn.” (Casey & Wilson, 2005)
3. Students feel seen when they are recognized for their individuality in the classroom.
Having an outlet to communicate with professors and feeling heard in the classroom helps to build student-professor relationships.
“Relationship-rich experiences are crucial for all students and are particularly important for the success of first-generation college students and…those who bring significant capacities to college but also often face long-standing inequities and barriers to attaining their educational aspirations.” (Felten, 2020)