Short Term Reflections
Short term reflections (including weekly reflections and one minute sheets) are a commonly used way to address immediate questions about the lecture or the week in Amherst College STEM courses. These can be filled out each class, each week, or whatever frequency the professor sees fit. Weekly reflections are especially helpful in large intro classes, where professors can address class-wide points of confusion.
Research has shown that:
- Daily or weekly reflections on learning allow students to think about what they have learned, understand their learning strengths and weaknesses, and self-monitor their progress in the class (Wilson, 1986).
- Midterm feedback and short reflections can also help identify students who are struggling in the course, as well as class-wide points of confusion throughout the entire course (Wilson, 1986).
Professors can also ask the students to relate the material they are learning to their own lives in order to learn more about the students’ interests and how the class is influencing them. It is important to ask only one or two questions on the short-term reflections, especially for large class sizes and reflections conducted at the end of class.
Depending on the professor’s intended purpose of the short-term reflections, the short term reflections can either be anonymous or non-anonymous. For professors who simply want to address questions that the class has after a lecture, anonymous reflections would be helpful. For professors who want to track student progress and use the weekly reflections as a way for students to reflect on their learning, non-anonymous reflections may be preferred.
Potential ways to conduct short-term reflections:
- Written half-sheets of paper at the end of class
- Google Form with QR code to scan at the end of class (easy to parse and quickly analyze common themes)
- Weekly reflections on Moodle and other online forums
Potential questions to ask:
- How did you feel about the material today on a scale of 1-5?
- What was the most important thing you learned in lecture today?
- What questions do you have after the lecture today?
- What do you need from me to succeed in the course?
“Overall, I think when… professors answer questions that arise from them in a timely manner they could be effective, however this has not been my experience in most classes.” (Amherst College STEM Student)
Ways to address short term reflections:
- Analyze common themes and questions of the short term reflections through Moodle, email, or at the beginning of the next class.
- Have a TA assist in analyzing the short term reflections, especially for large classes.
- Answer each students’ question individually through email.
Students are more likely to fill out the short term reflections if they get a response from the instructional team!
Example implementations for short term reflections:
- Students fill out a one-minute sheet, either virtually or on paper, at the end of each lecture. The professor (or TA) parses the one-minute sheets and identifies themes or points of confusion. Then, the common themes of the one-minute sheets are addressed in a Moodle post on the off-day of the course or the next lecture period if time permits.
- Students fill out a weekly reflection between the last class of the week and the first class of the next week so students have the weekend to reflect on their learning. The professor (or TA) parses through the weekly reflections and identifies themes or points of confusion, which is addressed through a Moodle post or at the beginning of next lecture period if time permits.
- If the short term reflections are not anonymous, the professor (or TA) can address questions individually through email and identify students that may have been struggling with the material that week.