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The Midterm Class Interview
(MCI)
Overview of the Program
The Midterm Class Interview
(MCI) Guide for Class Interviewers
The Midterm Class Interview (MCI)
The Process
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The Midterm Class Interview (MCI)
Guide for Class Interviewers
Before the interview
- In interviewer contacts the instructor and the scribe to set
up a time to meet before the MCI to discuss the class.
- Request that the instructor send you and the scribe his/her
syllabus, class schedule and other class documents that might
be helpful
- Send the instructor the list of questions you intend to go
over in the pre-MCI interview so they have a chance to think about
this. The questions are:
- What level is the course and what kind of students are in
the class (e.g. majors, juniors and seniors, politically active
students, etc)?
- What kind of teaching methods do you use (e.g. discussion,
lecture, group projects, student presentations, etc)?
- What kind of short-term and longer-term assignments do
you give (e.g. daily reading assignments, papers, journals,
forum entries, blogs, podcasts, etc)?
- How do you assess student learning in your class (e.g.
papers, student individual and group work, exams, etc.)?
- How do you think the class is going? What are your major
concerns at this point?
- The interviewer and scribe meet with the instructor and find
out what you can about the class and how it is taught. You may
wish to use the attached form to make sure you collect all the
information you need (e.g. number of students in the class, location
and time of the class, etc.) Use this time to discuss specific
concerns the instructor may have about how the class is going.
This information may be helpful during the interview.
- Set up a date for the class interview and for the follow-up
meeting. Schedule the follow-up meeting as soon after the interview
as is possible.
What to bring to class
- A laptop computer that can be projected (check with the instructor
to make sure there is a projection system in the room.)
- Worksheets (attached.) You will need one “individual”
worksheet for each student AND one “group” worksheet
for each small group of three students.
What to tell the class in the introduction
- Remind the students that this instructor is doing this because
they really care about how the class is going and they want honest
student feedback.
- Thank the students for their candor and willingness to provide
honest feedback
- Go over the goals of the MCI
- To provide feedback on how the class is going at midterm
when changes can be made
- To provide students an opportunity to talk with one another
about how the class is going
- To develop and convey to the instructor a consensus on
the issues of importance to the majority of students in the
class
- To get a clear understanding of issues and ideas for improvement
- Go over the process of the MCI. Tell students how the hour
will be spent.
- Tell them how the outcome will be conveyed to the instructor.
Remember to tell them that their individual response sheets will
not be seen by the instructor.
Advice on how to gather information from small groups
and develop a consensus or sense of how many students agree with
the perspective.
- Don’t get struck on the early questions. Move along and
try to spend your time about evenly for all four questions.
- One successful approach is to go from small group to small
group, having each group state their first response, then do a
second round with them stating their second response, etc, until
all views are stated. They don’t state a response if it
has already been mentioned by an earlier group. Once all the group
responses for one question are listed, ask the class how many
people agree with each response. Give three, two, or one star
to views that are held by the majority, several, or a few students,
respectively.
- Follow up major issues and concerns with discussion. Make sure
you understand the concern. When addressing the last two questions,
(what can students and the instructor do to improve the class),
try to get students to think about realistic solutions, given
the class constraints.
After the interview
- Organize the notes to make them coherent, but leave as much
of the students’ original language as possible. If possible,
summarize the few (3-4) major points you think emerged from the
discussion.
- Provide the notes sheet to the instructor before you meet in
the post-MCI interview to give the instructor time to think about
the comments. Make sure the instructor understands the few, central
issues that were the consensus of the class, and does not develop
too much concern over the opinions held by a minority of students.
- Be honest about problems. You can soften the blow by making
sure especially young faculty know that teaching is complex and
that students in every class will have complaints and suggestions
for improvement. However, do not understate real problems, if
they exist. Honest feedback is the cornerstone of improvement.
- Discuss with the instructor that approach he/she will take
in talking with his/her class during the following period about
the MCI. Discuss the potential to develop unrealistic expectations
of the impact of the MCI. Students and faculty may both create
unrealistic expectations for change, and this should be addressed
in the post-MCI interview.
Midterm Class Interview
Information Sheet for Interviewers and Scribes for Pre-MCI Meeting
Click here
to download the form
Course Instructor:_____________________
Day/Date of MCI______________________
Class Meeting Time____________________
Class Location________________________
Number of Students in Class____________
Day, Date, Time of Post-MCIMeeting__________________________________
- The instructor should have provided the course syllabus, schedule
and other significant documents for review
- What level is the course and what kind of students are in the
class (e.g. majors, juniors and seniors, politically active students,
etc)?
- What kind of teaching methods do you use (e.g. discussion, lecture,
group projects, student presentations, etc)?
- What kind of short-term and longer-term assignments do you
give (e.g. daily reading assignments, papers, journals, forum
entries, blogs, podcasts, etc)?
- . How do you assess student learning in your class (e.g. papers,
student individual and group work, exams, etc.)?
- How do you think the class is going? What are your major concerns
at this point?
Midterm Class Interview Individual Responses
Click
here to download the form
- What is working in the class to facilitate learning?
- What is impeding learning?
- What could students do to improve this class?
- What could the instructor do to improve this class?
Midterm Class Interview Group Consensus
Click here
to download the form
- What is working in the class to facilitate learning?
- What is impeding learning?
- What could students do to improve this class?
- What could the instructor do to improve this class?
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