Mid-Term Opinion Poll of Students At the end of my rust two semesters as a TA, many constructive comments and suggestions concerning my teaching performances were given by the students through the teaching evaluations. However, I feel regret every time I realize that I can nolonger do anything for those two classes ofmine because I had not known their opinions earlier. When I became a TA for the third time in the spring of 1988, I designed a questionnaire form in the middle of the semester to ask for students' opinions about many aspects of my teaching, for example, organization and clarity of the recitations, length and format of the prelahs, and oral presentation and understanding. The questionnaire contains multiple-choice questions so the students can answer them easily without being identified. The students' feedhack proved to be very helpful for me and allowed me to make some adiustments in teachinr.- that oarticular class for the second half of the semester. Togeneralize. I helieve that surh a mid-term opinion poll from the students, as an addition u, the teaching evaluation at the end of semester, ran he very useful, especially ior the first-time TA's. It provider an effective way for the student* to express their concerns ahout the teaching and course. which arc often diiferent from class to vlass,at a time when TKs can make timely adjustments and/or improvements directly beneficial to the current students. Hslangpln Chang Iowa State University Arnes. IA 50011
496
Journal of Chemical Education
