CELT Notes

CELT Notes for Sept. 30, 2026: Midterm transparency, feedback, and student self-assessments

Note from Director Christy Vrtis

Dear Colleagues, 

I hope Week 5 is treating you well. 

This week I’m thinking about three things: feedback, transparency, and preparing for midterms. In the spirit of soliciting feedback and modeling transparency, I have received feedback about the CELT Notes and will be making some changes.

Over the next few weeks, I will be re-designing the newsletter. Two of the biggest goals for the re-design are:

• to highlight any critical information at the top of the newsletter
• to utilize links to allow you to read more on KATIE and other sources to reduce the need to scroll through so much content in one email

As I work through this re-design process, I welcome your feedback and suggestions. You can send those directly to me: vrtich01@luther.edu.

 Just like I’m soliciting additional mid-semester(ish) feedback from you all, I encourage you to do the same with the students in your courses at some point over the next couple of weeks. 

This leads me to three research-based teaching tips for today: Transparency, Feedback, and Reflection.

1. Practice transparency before your midterm exam. Think of it as show and tell: provide examples of midterm exam questions with point values and exam formatting along with the grading criteria for each type of question. Here is one example of a midterm exam guide with sample questions from Colorado State. Then, talk through it all with your students. Allow time for questions, and even better, give your students the opportunity to practice at least one sample exam question in class. This will help them to know what to expect on the exam itself and give them a chance to practice and ask questions, hopefully alleviating some of their exam anxiety and maybe even improving their performance. 
2. Provide opportunities for course feedback. Why wait for end-of-semester evaluations to check in with your students and see how they/the course is going? The best time to make adjustments is while you still have several weeks of class left. A quick way to get some valuable feedback is to create a brief midterm survey. This link provides some rationale and example questions that you may consider including in your midterm survey/evaluation. Interested in some of the research that supports these practices? Check out the resources on the UVA Teaching Hub for Collecting Midterm Feedback from Students.
3. Prompt metacognition and reflection with self-assessments. Finally, consider conducting a brief self-assessment activity, either in class or as homework, where your students can communicate with you how they think they are doing in class. These midterm assessments work best when they provide opportunities for students to reflect on their work thus far and give them opportunities to set goals for the rest of the semester. Here’s an example of one type of self-assessment survey that allows students to go a bit more in-depth with . Here is another example that is specific to participation, which may be helpful if participation or engagement is part of your final grade for the course. If you want some more examples from beyond Luther, Bates College has compiled examples of self-assessments from several different institutions.

If you’re interested in working on midterm feedback, metacognition and reflection activities with colleagues next week, I invite you to register for the next CELT Workshop – details and registration link below.

Happy Homecoming! 

Warmly,
Christy

1:1 Consultations | vrtich01@luther.edu | Valders 240 | 563-387-1587 

Upcoming CELT Programming

October

Engaging Students and Improving Learning Through Reflection and Metacognition with Christy Vrtis

What if your students could become more aware of how they learn—and more intentional about what helps them learn well? In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore simple, practical ways to build reflection and metacognition into your courses, assessments, and classroom activities. You’ll leave with ideas you can try right away to help students take greater ownership of their learning without adding a lot of extra work for you or your students.

Thursday, Oct. 8, 9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m., CELT Conference Room, Valders 242.

Sign up for fall programming opportunities here. Please register 48 hours before the workshop begins. Workshops/programming with 2 or fewer registrants may be canceled.

Midsemester Reflection and Goal-Setting for Faculty with Christy Vrtis.

Do you ever think “wow, I really need to take a few minutes and reflect on the work I’ve been doing so far this semester and set some goals for the next 7 weeks,” but never seem to actually take that time for yourself? This is your chance to take one hour, eat some snacks and drink some coffee, pop, or sparkling water, and work alongside colleagues as we complete guided reflection and goal-setting activities in community. Bonus: these midsemester reflection and goal-setting activities can also be useful to revisit at the end of the semester and when you complete your year-end self-evaluations.

Thursday, Oct. 15, 9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m., CELT Conference Room, Valders 242.

Sign up for fall programming opportunities here. Please register 48 hours before the workshop begins. Workshops/programming with 2 or fewer registrants may be canceled.

Additional Faculty Development and Research/Writing Opportunities

Friday Flow is Back!

Friday Flow is an opportunity to gather in the CELT Office and write. What you write is up to you, and the possibilities are boundless. Think of Friday Flow as your accountability partner or the friend that says “hey, you CAN take 30 minutes to reflect on the week – or write a poem – or outline your journal article – or work on your novel!” There will be snacks and drinks and, with any luck, colleagues to work alongside you as you write. 

Every Friday (Drop-in anytime, 1-4 p.m.; CELT Office, Valders 240)

Final Note

Missed something in a previous CELT Notes? Don’t fret! Visit the CELT KATIE page and catch up on what you missed.