Post-Exam Feedback How much class time do you spend going over the exam afterwards? What do you discuss (e.g., the entire exam, the most difficult problems, how the exam was scored)? How specifically do you discuss student responses to exam questions after they have been returned? What information do you convey to students about score distributions? Do you give them access to an exam key? What other types of feedback do you give them about their exam performance? (Do you write comments on the exams, correct their mistakes, or just indicate points? Do you consider students as losing points for mistakes or as gaining points with correct answers?)

I try to find time to go over the exam, or at least very common student errors, in class. I wish there was more time for this. Often I will post a full set of solutions on line. I do try to give students extensive written feedback on their midterms but I'm not sure how much they look at these comments. I often also prepare a handout discussing the most common student errors. My hope is that they will review these concepts as they continue to learn the material and study for the final. I try to be positive and remind them that this is a quarter-long process. Those who did well shouldn't get over confident as the material builds, and those who didn't do well shouldn't get discouraged as they will see many of the same ideas again in the course and will have the opportunity to improve their understanding (and to demonstrate that improvement).

I often show students the distribution of scores or at least the mean/median and max. I have stopped allowing students to resubmit answers for more points but sometimes give very similar questions on the final.

See all answers to this question

See all of Beth's answers