The concept is simple enough: Require all instructors to collect feedback from students about how to improve their teaching techniques before the end of the semester, when it is too late to make changes.

And that is exactly what the Undergraduate Student Government Academic Assembly hopes to achieve with their plan to better communicate in the classroom.

Academic Assembly President Jenna Dalious is drafting a letter to the University Faculty Senate's faculty affairs committee requesting that instructors be required to conduct mid-semester evaluations every semester in all classes.

Instead of creating a standardized form -- such as the Student Rating of Teaching Effectiveness (SRTE), which is distributed at the end of each semester -- Academic Assembly wants professors to choose whatever format best suits their needs.

"If students just have to take out a piece of paper and answer questions, it wouldn't cost anything," Dalious said.

Patrick Shannon, professor of education, already obtains feedback from his students three times every semester, addressing topics such as students' expectations of him and the class. More teachers should make efforts to receive evaluations from their classes, he said.

"I think it's a reasonable thing that if we're going to do student evaluations that we do them during the semester so they might have some effect on a course before it's over," Shannon said.

But concerns have been raised regarding Academic Assembly's proposed tactic of requiring professors to solicit mid-semester feedback.

"Requiring anyone to work against their plans is not the best way to develop some sense among the faculty that this is a worthwhile thing to do," Shannon said.

Kathryn Plank, programs coordinator for the Instructional Development Program, is also concerned that mandated feedback would negatively affect professors' attitudes toward improving their teaching.

"I'm not sure how wise it is to force people to do things," she said. "Sometimes that turns them off. I don't know if you would need to force people to do it -- just show people there's a value in it."

Despite those concerns, Dalious contends that required evaluations are the best approach to improving communication between instructors and students during the semester.

"If they're confident with their teaching then they shouldn't have anything to worry about," she said.

IDP Director Diane Enerson agrees that professors must obtain feedback throughout every semester in order to improve their teaching habits, but she favors phasing in the mid-semester exchanges instead of introducing them University-wide.

"Where it should be mandated is for people who are new to teaching," Enerson said. "If it's mandated early in one's career, then it becomes a habit."

IDP, part of the Office of Undergraduate Education, offers several methods for instructors interested in collecting mid-semester feedback. Some ideas include machine-scanned standardized questionnaires, open-ended questionnaires and one-minute papers.