Student Course Evaluations of Mid-Semester Syllabus Changes:

A Practical Report on a University-Level Upper-Intermediate Conversation Class

Abstract

Universities typically conduct course design sessions upon which class syllabus contents are established for student registration. In practice, as a course progresses, changes to the initial syllabus are common for various reasons. Even if changes are made for the benefit of the students and the final course evaluations are good, the students’ genuine opinions about the changes are not easily captured through the standard course evaluations that focus on overall course quality. This paper presents a practical case of mid-semester syllabus changes, including student evaluations, and discusses key considerations when making syllabus adjustments during the semester.