How to talk to your instructor and provide feedback

Feedback is an essential part of the learning experience for both students and instructors and is a necessary part of the course. Your feedback helps your instructor understand your experience and improves the course. The university also has a set of course expectations that will help you understand what you can anticipate in your courses.

Providing feedback may be intimidating or challenging for a number of reasons – including the fact that instructors are ultimately responsible for providing your grades. With this in mind, here are a few strategies when contacting your instructor.

• Follow these 7 tips for talking to your instructor
• Give constructive and useful feedback 
• Take advantage of formal opportunities
• Familiarize yourself with support services

Book an appointment with an academic coach at the Centre for Academic Communication.

1. Contact your instructor through the information they provided in the course syllabus instead of looking for an email address online.
2. If there seems to be a mistake or misunderstanding about your contributions in the course, approach the conversation from a place of curiosity and openness rather than accusation.
3. Use “I” statements to describe your experience and the impact it’s had rather than “You” statements that may be more accusatory.
4. If you plan on writing an email, it may be helpful to have a friend or support person read over it before clicking send to make sure the email conveys what you hope.
5. If you plan on meeting in person, it may be helpful to write out key points and questions as a reference guide for the conversation and review/practice them with someone you’re comfortable with before the meeting.
6. If you’re concerned about the direction the conversation may go, ask your instructor if they’re comfortable with you bringing someone with you for support.
7. Remember that participating in a conversation is both talking and listening – listen openly to what the instructor has to say, even if you don’t fully agree.

Feedback should be constructive in nature. Constructive feedback involves letting an instructor know what you enjoy about the course and any concerns you have, but provides suggestions on what could specifically be improved from your perspective.

Be respectful and constructive. All members of the university community have the right to a respectful and supportive learning environment and have the responsibility to help create such an environment. Communications to instructors should demonstrate respect and have a constructive tone. It is not acceptable to make comments based on the gender, age, or identity of the instructor. The University of Victoria will not tolerate racism, sexualized violence, or any form of discrimination, bullying or harassment (Learn More)

Be specific and provide examples. Avoid personal comments and instead reference specific events or aspects of the course and observable behaviours. For example, instead of saying an instructor or course is “too disorganized” provide specifics, such as “On two occasions, what was shared in class was different than what was on the syllabus which made it difficult to prepare.”

Describe how this aspect of the course or the behaviour affects you. Describing how a situation makes you feel offers the reader a different perspective and allows the instructor to gain a better understanding of the situation.

Offer alternative solutions or suggestions to address your critiques. Although it may not be possible to provide these specific solutions, it can help the instructor understand more about what students need in the course. Please be mindful that your suggestions and feedback may not be implemented by the instructor, as it may not be possible or appropriate based on the breadth of needs of students in the class.

For a given course, an instructor may ask you to provide feedback in different ways. Your participation in providing feedback is essential for helping to create a good learning experience.

For example, consider providing feedback at the following times:

• Midterm feedback. During the course, some instructors may ask you to complete a mid-course feedback survey or similar activity to find out what is going well, any challenges you are encountering
• End of term feedback. Courses at UVic use Student Experience of Learning (SEL) surveys. By reviewing information submitted in the SEL, instructors and the university are able to use feedback to help improve the student experience.

Sometimes your instructor will give you specific questions they would like you to address (e.g. if they have tried something new and would like your perspective on how well it worked).

If there is nothing specific they need your help with, try answering the following questions:

• What did my instructor do that really helped me learn in this course? 
• Was there anything that my instructor did/did not do that could have helped me learn more effectively?
• What specific suggestions do I have that would help my instructor improve their teaching and/or the design of this course for future students?

Keep in mind that you can only control how you approach/carry yourself in a conversation and can’t control how someone else responds. If you feel you’ve been treated unfairly, you may want to consider reaching out to the department chair or the UVic Ombudsperson for support.

In some instances, your concerns about an instructor may not be safe or appropriate to bring forward to the instructor themselves – e.g. instances of potential discrimination. Please know that there are campus resources, like the Equity & Human Rights (EQHR) office, that can provide support in these circumstances.

Finally, the Student Support Coordination (SSC) Program provides individual support plans for students experiencing crises or barriers to accessing support. Student Support Coordinators work with students and assist them to explore, connect with and navigate wellness and academic resources both on- and off-campus. The SSC Program is a non-clinical, non-emergency service.