SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED SINCE I LAST BLOGGED.
I’ve actually been a bit scared to do this blog post because I have so much to talk about and it has scared me thinking about writing it. It was like a terrifying to do list that had slowly started to build up:
– Having 2 Exams…completing around 40% of my year!
– Being stressed about how the exams went…
– Being elected as one of two ICSM (Imperial College School of Medicine) Union- Social Secretary’s
– Watching the amazing UH Win! (Yay Sherry and Super)
– Varsity Win (You go, Netball!)
– My new found addiction to Salsa Music
– Being given an iPad by the MedSchool (best few days EVER)
– Easter Revision
But I have decided that I will not base this blog on any of the above. Instead I will be discussing something that is close to my Imperial heart…SOLE.
For those of you that don’t know, SOLE is a way of getting the students to give feedback on their teaching at Imperial. I have, unforgivably, been ignoring emails to go and do SOLE Surveys all term…until today.
I had finished 2 lectures of Genetics and was pumped to give feedback on one of the lectures I had just read through. I wasn’t very happy with a lot about the presentation- mostly I was unhappy with the chosen font. So, I logged into my SOLE.
HOWEVER. I was greeted by this:
No “genetics” to be seen. I had missed my slot apparently to give some feedback. Oh well…I was still pumped to give some feedback of some sort now, even if it was just about SOLE itself (never really liked baby blue as a colour).
Instructions read, I began.
…Literally couldn’t remember a thing about the course. This wasn’t great because I was just starting to revise Thorax. So I sat staring at this screen for a good minute or so. It was intense. I really tried to remember what on earth happened…where the lectures good? Did I receive helpful feedback on my work? Was there even any work I had to submit on this module?
I got out my course guide to look at the “structure”. Looked pretty structured to me…had titles and stuff!?!
Okay, onto next screen…
I tried as hard as I could to picture the teacher in my mind. SOLE was stressing me out. “The teacher generated interest and enthusiasm”…to me I could only imagine giving “Strongly Agree” to this if a lecturer threw chocolate into the theatre and swung into the hall dressed as a monkey. Otherwise, there wasn’t enough interest and enthusiasm…surely?
I managed to recall a few of the lectures after prowling through my course guide and Panopto. I put my inputs in and moved on.
I thought I would try some practical feedback before I logged off…
(Loading took a while, so I put on some Salsa music to pass the time)
I inputted my answer for the…only question.
Felt a feeling of accomplishment.
I think it is really important for student feedback, and I think SOLE is a great way of doing this. I just wish I did it sooner after lectures/ SOLE had more questions specific to the actual lecture/practical at hand to give me a specific memory jog on what was good or bad. All I know is that next term I will be doing these surveys religiously so I don’t miss the chance to give feedback: was actually pretty fun and I really see the value of feedback now I am revising the content of the lectures!
Good luck with revision this Easter everyone, and remember to stay true to your SOLE.
(Maybe I just wrote this blog post to include that pun).
Mala
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