I am not a professional landscaper, nor am I an expert on roses. I am, however, a backyard hobbyist who tries to keep plants in my care healthy and growing. To do this, I must prune the plant to cut out branches that are not producing flowers.

At the end of each semester, I do something brave and sometimes scary. I ask students for feedback, not just rely on the school’s prepackaged student surveys. I ask my students to tell me which assignments benefited them most and why. I ask what assignment they liked the least and why. I challenge students to tell me how they have grown throughout the semester, not just in my class but through their course load.

I also look at feedback through the more traditional pathways, such as anonymous academic surveys sent out by the college or university. In addition to these, I look at notes I made throughout the past semester from student emails and class discussions. I truly want to know what is working and what needs to be pruned before I begin the next semester.

It is disappointing to me when students do not take the time to fill out the end-of-course survey provided by each institution. These surveys, especially the qualitative responses, are pure gold for professors seeking to maximize the effectiveness and experiences of students taking their course. These surveys are short, anonymous, and not available to the professor until after all grades are submitted, so there is no chance of negative repercussions for the student.

The low participation rate in these surveys prompted me a few years ago to begin asking students questions at the end of each semester. My background in marketing and qualitative research compels me to go deeper and understand the why. I understand the value of identifying the SWOT and then making updates to improve the process and product.

Pruning a course at the end of a semester is the process of using all the data collected from students throughout the semester and using that information to make course corrections for future semesters. Some assignments need to be replaced as they are not working as planned. Some links need to be updated to more current examples. Just as a couple of examples.

One bit of feedback I often receive is about assignment relevance. I teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and all are adult learners juggling responsibilities. Students tell me they appreciate the direct application of their assignments and the encouraging feedback given. I take that feedback seriously and strive to continue pruning my courses to maximize the investment of time students commit to further their education.

If you are a student still on your academic journey, I encourage you to take the time to give your professors feedback. Your professors want to help you grow, and they need your honest and respectful feedback to improve their courses from one semester to the next. The input you provide will help your classmates in the class you just finished, and their input will help you in your future courses as well.

If you are a professor or teacher, I would encourage you to put on gloves as you prune your course. The assignments can be prickly at times, and it’s hard to admit when what you thought was a great assignment is just no longer productive or relevant and needs pruning. As educators, however, we owe it to our students to maximize the relevance and effectiveness of each assignment to support their healthy growth.