On Friday April 19th several Tech Hub Faculty met with GwenEllyn Anderson to be trained in GIFT.
What is GIFT?
GIFT is short for Guided Instructional Facilitated Technique and it is a process for faculty to receive student feedback using guided set of questions and a group facilitator.
What is the Value?
The process usually takes place in weeks 4-6, and allows your students to provide anonymous insights about how the class is going. The facilitator will provide a summary of information shared, and the in-class process allows students to maintain anonymity from the facilitator as well. The timing is important for the process so that the instructor has time to make adjustments if needed. Students are often able to articulate things that are unclear and give the instructor time to adjust. GwenEllyn noted that the process often improves the relationship between instructor and students as the students have an opportunity to witness the instructor’s willingness to hear and address feedback, making it a more effective resource than the end of term evaluation sheets.
Who is Eligible to Receive a GIFT?
If you’re teaching, you’re eligible. All feedback is shared directly between the facilitator and instructor and not with any supervisory staff.
What are the Time Requirements?
Typically, there is a pre-GIFT communication done by email. This describes the process in detail, sets the schedule and covers any other questions the instructor may have. The class session is then completed, and takes between 45-60 minutes. Following the class time, the facilitator schedules a debrief with the instructor, answers questions and might offer some resources if available. So as an instructor, you can anticipate about an hour out of class, and an hour of in in class time.
If you’re interested in learning more about or signing up for GIFT, please visit the GIFT page on the Center for Academic Innovation website.
We hope you find this information useful and would very much like to connect with any and all Chemeketa instructors. Thank you for all you do for our students! We look forward to serving you.