Effective course communication is critical to foster a positive learning environment. One way communication can be improved is by scheduling a mid-semester teaching evaluation to capture student perspectives on what aspects of the course are going well and what could be improved. By providing students with a platform to express their opinions mid-semester, instructors have access to timely feedback to improve their teaching methods while the course is still ongoing. In this study, a mid-semester evaluation was conducted in an asynchronous, online Fruit Production course with 27 undergraduate students and one graduate student. The students were given a link to an online survey to respond to specific questions about the course structure and an open-ended question for actionable feedback. The evaluations were voluntary, anonymous, and confidential to solicit honest student responses. By having students respond individually, it was possible to capture unique student viewpoints and consensus statements among the class with a 96% response rate. Students responded positively to some aspects of the course such as the use of hands-on assignments; however, course modifications were made only in response to critiques. The most notable feedback was 14.8% of the students responding that the course material did not feel manageable with 44.4% of the class spending more than the expected time on lecture assignments. Additionally, students requested more clarity on the assigned projects. The survey responses were summarized for the students along with specific ways the course would be adjusted to better meet the student's needs and enhance their learning experience. To address the students’ concerns, the course workload was reduced, and students were provided with a clear explanation of their expected level of engagement. Recorded instructions along with detailed written descriptions and templates of the projects were also provided to aid in transparency about course assignments. Overall, students were well receptive of the mid-semester evaluation and reported it improved their satisfaction with the course. Because students found the mid-semester evaluation valuable to their learning, the course modifications will be maintained for future semesters.
