An exit ticket is a brief exercise that students complete before or right after leaving class. They are a helpful way to get quick, targeted feedback on student learning. They can be collected anonymously or with names attached. Some instructors use them as proof of attendance or evidence of class participation. You can collect exit tickets physically by asking students to fill out a piece of paper or passing around index cards. Or you can collect them digitally, using a tool like Google Forms or a Blackboard discussion forum. There are a number of commonly used exit ticket questions that can provide you with useful information to guide your teaching and make students feel that you are invested in their learning.
Clearest/Muddiest Point
Ask students to write down:
- what they understood especially well after class
- what is still confusing or a lingering question they still have
You can respond to students individually or begin the next class by summarizing the feedback, pointing out patterns, and clarifying confusions.
What Did You Learn from a Classmate Today?
Responses to this question are especially good for building community after a discussion or breakout sessions. You can relay positive feedback back to individual students, especially those who might not be confident about participating.
Keep, Stop, Start
These three questions are a good way to collect feedback on your teaching:
- What would students like you to keep doing?
- What would they like you to stop doing?
- What would they like you to start doing?
“Start” is especially helpful for getting ideas from students about what’s working well in other courses that might work for yours.
Targeted Questions
Have you recently tried something new? Ask your students for feedback about that change. “I tried out X today with you. Was this effective? Why or why not?”
Imagine an Audience
Ask your students to imagine an audience as they address a question about today’s class:
- “How would you explain X concept to a friend or family member?”
- “Pretend someone in an elevator asked you to summarize Y. How would you do it?”
- “Summarize today’s class in a tweet [240 characters].”
The more specific your imagined audience scenario is, the more fun it will be for students.
Consider multimedia: give students the option to post a 30 second video, a voice memo, or a meme (e.g., an annotated image), instead of relying only on text.
Look to the Future
"Name one thing you want to remember from this class session in 1 month/1 year/5 years."
Preview
Set up a future class by asking a question to help you learn what students already know about a topic or would most like to focus on.
Self-reflection
Ask students to reflect on their performance or preparation. These questions can help students develop better study skills by encouraging them to reflect on their behaviors and the resulting outcomes.
- “What study strategies did you find effective in preparing for X?”
- “What will you do to prepare for Y?”
- “Based on your experience, what advice would you give someone about to do Z?”
- “What worked? What didn’t? Why?”
3-2-1
You can use this “3 things, 2 things, 1 thing” format for a variety of purposes, including asking students to list 3 things they learned, 2 things they want to know more about, and 1 question they have.
