Peer evaluation and review helps learners develop their capacity to give and receive feedback, while also providing opportunities to practice revising their work based on feedback they have received. This iterative process facilitates engagement with peers, constructive criticism, meaningful affirmation, and discernment about how to integrate feedback in their own reflection and learning process. Despite these advantages, peer evaluation and review can also be challenging, particularly if not meaningfully integrated and supported. Overall, remember that peer feedback is a skill that will take time and practice for learners to develop.
Peer Evaluation of Group Work Considerations:
In group-based courses, instructors often employ peer evaluation activities that provide opportunities for learners to rate their own as well as their peer's contributions to the group's learning and assignment/project completion. It is important to share expectations with learners about peer evaluations (e.g. how frequently will they evaluate each other, what will the evaluation entail, will there be a grade associated with the evaluation, and what are the criteria). Allowing some class time at the start of the semester to set these expectations and to prepare learners for collaborative work is very important. Don't assume they already know how to do it. Here are some tips to consider:
- Allow groups to create their own groups' norms and criteria for collaboration on the first day, particularly for groups that will remain together for the entire semester.
- Create space for them to revisit those norms at the mid-point of the semester and to make adjustments.
- Create a list of guiding questions for learners to address for the peer evaluations that reflect the requirements of your course (e.g. was your peer prepared for class, did your peer contribute to the group's learning/project/lab, was your peer respectful of other's ideas and contributions, etc.)
- Create a rubric for learners to rate their peers on the guiding questions you provide. See the example here.
- Allow time in class for learners to give verbal feedback to each other; coach them on providing respectful feedback.
- Be prepared to intervene and help address tensions that may arise among group members if needed.
Helpful Tools for Conducting Peer Evaluations
- Qualtrics (contact RSPH IT for an account: help@sph.emory.edu)
- Google Forms
- Microsoft Office Forms
- Canvas Peer Review
- SurveyMonkey
Peer Review Considerations
The most frequently implemented peer review activities involve pairs or groups of learners reviewing each other's individual papers or projects. Below are some considerations for instructors to prepare learners for a successful peer review activity adapted from University of Colorado, Boulder, Center for Teaching and Learning:
For the Reviewer:
- Design guidelines to guide the peer review task; consider carefully what feedback peers are competent to provide given their stage of learning.
- Create a peer review rubric to guide the review. See the example here.
- Peer reviews should not include correcting grammar, punctuation, etc.
- Peer reviews should be formative, not summative
- When possible, plan for peer reviews to take place during class time.
- Model formative feedback and constructive criticism in your comments to learners.
- Explain the benefits of peer review and how it is linked to learning objectives for your course.
- Be clear about expectations; will learners be graded on the peer review they are providing; if so, what are the grading criteria; will the recipient be graded on how well they incorporate the feedback, etc?
- Remind learners that they are reviewing the written product, not the writer; encourage learners to respond as a peer not as an instructor, paying attention to have a respectful tone.
- Remind learners to also comment on what was done well, not only on what needs to be improved.
- Provide sample peer reviews when possible.
For the Recipient:
- Summarize feedback and note any changes they made in the revised document.
- Address each comment from the reviewer with a brief explanation as to why changes were made/not made.
- Discuss reviewer comments with the instructor.
Resources
Center for Teaching Innovation (n.d.). How to evaluate group work. Cornell University.
A Guide to Course Delivery (n.d.) How can I organize group and teamwork? Duke Flexible Teaching.
Center for Teaching Excellence. (n.d.) Using Student Peer Review in Any Class. The University of Waterloo.