Assessment & Evaluation: Peer Review

What

Peer review or assessment is a strategy by which participants critique and provide feedback on peer’s work. Participants exchange ideas, while also developing the skill of providing constructive feedback.

Resources and Tools

• PeerMark in Brightspace
• Discussions in Brightspace
• Google Drive for peer review
• A Guide to Coaching Students for Effective Peer Review
• For consultations, email [e-mail].

Learning Benefits

• Promotes the exchange of ideas.
• Engage more deeply with content.
• Learn how to assess and provide feedback.
• Encourages responsibility for the participant’s own learning.
• Promote reflection.

Strategies

• Explain expectations and why you’re asking participants to engage in peer review.
• Consider a rubric, criteria, guidelines, and/or samples to guide participants' performance.
  • Make expectations concrete, transparent, and measurable.
  • We recommend peers focus attention on ideas and share their perspectives; rather than correct peers’ grammar in an effort to promote an exchange of ideas.

• Identify assignments or break up assignments into phases that will most benefit from peer review. 

• Consider implementing peer review in phases, such as the first drafts. Peer’s exchanging of insight and ideas can be valuable, especially in the early stages while feedback can be implemented more effectively.
• Consider modeling or providing samples of expectations. 
  • Highlight examples of good and bad critiques. For example, explain how an example like, “great-job” is an unconstructive and unclear critique. 
  • The show incorporated the usage of guidelines, criteria, or rubrics to support transparent, user-friendly, measurable, and goal-oriented feedback (Wiggins, 2012). 

• Consider making reviewers’ identities known or anonymous.
  • Anonymous may promote a safer feeling for offering critiques, especially the first time.
  • Known identity may allow further conversations and explanations between peers.
• Consider the length of work and time needed to review.
  • Think about the amount of time learners will spend reading a certain number of pages and the difficulty of concepts. Then, add the estimated amount of time for learners to share thoughtful feedback.
  • Participants can review in-person and/or outside of a live session at their own pace.
    • Note Brightspace Discussions can be set up for private review pairs or groups. Discussions can support peer reviews as written, video, and audio. However, make a clear mention in your peer review expectations regarding “how” peers will deliver feedback.
• It’s optional to assess the assessor’s performance based on the usage of guidelines, criteria, or rubrics. This may promote accountability and offer additional instructor guidance for reviewers and reviewees.
• Lastly, consider feeding-forward observations of participants’ usage of the guidelines, criteria, or rubrics for future sessions.

Grant, Wiggins. Seven keys to effective feedback.