During your time at university, you may be asked to complete an assignment that includes a peer review stage. This involves providing feedback on other students’ assignments to help them improve their work.
Why are peer reviews used?
These assignments help students develop several important skills. By reviewing your colleagues’ work, you can improve your critical thinking and learn to be an effective communicator, as your feedback should be given in a sensitive and constructive manner.
People can often feel offended when they perceive criticism. By participating in peer reviews within the safe setting of your course, you can learn to accept and integrate suggestions professionally. This helps you understand that feedback is a collaborative approach to learning rather than personal criticism.
How are peer reviews used in assignments?
There are a number of ways peer reviews can be used in assignments. Here are the two most common:
Pre-submission peer review
In some assignments, a peer review stage is included before the final submission. This means that after completing a draft, students are expected to provide constructive feedback on their peers’ drafts, highlighting strengths and suggesting areas for improvement.
Once a student has received feedback, they then revise their drafts to enhance the quality of their work.
This process allows students to improve their work before the final submission and helps them learn from each other, incorporating diverse perspectives.
Collaborative assignments
In group assignments, peer review can be used to evaluate individual contributions and overall performance within the group. This peer review stage typically occurs during the assignment process, rather than at the end.
It can involve:
Feedback on contributions: Students assess the work of their group members, providing constructive comments on their contributions.
A performance review: This may also include providing feedback on their performance and collaboration within the group assignment.
What is expected?
In assignments with a peer review stage, you are expected to engage actively and thoughtfully in the process. This means providing constructive feedback on your peer’s work and being open to receiving feedback on your own. The goal is to foster a collaborative learning environment where everyone benefits from shared insights and constructive criticism.
Provide feedback
This involves reading your peer’s assignment thoroughly and assessing it based on the criteria provided by your instructor. You will need to comment on various aspects such as content, structure, and clarity. Your goal is to help your peer improve their work by offering insights and suggestions.
Complete a form / submit feedback
While you are reviewing your peer’s assignment, you will need to complete a feedback form, which you will often be asked to submit to your class instructor. This form will guide you in structuring your feedback and ensuring it covers all necessary areas.
Receive feedback
This involves reviewing the comments and suggestions provided by your peer. You will need to read through their feedback carefully to understand their perspective and identify areas for improvement.
Action feedback
his requires making revisions to your assignment based on the feedback you received. This step involves critically evaluating the suggestions and incorporating changes to enhance the quality of your work. The revised assignment is then prepared for final submission.
