What is peer feedback?
Peer review, or peer feedback, is a two-way process where students review each other’s work and provide constructive feedback. The task could involved students reviewing peer’s work individually, as a group or compare across or within themes or topics.
Students can also review peer’s performance and contribution in group work. See article on Peer assessment: Assessing group performance & contribution for more information.
Why peer feedback?
A well structured peer feedback activity can enhance and positively impact students’ learning. Studies suggest, through the peer feedback process, students can:
- develop important professional transferable professional skills such as communication and decision-making
- learn to make better academic judgements and become self-regulated learners
- engage and understand marking criteria more clearly
- see how their peers approach the same task
- compare and critically reflect on their own work
It also diversifies the ways students receive feedback, traditionally provided only by instructors. Over time, this experience helps students build their feedback literacy – the ability to understand, use, and learn from feedback effectively (Carless & Boud, 2018).
Principles for effective peer feedback implementation
Peer review and peer feedback activities work best when tasks are meaningful, assessment criteria are clear, and students have the opportunity to act on the feedback they receive.
When designing your peer feedback activity, consider the following principles for effective implementation.
- Align activities with learning outcomes
- Ensure the activity aligns with the module’s learning outcomes and that this is clearly communicated to students.
- Provide clear instructions that explain the purpose of the activity, its different stages, and key deadlines in advance, so students understand what is expected at each stage of the peer feedback process.
- Make criteria transparent
- Discuss the assessment criteria and rubrics with your students before they begin reviewing their peers’ work.
- If the peer feedback activity is formative, make it clear how it relates to any subsequent summative assessment(s).
- Scaffold the feedback process
- Where possible, share and discuss examples of effective feedback with your students to model good practice.
- Provide guidance and practical tips on how to give meaningful and constructive feedback. The video included in this article can be used as a resource for your students. It highlights key principles of constructive feedback, and can complement your instructions and guidance.
- Monitor engagement
- Monitor student engagement throughout the peer feedback process. Low participation or late submissions can affect peer allocations and the quality of the submission pool, potentially resulting in an inequitable experience for students giving and receiving feedback, particularly in optional or formative activities.
- If students require concessions or extensions, carefully consider how these may affect each stage of the peer feedback process, including submission deadlines, peer allocations, and the review period.
- Take advantage of the analytics features in FeedbackFruits to track student participation, monitor progress, and to help identify any issues early on.
- Close the feedback loop
- Consider how students will use the feedback they receive. Will they revise and resubmit their work? Could you facilitate an in-class discussion or include a short reflective activity (using the reflection component within the Peer Review activity) to encourage students to engage with and act on the feedback?
If you wish to use this video resource to supplement the guidance in your own peer review activity, simply select the pop-out arrow to view the video in Panopto. Select the Share button (at the top right). Copy the shareable link or embed code.
Peer feedback models and design choices
There is no single approach to designing a peer feedback activity. The most appropriate model will depend on a range of factors, including the purpose of the activity, the module context, the cohort size, the level of study, and the intended learning outcomes.
When designing your activity, consider the following questions:
- Formative vs. Summative
Will the activity be formative (designed to support learning) or summative (contributing to students’ grades)?
Formative activities often provide opportunities for students to practise giving and receiving feedback before completing a summative assessment. - Individual vs. Group-based
Will students provide feedback individually or collaboratively as part of a group? Will they review work produced by individuals or groups?
Consider whether students will review work produced by individuals or groups, and whether reviews will take place within or across seminar groups. - Anonymous vs. Named
Will submissions and peer reviews be anonymous or identifiable?
Anonymous reviews can encourage more honest feedback, while named reviews can promote accountability and a stronger sense of community. Consider which approach best aligns with the aims of your activity, the level of study and if students have prior experience with the peer feedback process. - In-class vs. Online/Asynchronous
Will the different stages of the peer feedback activity take place during scheduled teaching sessions, asynchronously, or through a blended approach?
In-class activities allow opportunities for discussion and immediate clarification, whereas asynchronous activities provide students with greater flexibility and more time to reflect when reviewing their peers’ work.
- Self assessment
Will students evaluate their own work alongside peer review?
Self-assessment encourages students to reflect critically on their own work, compare their judgements with those of their peers, and identify areas for improvement. - Peer allocation
How many peers should each student review?
This would depend on the cohort size, type of activity etc. Receiving feedback from multiple peers can provide a broader range of perspectives, but getting students to review ‘too many’ could increase their workload. - Instructor feedback
As an instructor, what role will you play in the peer feedback process?
Consider whether you will provide feedback alongside peer review, moderate the quality of peer feedback, or allow the activity to be primarily student-led. - Feedback-on-feedback
Will students rate or provide feedback on feedback they received from peers?
This can encourage accountability, help students recognise effective feedback, and provide insights into the quality of the peer review process.
Digital tools to support peer feedback / peer review
Currently, at Durham peer feedback / peer review activities can be delivered using the Peer Review tool in FeedbackFruits (available via Blackboard Content Market).
It facilitates both graded and ungraded, individual and group based activities with the options to include reflections and customise workflows.
There’s also an option to create qualitative peer assessment within Blackboard Assignment, however, we recommend that staff use the Peer Review tool in FeedbackFruits as it offers more granular controls and greater flexibility.
Tips for accessibility and inclusion
Digital tool – FeedbackFruits
For a better a user experience, select the box icon at the top right to view FeedbackFruits activities in full screen mode or to open in a new tab.
Facilitating accommodations
Peer feedback activities rely on student participation, so it is important to plan for concessions, extensions, and other reasonable adjustments. Consider how these may affect submission deadlines, peer allocations, and the review period to ensure all students have an equitable opportunity to participate.
Further information
How-to guides
FeedbackFruits – Peer Review tool
Blackboard Qualitative Peer Assessment
Link to guidance: Peer Review for Qualitative Peer Assessments
Resources
Case study
References
- Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018) The development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43:8, 1315-1325
- Nicol, D., & Macfarlane‐Dick, D. (2006) Formative assessment and self‐regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice, Studies in Higher Education, 31:2, 199-218
- Nicol, D., Thomson A., & Breslin C. (2014) Rethinking feedback practices in higher education: a peer review perspective, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 39:1, 102-122
- Kerman, N.T., Banihashem, S.K., Karami, M., Er, E., van Ginkel, S. & Noroozi, O. (2024) Online peer feedback in higher education: A synthesis of the literature. Education and Information Technologies 29, 763–813
- Tai, J., Ajjawi, R., Boud, D. et al. (2018). Developing evaluative judgement: enabling students to make decisions about the quality of work. High Educ 76, 467–481