FeedbackFruits: Peer Review

FeedbackFruits Peer Review is a tool that allows students to provide structured, anonymous (or non-anonymous) feedback on each other’s work. Designed to enhance critical thinking and self-reflection, it streamlines the peer review process by allowing students to submit their work, evaluate peers’ submissions, and engage with feedback all within a single platform.

Key Features Include:

  • Customizable Criteria: Set up specific rubrics and criteria for students to use when reviewing peer work.
  • Anonymous or Named Feedback: Choose whether students will see the names of their reviewers.
  • Self-Reflection: Enable self-assessment before or after reviewing peers.
  • Automated Feedback Distribution: Ensure each student gets assigned reviews automatically.
  • Deadlines & Progress Tracking: Set clear due dates and track student engagement.
  • Integration with Canvas: Create, deliver, and assess the assignment and publish grades within Canvas.

Screenshot of an example FeedbackFruits Peer Review assignment.

An abbreviated example of reading a peer’s feedback in a FeedbackFruits Peer Review assignment.

 

Instructor Use Cases

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EPD 702, Professional Presentations

Course Overview: EPD 702, Professional Presentations, is a 1-credit graduate course designed to enhance students’ ability to create, refine, and deliver professional presentations. The course focuses on audience analysis, effective content creation, slide design, and confident communication. Through a series of structured presentations, students will improve their delivery skills and receive peer and instructor feedback to refine their approach.

How Feedbackfruits Peer Review is Used in This Course: 

This course uses a Slide Revision Assignment that has students refine two past presentation slides using assertion-evidence techniques from class readings. The assignment is divided into two parts: Part I, where students submit their revised slides to the instructor for review, and Part II, where they submit their work to FeedbackFruits Peer Review to receive feedback from two peers. This process helps students develop both their visual communication and peer evaluation skills by improving slide design clarity and learning how to provide meaningful, constructive feedback.

Part I – Instructor Review

  • Students select at least two slides from a past presentation.
  • They revise their slides using assertion-evidence techniques from class readings.
  • They submit their before/after slides in one file to the Slide Revision Part I Canvas dropbox for the instructor’s review.
  • They include contextual notes about the audience and purpose of the slides to guide future peer feedback.

Part II – FeedbackFruits Peer Review

  • After submitting their work for instructor review in Canvas, students upload their before/after slides to the FeedbackFruits Peer Review assignment.
  • They are automatically assigned two peers’ slide revisions to review.

Peer Review Process

  • Students provide structured feedback using the rubric criteria in FeedbackFruits, evaluating:
    • Clear sentence headers that communicate the slide’s main point.
    • Low-text/high-visual design for audience engagement.
    • Strong contrast and readability to enhance clarity.
    • Effective use of color and layout to unify the design.
    • Notes pane content explaining key discussion points.
    • Consideration of virtual presentation challenges (e.g., text size, clutter reduction).
  • Students are instructed that feedback should be detailed, constructive, and specific, following best practices:
    • Highlight strengths in the revised slides.
    • Suggest improvements with clear reasoning.
    • Recommend resources (e.g., articles, videos) for further refinement.
    • Avoid vague labels like “good” or “bad.”

Reviewing Feedback

  • Students view their received peer feedback in FeedbackFruits after the review period.
  • The instructor can monitor feedback quality and student engagement using FeedbackFruits analytics.
  • If necessary, the instructor can also step in to adjust grades or guide feedback improvement.

Closing the Loop

  • Students reflect on the feedback they received and consider how to improve future slide designs.
  • The instructor finalizes grading, awarding:
    • 10 points for slide revisions (Part I – Instructor Review)
    • 5 points for peer review (Part II – FeedbackFruits)
  • Students can view insights from the peer review process to help them refine both their design and evaluation skills.

FeedbackFruits Peer Review Tutorials for Instructors

Part 1: How to add a FeedbackFruits Peer Review Assignment to Canvas

This video demonstrates how to add a FeedbackFruits Peer Review activity as an assignment in Canvas. Adding the activity as an assignment enables publishing grades to the Canvas gradebook.

Access video chapters using the menu in the upper-left corner of the video.

Part 2: How to set up a FeedbackFruits Peer Review Assignment in Canvas

This video outlines the configuration of an example FeedbackFruits Peer Review assignment. Settings include establishing feedback criteria, scheduling deadlines for giving and reading peer reviews, anonymity, and more.

Access video chapters using the menu in the upper-left corner of the video.

Part 3: How to Configure Grades of a FeedbackFruits Peer Review Assignment

This video demonstrates how to configure the grading section of a FeedbackFruits Peer Review assignment and grade publishing options.

Access video chapters using the menu in the upper-left corner of the video.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Can peer reviews be anonymous?

Yes, instructors can choose to enable anonymous feedback, which means students will not see the names of their reviewers.

What types of files can students submit for review?

Students can upload a variety of file types, including documents (PDF, Word), images, spreadsheets, and videos. The instructor sets the accepted formats when configuring the assignment.

How many reviews does each student need to complete?

This is customizable. Instructors can set a specific number of peer reviews per student, ensuring balanced review distribution across the class.

Can I require students to complete a self-assessment?

Yes, self-assessment can be enabled so students must evaluate their own work before or after reviewing their peers’ submissions.

What happens if a student does not submit their assignment on time?

If a student does not submit their work by the deadline, they may not receive peer reviews or be able to complete their own reviews, depending on instructor settings.

How do I track student progress on peer reviews?

FeedbackFruits provides an instructor dashboard where you can monitor who has submitted, reviewed, and received feedback. You can also send reminders to students who have not completed their reviews.

How do I ensure students provide quality feedback?

Use a rubric to guide student feedback and set minimum word counts for responses. Instructors can also spot-check reviews and provide feedback on the quality of peer assessments.

What if students provide inappropriate or unhelpful feedback?

Instructors can monitor and flag feedback if necessary. Students also have the option to report feedback if they feel it is unfair or inappropriate.

How do I make sure students engage meaningfully in the peer review process?

  • Provide clear instructions and rubrics
  • Emphasize the importance of constructive and respectful feedback
  • Require students to reflect on the feedback they receive
  • Set clear deadlines for both submission and peer review completion

Where can I find additional support for using FeedbackFruits Peer Review?

Please feel free to reach out to a member on the LDT team for support in design and setup of FeedbackFruits activities. For more information on FeedbackFruits, you can visit the FeedbackFruits website.