Borrowing from Corporate Best Practices: Using 360 Peer Feedback in the Classroom
Peer reviews are a cornerstone of professional development 360 peer feedback in the classroom is integral to a well-rounded college education. We have all seen the reports of employer dissatisfaction with new graduates’ “soft skills” and teamwork is a well-documented means to help develop soft skills. But the question always comes up: how to assess teamwork? One method, which can be used for grading but also serves double duty by borrowing from what students will experience in their careers, is the 360 peer review. The question is, how do you build a 360 peer review survey?
In this post, we will detail the process creating a peer review survey tailored for students.
Step 1: Define Your Learning Objectives for Great 360 Peer Feedback in the Classroom
Before diving into crafting your peer review survey questions, consider your learning goals and how to best align the survey to identify performance against these goals. Ask yourself:
- What specific learning goals do you have for this course?
- How can you encourage students to be honest and thoughtful in their feedback?
Breaking your peer review survey into categories that are based on learning objectives, and leveraging a variety of question types will help.
Step 2: Brainstorm Relevant Questions
Start by brainstorming a list of potential survey questions for each learning objective. These questions should be thought-provoking and capable of uncovering actionable insights. For instance:
- “How would you rate this teammate, on a scale of 1-5, for their contribution to the team’s goals?”
- “Distribute 100 points amongs your team based on their performance on the team.”
- This question format forces zero-sum decision making among the team.
Tip: Feedback Loop supports question categories which are perfect for representing your learning objectives and organizing your survey questions around them.
Step 3: Clarity and Conciseness
Your survey questions should be clear and concise. Avoid jargon, complex language and keep the survey as short as possible. Each question should have a singular focus, ensuring respondents can provide meaningful responses without confusion or fatigue.
Step 4: Diverse Question Types
A well-structured peer review survey includes a mix of question types to gather comprehensive feedback:
- Open-ended questions: Encourage respondents to provide detailed qualitative feedback.
- Likert scale questions: Offer a range of response options, ideal for assessing opinions or satisfaction levels.
- Multiple-choice questions: Collect specific data on predetermined aspects.
- Points allocation questions: enforce a total number of points that must be allocated across the team.
Tip: Feedback Loop includes a points allocation question type: use this question type in your survey to have students make zero sum choices when scoring their teammates.
Step 5: Maintain Neutrality
Steer clear of leading or biased questions. For example, instead of asking, “Do you enjoy working with this student?” pose a neutral question like “Rate your satisfaction in working with this student.”
Step 6: Pilot Testing
If you have a large class, consider piloting your survey in a smaller class first or subset of your teams, if possible.
Step 7: Accessibility and Compatibility
Ensure that your peer review survey is accessible to all potential respondents. Make it compatible with various devices and browsers. Feedback Loop is designed to exacting accessibility standards and students can respond within the LMS or on mobile making it a perfect tool for all students.
Step 8: Analyzing and Acting on Feedback
Once responses are in, it’s time to analyze the data! Look for trends and use this feedback to help students identify areas for improvement and areas where they excel. A student understanding their strengths is at least as important as understanding their weaknesses. In Feedback Loop, a performance report can be generated and released to all students with a single click.
Conclusion
Creating an effective peer review survey for the classroom involves a strategic approach and incorporationg your learning goals. With these steps outlined above, you can gather valuable peer feedback for your teams and maximize the impact of your teamwork-based learning.