Jim Lindsey, Western Kentucky University

Peer Evaluations, Peer Critiques, Custom Projects and Small Group Discussions

Who am I?

• Jim Lindsey, Instructor• Western Kentucky University

– Computer Information Systems– Computer Information Technology– Systems Management

• jim.lindsey@wku.edu

Water Dog

Today’s Agenda

• Topics– Small Group

Discussions– Custom Projects– Peer Critiques– Peer Evaluations

• Questions– What are they?– Pros– Cons– Implementation– Examples– Lessons Learned

Who are you?

• What is your name?• Name of the school/company

you represent.• What is your favorite subject

to teach? Why?• What is your least favorite

subject to teach? Why?

Small Group Discussions:What are They?

• Large classrooms• Groups of 3 or 4• Reporting back• Encouraging,

challenging, drawing others into a conversation

Small Group Discussions:Pros

• Students think critically• Students’ communication skills

improve– Practice articulating opinions– Practice debating and persuading

• Students’ presentation skills improve (via small and large group discussions)

Small Group Discussions:Pros

• Students learn from each other

• Smart, shy students are forced to participate

• Students get to know their classmates

• Students don’t get as bored during class

Small Group Discussions:Cons

• Some students don’t want to participate– Extremely shy– Sage on the stage

• Some groups do not answer questions as instructed

Small Group Discussions:Cons

• Some groups talk too much

• Some groups go down the wrong track

Small Group Discussions:Implementation

•We did this!

Small Group Discussions:Examples

•We did this!

Small Group Discussions:Lessons Learned

• Use this technique judiciously– Get/maintain attention– Hard topics?

• Compensation• Competition can be good!• Role in a flipped classroom?

Small Group Discussions:Application

• Identify one way that a teammate (not you) could implement this technique in their favorite class.

Custom Projects:What are They?

• Individualized assignments

• Same instructions• Same grading rubric

Custom Projects:Pros

• Students cannot cheat• Students can share work• High performance bar

Custom Projects:Cons

• Each students does something different

• Grading can take awhile

• Sometimes requires flexibility

Custom Projects:Implementation

• Instructions have to be clear

• Encourage/reward creativity

• Have students post their work –all of it!

Custom Projects:Examples

LinkedInTwitterWeb sitesCIT 436CIS 141

Custom Projects:Lessons Learned

• Encourage your better students to: – Finish early– Post their work for

others to see

Peer Critiques:What are They?

• Students provide feedback to peers about their performance on assignments

• Teacher provides a concise grading rubric!

Peer Critiques:Pros

• Worker gets detailed feedback from peers

• Students get practice assessing someone’s work

• Evaluators pay close attention to worker

• Everyone learns (from good and bad examples)

Peer Critiques:Cons

• Some students want teacher to do ALL evaluation

• Some students will not rate peers accurately

Peer Critiques:Implementation

• Create a concise rubric– Post the rubric early– Explain it clearly– Make students practice– Give students feedback

about their practice work– Hold everyone accountable

• Compensate Evaluators

Peer Critiques:Examples

• CIT 436 Research Papers• CIS 141 Presentation

Peer Critiques:Lessons Learned

• Communicate your expectations in the beginning!

• Provide examples• As much as possible, make

needed corrections along the way

Peer Evaluations:What are They?

• At end of a group project, students score the performance of ALL teammates

• Teacher provides a concise scoring rubric!

Peer Evaluations:Pros

• Motivates students to perform

• Students get practice assessing other people’s work

• Venting mechanism• Bragging mechanism

Peer Evaluations:Cons

• Some students want teacher to do ALL evaluation

• Some students will not rate peers accurately

Peer Evaluations:Implementation

• Create a concise rubric– Post the rubric early– Explain it clearly– Make students practice– Give students feedback

about their practice work– Hold everyone accountable

• Compensate Evaluators

Peer Evaluations:Examples

• CIS 141 Video Project

Peer Evaluations:Lessons Learned

• Communicate your expectations in the beginning!

• As much as possible, make needed corrections along the way

• Penalize lazy people

Application

• How could you include custom projects, peer critiques or peer evaluations in your favorite class?

Questions

?

PEER EVALUATIONS, PEER CRITIQUES, CUSTOM PROJECTS AND SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS

Jim Lindsey, Western Kentucky University