Peer assessment allows students to engage in a collaborative process of revision and reflection before submitting course assignments. Giving and receiving constructive, meaningful feedback is a key skill for students to develop, and it is important for instructors to set up in-person or online spaces to facilitate the peer assessment process. Carleton’s learning management system, D2L Brightspace, has a variety of integrated tools that allow students to collaborate with their peers and provide feedback in an online space.
Peer Assessment in Brightspace
In Brightspace, peer assessment can be facilitated using any of the following tools:
If you need assistance determining which tool(s) would best serve your course needs, you can request a consultation with a TLS staff member.
Tools and Use Cases for Peer Feedback
Below, you will find a use case table and an overview of the tools that can be used for peer assessment in Brightspace.
| Use Case | Tools in Brightspace | Useful links |
| Create a submission folder for students to submit their peer feedback. |
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| Assign students into small groups for synchronous peer collaboration. |
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| Set up an area in Brightspace where students can share files with their group members. |
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| Create a survey for peer evaluation. |
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| Create groups for peer assessment in a Discussion space, with group file sharing, an text based comments. |
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| Allow students to provide feedback via asynchronous discussions with their group members. |
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| Allow instructors to publish grades directly to gradebook. |
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Discussion Forums
Discussion forums can be set up for students to share feedback and engage in discussions with their peers. Using the Discussion tool, you can facilitate peer collaboration between select groups of students or between all students in the course. The Discussion tool allows students to share text, audio or video files with their peers and reply to discussion posts.
Related Resources:
Groups
Peer review groups can be created using the Groups tool in Brightspace. Once you have created groups in your course, you have the option to set up group discussion forums, dropbox folders, or locker areas for students to share files with their group members. The Groups tool is great for setting up an online workspace where students can collaborate with their peers and provide feedback within Brightspace.
Related Resources:
Surveys
Surveys can be used for anonymous or non-anonymous peer evaluation in Brightspace. The survey tool is especially useful for students to share feedback following in-class or online presentations.
Related Resources:
Zoom
Zoom can be used to facilitate synchronous online discussions between group members. Zoom’s breakout rooms feature is particularly useful for peer assessment, as it allows students to collaborate and provide feedback in small groups within a larger Zoom meeting. Using the breakout room feature, you can temporarily divide your meeting into separate sessions, and then bring students back to the main room after a set amount of time.
Related Resources:
D2L Peer Assessment Tool
The D2L Peer Assessment Tool can be used to allow for peer grading in your Brightspace course. This tool can only be used for individual peer grading and is not compatible with groups or group lockers in Brightspace. This tool is available by consultation only. To activate the D2L Peer Grading Tool in a course, contact Teaching and Learning Services via the TLS Support Portal.
Related Resources:
- Peer Assessment tool demo video
- Instructor Support Site: Peer Assessment Tool
- Student Support Site: Peer Assessment Tool
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