22 Peer

We already know that students benefit from being engaged with each other. They also benefit greatly from turning to their peers for feedback. Well-designed peer feedback can be an excellent indicator of student performance. Students develop similar metacognitive skills when they learn how to perform useful, critically engaged assessments of themselves and each other.

For many students, university is a time when much of their sense of self is derived from their peers. In many instances, they will feel more pressure to perform in front of their peers and are eager for validation from each other. Peer feedback helps to create a learning community. It turns your classroom—virtual or otherwise—into a place where everyone learns together, and everyone learns from each other. Anyone is capable of giving and responding thoughtfully to feedback—these skills just need to be fostered.