This summer, several faculty members participated in CDIL’s working group, “Unlocking the Potential of Peer Feedback.” Dr. Arvind Sharma, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Applied Economics at Woods College of Advancing Studies, shared his experience of developing a project in the working group.
Why did you want to join this working group?
As a teacher, I wanted to unlock the wisdom in the room and also become more aware of tools used in other disciplines and courses to make classes more engaging.
What did you think you were going to do as your project at the beginning of this experience?
I initially thought we would focus on exploring new tools and the pedagogy behind giving feedback. It turned out to be much more hands-on—finding your own solutions and having a space to experiment.
What did you ultimately decide to do, and why?
Through the working group process, I realized that effective teaching depends on discipline-specific needs and that pedagogy innovation works best when it supports, rather than distracts from, core learning goals. The key question for me became: What skill do I want students to develop? With that focus, I decided to continue using Canvas, which I came to appreciate as a simple yet powerful platform that supports meaningful feedback and streamlines the grading process. I also became aware of additional tools that I plan to explore gradually, always with the aim of enhancing student learning without unnecessary technological distractions.
What is something you learned that you did not expect at the beginning of this experience?
It was refreshing to see tools like Feedback Fruits and Perusall can make Canvas courses more alive and interactive.
What do you hope the impact of your work will be on students?
I hope students will find the material more engaging, spend more time learning, and collaborate more actively while giving meaningful feedback.
What is one piece of advice you would give to colleagues who want to incorporate more peer feedback into their classrooms?
Peer feedback makes a big difference and can even make routine or ‘boring’ tasks more enjoyable. Some students actively crave interaction with each other, while others may be pleasantly surprised by its value. We need to recognize and leverage the social dimension of learning—it is not going away. Even the most authoritative and engaging lectures can start to feel one-sided. Peer interaction adds vitality and creates opportunities for deeper learning.
