This summer, several faculty members participated in CDIL’s working group, “Unlocking the Potential of Peer Feedback.” We asked them to share their thoughts on the group and their experiences developing their projects. I had a conversation with Jeannine Robbins-Murphy, part-time faculty member in the Master of Healthcare Administration Program, which has been condensed and slightly edited.
Why did you want to join this working group?
I joined the working group to expand my knowledge of teaching tools. The topic was interesting, as my career as a leader in finance requires the ability to influence teams to follow strategic direction through feedback, which I believe is a critical skill for success in any professional setting. I was also interested in taking a deep dive into the tools that would facilitate peer feedback.
What did you think you were going to do as your project at the beginning of this experience?
I wasn’t sure what my project would be at the beginning of the course. I had already had several discussions built into the course, which I surmised might be good candidates for my project.
What did you ultimately decide to do? Why?
I ultimately did choose one of the discussion topics from my course. I felt that this was a good approach, as I had already developed the learning objectives for this assignment; therefore, I could focus on enhancing the delivery techniques to align with the learnings from this course.
What’s something you learned that you didn’t expect to at the beginning of this experience?
Something I didn’t expect to learn was methods to change my discussion questions to be open-ended. I realized I was leading the students to the solution rather than encouraging them to develop critical thinking skills.
What do you hope the impact of your work will be on students?
I hope this assignment will provide my students with the opportunity to practice both giving and receiving critical feedback.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to colleagues who want to incorporate more peer feedback into their classrooms?
I encourage colleagues to think differently about their assignments and consider that peer feedback may be just as valuable as instructor feedback. Certainly, it is critical for our students to have the opportunity to practice these skills in the classroom. Teaching these skills helps our students with their own career challenges.
CDIL will be sharing more experiences from the working group members in the coming weeks. Stay up-to-date by following our blog, connecting with us on LinkedIn, or sending us a message at cdil-inbox@bc.edu.
