At Design School Kolding we want to educate reflective design practitioners. As part of their pedagogical training study assistant professor, Joan Pedersen and assistant professor Anne Corlin have developed a first version (1.0) of a Peer-Feedback Set of Cards for students.
It consists of 16 cards which in different ways support design students in giving feedback to each other during their studies. The first 12 cards are constructed to be an introduction to peer feedback and a guideline for giving and receiving peer-to-peer feedback. The 12 cards set the frame and help the students conduct peer feedback sessions in a friendly and constructive manner. Part of the 12 cards is three cards with examples. Then there are the 3 cards that the students use actively during their peer feedback session, being a focus card, a peers feedback card and an action card, all three made for writing. There is also an overview card with instructions for use.
In a follow-up study (2.0) Joan and Anne will develop the set of cards further by trying it out in different teaching contexts at Aarhus School of Arcitecture and University of Southern Denmark.
key question of the project
With the development project (2.0), we want to focus on peer feedback and investigate whether a visual and tactile material that describes and supports a methodical approach to peer feedback can strengthen the students in performing peer feedback not only in our own learning enviroment – in version 2.0 we want to test it in other settings with other disciplines.
Objective of the project
We want to train students in reflective and non-judgmental feedback in order to minimize insecurity in the learning environment. We do this by supporting concrete and constructive ways of reflecting on tasks and projects. The objective is to support learning as a common goal and not a matter of individual achievement.
The artistic educations are generally very high in relation to stress among the students.
One of the reasons for this is found in the students’ lack of competencies in separating themselves from their projects. We want to make learning something common, a process where students can support each other.
The Peer-Feedback Set of Cards addresses the following pedagogical challenges:
• Increased competencies in critical reflection
• To train and develop a professional language
• To understand and analyze others’ and own design projects
• To make learning a common goal and not a question of individual performance.
Methods and Outcome of the project
The approach is practice-based and generative. Based on a literature review on reflective learning mixed with our own experiences with teaching and giving feedback to students a first prototype was made and tried out in practice. Based on experiences a new prototype was made which was tried out with both BA- and MA students.
The ourcome is Peer-Feedback Set of Cards (1.0) that can be used as a common peer-to-peer reflective method with different cards for the students to support and use each other constructively throughout their studies.
In the second part of the project (2.0) we will test the material in different settings with other disciplines, and we aim to make a Peer feedback Set of Cards that is generative and can help students from all disciplines.
Designer: Joan Pedersen
