Find out how to use Buddycheck peer evaluation and scoring tool to support group work.
About Buddycheck
Buddycheck is a peer evaluation tool that can be used by students in group work.
It is integrated into Canvas. Staff and students at Sussex access the tool through their Canvas modules.
Buddycheck can:
- collect students’ scores and feedback on their own and their peers’ contributions to group work
- provide your students with automated yet personalised feedback on their contributions
- use peer scores to calculate and apply individual weightings to marks awarded for group submissions
- make assessment of group work fairer through increased accountability and peer-moderation of grades.
It can also be used formatively as a prompt for reflection and a source of feedback, developing a student’s teamwork skills.
How to use Buddycheck
An evaluation is what students complete in Buddycheck after they’ve completed group work. They score their own and their peer’s contribution to group work.
Buddycheck then calculates an adjustment factor from the students’ responses. This can be used to update individual student marks for any group assessment marked through Canvas SpeedGrader.
Buddycheck in the classroom
When introducing the module and the activities or assessments you’re asking students to complete, you should:
- explain why you’re incorporating peer evaluation(s) into the module
- outline the peer evaluation questions they’ll be asked and whether they will provide private comments to you, feedback to group-mates (which isn’t anonymous) or both
- explain how Buddycheck works and where to find guidance. You can use this short PowerPoint presentation [PPTX, 7.2MB] for students or show them the guidance on your Canvas module. You can also show one of the short films provided by Buddycheck. Buddycheck intro for students (Vimeo link) explains students the benefits of group work, feedback, and the tool that brings these together. Buddycheck - Complete evaluation as student (Vimeo link) is a short tutorial showing how students can complete a peer evaluation and access the results
- have a conversation with your students about productive and inclusive group and team work.
Buddycheck in your module
- share the Buddycheck guidance for students via your Canvas module site. You may wish to highlight Skills Hub guidance on group work and any other resources available.
Benefits of Buddycheck
Reasons to use Buddycheck include:
- it provides you with a useful window into what is happening within student groups
- your students will be more motivated to participate and act professionally because they will know the process is fairer, reducing the number of complaints
- group assessments will be fairer, where peer scores are applied to individual marks
- students will receive feedback on their contributions to group work and on the process used to apply peer scores.
- it can save you time.
Group work assessments can be adapted to incorporate peer scoring without it affecting the approved assessment mode [PDF, 186KB].
Functionality
Buddycheck supports your marking – it doesn’t replace it. Students are not marking each other.
At each stage of the process, you are in control of the marking process and can review comments and adjust marks, if needed, before they are released to students.
Other main points of functionality include:
- easy synchronisation with your Canvas group sets
- peer scoring rubrics that you can create or use from a template
- extensive results table, including labels highlighting common issues, such as “Underconfident” or “Disagreements”
- adjustment factors for every student, which you can use to adjust the final grade in Canvas Grades
- anonymous results for students with tips on how to improve
- one-click reminders for students to complete evaluations
- students can send private feedback messages to you.
Getting help with Buddycheck
For guidance and support with using Buddycheck you can:
- review the how-to steps above which provide the answer to most questions
- attend a scheduled Buddycheck workshop, which you will find listed on our events, workshops and seminars page.
You can also get online chat support and more guidance within the Buddycheck interface.
If you’re still stuck, you can contact Educational Enhancement.