bottom of the spreadsheet and copy the template into each
student’s page. Then you can share it by embedding the spreadsheet in a class website, adding students as editors to the document, or simply sending a link to students.
If students are working on a large assignment, we recommend planning several opportunities for students to participate in online critiques. It may be helpful to plan three
critiques: one near the beginning of a project, one in the
middle, and a third before the final due date. Build these
critiques into your initial Google Spreadsheet template
(see “My Big Project” above). Including multiple critique
sessions for one project within the same document gives
everyone critical information about the assignment’s progression and allows students to demonstrate their critical-thinking skills over time.
Set deadlines to keep the critique process flowing
smoothly. For example, specify a date and time by which
students have to post a link to their own work and respond
to the reflection questions. It is best to make this deadline
occur weekly or biweekly, depending on how you plan to
incorporate the critiques within the online learning experience. Likewise, student responses should have a set day and
time for completion.
The peer review process is the component of online critiques that builds community and offers authentic learning,
but it also poses the most challenges. From a logistical standpoint, the sheer number of individual pages within a given
critique can be overwhelming, depending on the size of the
group. If 25 students are in a course, it is too time consuming to expect each student to provide feedback to 24 of his
My Big Project shows a snapshot of an individual critique page with space for multiple critiques.
Critique #1 shows a snapshot of an individual critique page before completion.
