Using online peer feedback tools to improve undergraduate group interaction and assessment quality

In higher education, sophisticated online learning management systems offer educators unprecedented opportunity to design and implement assessment-specific feedback rubrics with relative ease. In 2022, Feedback Fruits, a flexible, online feedback tool, became available at Flinders University (Australia) with system migration to Canvas. This study evaluated the acceptability and impact of online peer feedback rubrics introduced to a group assessment in a 3rd year, undergraduate, medical science topic. In this study, online feedback participation rates were high (range 84.3-96%), with participants preference for anonymous feedback (77%). Mean peer evaluation scores improved for information sharing, task completion and discussion at final assessment; with feedback received ranked ‘high’ by 56.8% of students. Mean group evaluation scores improved for topic coverage, poster format and referencing at final assessment; with feedback received ranked ‘high’ by 59.1% of. students. In summary, online peer feedback improved student engagement and group assessment learning in this topic.