Buddycheck (Peer)

Peer evaluation ratings can be really useful to assure fairness of the group process, by enabling tutors to inflect the grades of group members, based on their group contribution (+/- the average group mark).

Many courses require students to collaborate in groups. Group work prepares students for the workplace. It’s more motivating than just lectures and it allows students to learn from their peers.  However, instructors need to know how a student collaborated and contributed to assess or grade each student. Peer evaluations or peer assessments are often used to solve this, but existing tools have flaws: lack of integration, privacy concerns or a poor user experience.  Buddycheck Links to an external site. can address these issues.

How does BuddyCheck work?

Typically:

  1. You set up your groups in Canvas, and create an evaluation in BuddyCheck.
  2. Groups work on their project (e.g. report, presentation) – typically getting a group mark.
  3. Tutor asks students to evaluate their team members according to set criteria drawn from rigorous research (e.g. Ohland et al., 2012)
  4. Free text comments can also be set by the tutor.
  5. Students carry out the peer evaluation.
  6. Buddycheck presents students with their self- & peer rating, and the group mean.
  7. Buddycheck computes a factor which can be used to inflect the group mark.
  8. Students get an individual mark: a composite of the group product and their contribution. 

The video below provides a demonstration of the use of Buddycheck in the context of a Canvas module, and would be helpful for anyone who is contemplating assessing any output from a piece of groupwork.  Alternatively you may wish to view this case study in the CIE resource tool.

 

You may also refer to CIE's Online Group Work digiguide

 

Adding Buddycheck to your Canvas Course

Buddycheck is already installed as an app in Canvas by IT at an institutional level so it's not something that has to be installed by individuals into a course, but even though installed it is hidden from the course menu by default. 

To add it as a course menu item you should be able to follow the steps in this guide, adding the 'Buddycheck' option: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-manage-Course-Navigation-links/ta-p/1020 Links to an external site.

After adding to the course menu, the first time you click on the Buddycheck link you will find that it asks for your authority to link Buddycheck to your course, accept this.