It is common practice in ITA classes to utilize microteaching presentations and for students to give peer feedback of such presentations. In the University of South Florida’s Spoken English for ITAs course, students complete about six microteaching presentations during the semester. For each of these presentations, other students in the class complete peer feedback forms, which include what they were able to learn from the presentation, the perceived strengths, and suggested areas for improvement. This feedback is useful for a variety of reasons. First of all, it keeps all audience members engaged in the presentations. Students learn from each others’ successful strategies as well as from others’ mistakes, and presenters get feedback from multiple sources. Patterns and trends emerge from the data that can help identify which areas need the most attention.

For the first several iterations of the ITA class, we used a paper-based system for peer feedback. With this method, the instructor would prepare copies of the peer feedback form for each student. (Note that in a class of 15, with each person providing feedback on the other 14 people, that was over 200 forms per assignment!) Even printed on a half sheet, it meant a lot of paper was being used. All that paper had to be processed, too, which took time. During the class, students completed the forms for each presenter. After the presentations were complete, the instructor reviewed each form and prepared the forms for distribution.

To protect anonymity and promote candid feedback, the rater names were removed before the forms were scanned and e-mailed to students as an attachment. Additionally, sometimes there were students in the class with very identifiable or illegible handwriting, or with significant spelling or grammar issues that impeded comprehensibility. In these situations, both to help the recipients better understand the comments and to protect the scribe, the comments would be typed by the instructor. While this helped the instructor synthesize the information, it did take a significant amount of time. It was an imperfect system, but we felt the exercise was valuable, and that students appreciated the feedback and used it to inform their self-reflections. Despite the shortcomings of the system, we didn’t want to eliminate the forms, but hadn’t yet considered doing them another way.

A few semesters ago, Lennox taught the ITA class for the first time, and brought a fresh perspective, He discovered that the same goals could be accomplished in a more streamlined manner using Google Forms. Google Forms, which are easy to create and complete, enabled getting the feedback to the students in a timely manner without the labor that was previously involved.

By using Google Forms, we noticed several advantages for peer feedback. One such advantage is the ease of use for both the course instructor and the rater. The platform is very user-friendly, and it is constantly being improved upon. For the raters, the forms can be filled out easily using devices they already have on hand. Because there is no need to print multiple copies of peer feedback forms, this method saves paper. Logistically, there is an advantage as well in that the forms can be shared with students electronically before class, so there is no time lost in distributing handouts, and students can familiarize themselves with the form before completing it.

Image 1. Sample form (click on image to enlarge).

Without the paper form, users also have the advantage of communicating in a format that is familiar to them and that they may find advantageous for use with their students later. Part of our goal is not just teaching language skills for teaching but also providing ITAs familiarity with tools and methods they can use in their own classrooms. Google Forms can be useful for many contexts, and when working with undergraduate classes in the United States, ITAs are likely to encounter audiences who are comfortable with, and often prefer, communicating with online tools. The advantage for the ITA (and for the ITA course instructor) is the reduction of handwriting and spelling variables in the responses. Students who write comments can do so with anonymity and with the aid of a spell-check tool.

To use Google Forms for peer feedback, you will need a Google account, which is free. From Gmail, click on “Drive” and then “Create,” then “Form.” For detailed instructions on creating a form, please see this Google help article. Although it takes slightly longer to set up, creating unique forms for each student means that Google will compile the results separately and you can more easily separate responses. After laying out the original feedback form, we create a unique form for each student doing a microteaching presentation, by simply choosing “File” then “Make a Copy” and editing the presenter name on the new form. Once the forms are created, they can be shared with students electronically within Drive or by sending the links. Students can answer the questions for each peer teaching assignment while they watch or after they watch. As the instructor, you can verify that each student did their part by checking the respondent name column in a response spreadsheet (see Image 2). You can also delete the column that identifies the student giving feedback when sending the summary of responses.

Image 2. Sample responses (click on image to enlarge).

As a teaching aid, there are some tips to keep in mind when implementing Google Forms for peer feedback. Students may access Google Forms easily from electronic devices, and can answer questions directly from e-mail, but this means that students will need network coverage or Wi-Fi access in the classroom. There is also a potential element of distraction using Google Forms, but this does not seem to greatly exceed the distraction of the paper form. If there are students who prefer to take notes on paper, they can easily print the form and bring it to class and then transfer their notes later. The same is true for students who do not own portable electronic devices.

Using Google Forms for peer feedback saves resources and better utilizes the students’ electronic devices that are already present in class. Sending the feedback to students is faster and more efficient than paper-based methods. It has been a successful change for us, and we encourage you to try it too!

Lennox and Krista are both faculty members at USF’s English Language Program. Both have MAs in Applied Linguistics/TESL from USF. They have taught and coordinated a variety of ESL courses, including the Spoken English for ITAs class.