Feedback and Peer Reviews
GOOD FEEDBACK & FOCUS ON IMPROVEMENT
It is common for students to struggle in one or both of the teamwork and performance categories (particularly early in the project program). In order to be successful on any technical team, a person must be able to both perform at a technical level and work well with their teammates.
Providing critical feedback that is focused on helping another person improve their teamwork and technical skills is a skill in and of itself. Students should take care not use this as an opportunity to bash a rival or bias in favor of their friends. Staying objective and clear is critical. It can also be useful to consider what it would feel like to receive the feedback provided personally to see if it is more likely to help improve or upset. Receiving feedback can often be uncomfortable, but it is much easier to receive from someone generally interested in improvement.
When scoring a teammate with a low score, a student should be prepared to provide a path for how that teammate could improve. When scoring a teammate with a high score, a student should be prepared to clearly point out what that person is doing well to reinforce and strengthen the behavior.
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
Example of poor feedback:
"Jeff is not doing a good job with the analysis. He needs to get better."
This feedback isn't clear on what Jeff has done wrong, nor is it clear on how he can improve on the analysis.
Example of better feedback:
"Jeff was 2 days late on his action item to deliver the analysis of the upper beam assembly. Several of the stress calculations were also found to be incorrect upon review due to unorganized inputs being swapped which resulted in 1-2 days of additional delay after we discovered the error and needed to fix the design. I would like to see Jeff speak up earlier if he is struggling with a task such that we can work together to find support. It would also be valuable for him to ask for one of us or our project advisor to review his work in advance of the need date."
Why this is better feedback:
This feedback is clear about what has gone wrong with a specific example and how it impacted the team. The feedback also incorporates paths that Jeff could take to avoid the issues in the future. The feedback stays objective where possible, and takes personal ownership over suggestions provided.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
Example of poor feedback:
"Veronica is great. Keep it up."
This feedback isn't clear on what the team mate is doing well. An advisor couldn't use this to encourage a student in a clear way or provide reinforcement of behavior.
Example of better feedback:
"Veronica has consistently delivered on time and comes to all meetings with a positive attitude. She has regularly checked in on the team without micro-managing, and her notes from the meeting with the sponsor saved us when it came to building out the requirements matrix. She may be able to advance her coding skills a bit to help us with the controller a bit more, and I'd love to see her continue to refine the requirements as it has been critical thus far."
Why this is better feedback:
This feedback is clear about what Veronica has done well and how it impacted the team. Its easy for an advisor/manager to see the impact that this team mate has had even beyond their own interactions with that individual. The feedback also stays objective with clear examples. Even though she is doing well, the feedback still provides a category where Veronica may have an opportunity to expand skills.