Unlocking the Power of Peer Feedback with IRIS Connect
- Last updated: 14th May, 2025
In today’s complex educational environment, the ability to give and receive feedback is not just important—it’s a game-changer. Recent research by Garth Stahl, Glenys Oberg, Kirsten Fairbairn, and colleagues from the University of Queensland has highlighted the profound impact that peer-led feedback can have on student learning, particularly when facilitated through innovative digital platforms like IRIS Connect.
In this post, we delve into the details of their mixed-method study, examining the influence of peer feedback on students across various caring disciplines: fields focused on providing care and support to individuals, often encompassing physical, emotional, and educational well-being. For this study, this includes Medicine, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, and Education.
What Are Peer Feedback and Feedback Literacy: Peer feedback is a collaborative, low-stakes exercise that enhances communication, emotional regulation, and critical thinking skills. By engaging in peer feedback, students gain diverse perspectives and increase the quantity and variety of feedback they receive. In their literature review, the researchers defined the four key dimensions of feedback literacy:
1.) Appreciating Feedback Provided: Understanding the value of the feedback received, regardless of its source, and recognizing its potential for personal and academic growth. This dimension involves developing an open mindset to feedback and being willing to consider different perspectives.
2.) Making Judgments Based on Feedback: Evaluating the feedback’s relevance and applicability to one’s work. Students learn to discern which pieces of feedback are most useful and how to integrate them into their practice. This involves critical thinking and the ability to analyse feedback constructively.
3.) Managing the Emotions Elicited by Feedback: Handling the emotional responses that feedback can provoke, such as defensiveness, disappointment, or anxiety. Effective feedback literacy requires students to develop resilience and emotional regulation to use feedback productively.
4.) Taking Action to Improve Based on Feedback: Implementing changes and improvements in response to feedback. This proactive approach to feedback emphasises continuous learning and the practical application of suggestions to enhance performance.
Research Goals and Design
The primary goal of this study was to explore how peer-led, asynchronous, digitally mediated feedback enhances learning experiences and feedback literacy among students. IRIS Connect’s digital platform was used to facilitate peer feedback and to capture its effects on students’ feedback literacy. The researchers adopted a mixed-method approach combining quantitative and qualitative data, ensuring a holistic assessment of the students’ experiences and outcomes.
Participating students were recruited via social media and university channels and then completed a 36-item survey on academic motivations and past feedback literacy experiences. They were then grouped into Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) based on their disciplines (Medicine, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, and Education). Over five weeks, students participated in five learning cycles, each focusing on progressively complex skills. They recorded and uploaded practice sessions to IRIS Connect, which facilitated the peer feedback process. The research team monitored progress and provided support via periodic Zoom meetings. Focus group discussions were held to reflect on experiences and skill acquisition. The initial survey was then re-administered to measure changes in attitudes and perceptions. Semi-structured interviews and observations of digital interactions provided deeper insights into the students’ feedback literacy development.
Research Questions: The study was designed to answer two primary research questions:
- In what ways do the PLCs and digital platform facilitate asynchronous peer-led feedback to enhance learning?
- Within the peer-mediated digital platform, how do students engage with cycles of learning to develop their feedback literacy?
Research Findings: The study revealed several key insights:
- Enhanced Feedback Literacy: Students reported a significant improvement in their ability to synthesise and act upon feedback. Pre- and post-surveys indicated increased readiness to accept criticism and a proactive approach to learning revisions.
- Positive Emotional and Social Impact: Participants highlighted the social and communicative aspects of peer feedback, which fostered a supportive learning environment. This aligns with the constructivist view of learning, emphasising feedback as a social process that addresses both academic and emotional needs.
- Increased Self-Efficacy: Through the repeated cycles of giving and receiving feedback, students built confidence and trust in their abilities to provide constructive feedback. This iterative process helped them become more comfortable with the feedback process and improved their evaluative judgement.
- Collaborative Learning: The IRIS Connect platform facilitated a collaborative learning environment where students could engage in meaningful dialogue about their performance. This collaborative approach was particularly beneficial for developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
The Role of IRIS Connect
IRIS Connect played a pivotal role by providing the digital platform that enabled a seamless and interactive peer feedback process. The platform allowed students to record, upload, and annotate videos of their performances, creating a dynamic and flexible learning environment:
1.) Video Recording and Annotation:
- Students recorded their practice sessions and uploaded them to the IRIS Connect platform. The platform’s video annotation tools allowed both students and peers to add time-stamped comments, making feedback specific and actionable. This feature was essential for providing detailed, context-rich feedback.
- Aiden, one of the participants, initially expressed scepticism about peer feedback. However, he found significant benefits in reviewing his own and peers’ performances using IRIS Connect. He noted, “Just being able to view other people’s practices and pick up on their positive points and learn how to integrate those into your own practice was especially helpful for me.” The ability to re-watch and annotate videos allowed Aiden to observe tendencies he would not have noticed otherwise, enhancing his self-reflection and openness to feedback.
2.) Asynchronous Learning:
- The asynchronous nature of the platform enabled students to review and reflect on feedback at their own pace. This flexibility was particularly beneficial for managing the emotional responses to feedback, allowing students to process and act on feedback without the immediate pressure of real-time critique.
- Georgia, another participant, found the asynchronous format of the platform beneficial for managing the emotional impact of feedback. She mentioned, “I might think they’re a little bit harsh at the same time. It’s like, I understand it’s really helpful. So, I just need a little time to digest.” This highlights how the platform allowed her to process feedback privately and reflectively, leading to a more positive attitude toward peer feedback.
3.) Collaborative Features:
- The platform facilitated the formation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) where students could engage in peer-to-peer feedback cycles. These communities fostered a sense of collaboration and support, enhancing the social aspects of learning.
- Caleb, a participant, highlighted the collaborative benefits of the platform, stating, “This is more of a digital way that we can practise without being in person… We need more feedback.” He appreciated the detailed, evidence-based feedback facilitated by IRIS Connect’s annotation tools. Caleb frequently identified areas for improvement in his own practice by reviewing peers’ videos, showing how the platform enhanced his critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
4.) Secure, Accessible, Private:
- The IRIS Connect platform ensured that all recordings and feedback were securely stored, accessible only to the students and their peers. This created a safe space for honest and constructive feedback, encouraging students to engage fully in the process.
5.) Real-World Simulation:
- By simulating real-world scenarios and providing a platform for repeated practice, IRIS Connect helped students develop critical professional skills. The ability to repeatedly watch and reflect on their own and others’ performances contributed to deeper self-reflection and continuous improvement.
Conclusion and Implications for Educators
This research underscores the transformative potential of peer feedback in higher education. By leveraging the IRIS Connect digital platforms, educators can create dynamic, supportive learning environments that enhance feedback literacy and prepare students for their professional futures. The findings advocate for the integration of peer feedback cycles in curriculum design, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and collaborative learning.
- Transformative Potential of Peer Feedback: Peer feedback encourages students to engage deeply with their learning material, reflect critically on their own and others’ work, and develop essential professional skills. The iterative process of giving and receiving feedback helps students become more self-aware and improves their ability to critique constructively, fostering a sense of accountability and responsibility for their learning journey.
- Creating Dynamic Learning Environments: IRIS Connect’s platform provides a structured yet flexible environment where students can interact asynchronously. This flexibility allows students to process feedback at their own pace, reducing the anxiety often associated with real-time critique. The platform’s video annotation features enable detailed, context-specific feedback, which is crucial for developing nuanced understanding and practical skills. These digital tools support a more personalised learning experience, catering to the diverse needs of students.
- Enhancing Feedback Literacy: Feedback literacy involves not just understanding feedback but also effectively using it to improve performance. The study highlights how IRIS Connect helps students develop this literacy by providing opportunities for repeated practice and reflection. By integrating peer feedback into the curriculum, educators can help students build resilience, manage their emotional responses to feedback, and learn to value diverse perspectives. This holistic approach to feedback literacy is essential for preparing students for real-world professional environments.
- Promoting Continuous Improvement: The study highlights the importance of embedding peer feedback cycles into the curriculum as a means to foster continuous improvement. Regular feedback cycles encourage students to adopt a growth mindset, where learning is seen as an ongoing process rather than a series of isolated events. This approach helps students to continuously refine their skills, adapt to new challenges, and stay motivated throughout their educational journey.
- Fostering Collaborative Learning: Collaboration is a key component of modern professional environments, and peer feedback naturally promotes this. By participating in peer feedback cycles, students learn to work effectively with others, appreciate different viewpoints, and develop communication skills that are critical for their future careers. IRIS Connect’s platform supports these collaborative efforts by providing a secure and accessible space for students to share their work and insights.
- Equipping Students for Success: Ultimately, the integration of digital tools like IRIS Connect in education equips students with the skills necessary for success in their respective fields. The ability to give and receive feedback, reflect on one’s performance, and collaborate with peers are all critical skills that will serve students well in their professional lives. By embracing these tools, educators can significantly enhance the learning experience, making it more engaging, interactive, and effective.
The power of peer feedback lies in its ability to develop critical thinking, enhance emotional regulation, and foster a collaborative learning atmosphere. This study makes a compelling case for integrating peer feedback into higher education curricula, ultimately contributing to the development of more competent, confident, and collaborative professionals.
Looking to the Future: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In an exciting development, the researchers at the University of Queensland have recently been provided with access to IRIS Connect’s newly released AI tools. They will be exploring how these advanced tools will support, and make more scalable, a sophisticated analysis of teaching practices and student interactions. By using AI-generated insights, students and coaches can identify specific areas for improvement, receive personalised feedback, and engage in more targeted reflection. This integration is expected to further enhance collaboration among students and their coaches, making the feedback process even more dynamic and effective, ultimately leading to higher levels of professional development and learning outcomes.
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