Using Peer Review in Canvas Assignments

Peer review in Canvas allows students to give feedback on each other's work. This feature can help students develop critical thinking, improve writing and project quality, and learn from their peers. As the instructor, you can assign peers manually or automatically, set due dates, and monitor feedback given.

Above: Student view of a Peer Review Assignment in a module

Setting Up Peer Review in an Assignment

1. Select Assignments.
   Create or Select an Assignment.
    
   

2. Edit  the Assignment
   

3. Scroll down to the Peer Reviews section.
   Check the box for Require Peer Reviews.
    

4. Choose how reviews will be assigned:
    Select Automatically Assign Peer Reviews and enter the number of reviews per student.
   
   Select Manually Assign Peer Reviews if you prefer to assign reviewers yourself.
   Note: The screenshot below shows Automatically. In the following section manual assigning is demonstrated." 

   
   Setting Due Dates
   (Optional) Set a Peer Review Assignment Date. This is when Canvas assigns reviewers and lets students know their review tasks.
   
   Note: If you select Automatically Assign Peer Reviews, Canvas will assign them at the date and time you set in the Peer Review Assignment Date field. If you leave this field blank, reviews will be assigned right after the assignment due date. Setting the date gives you more control, especially if you want students to submit first before reviews are distributed. 
    

5. Click Save
   

Assigning Peer Reviews Manually

1. Open the Assignment.
   
   Above: Student view of a Peer Review Assignment in a module

2. Click the Peer Reviews tab in the assignment sidebar on the Right hand side.
   

3. You will see a list of your students. They are the reviewers. 
   
   Next, you will need to assign "reviewee(s)" under each Reviewer. 
   
   Select Give [Student Name] another submission to assess +
   

4. Choose the student(s) who they will review.
   

5. Repeat as needed until all students have reviewees.
    

Student Experience with Peer Review

Some assignments in Canvas may include peer review, where you review and provide feedback on another student's work. Peer reviews are designed to help you practice giving constructive feedback, learn from your classmates, and improve your own work through collaboration.

When you are assigned a peer review, it will appear in your To Do list and within the assignment. You'll be able to open your classmate's submission, leave comments, and mark the review as complete once your feedback is submitted.

Student Side Article here.

Monitoring Peer Reviews

As the instructor, you can view peer review progress.

Go to the assignment and click the Peer Reviews tab.

Check who has completed their reviews. Incomplete reviews are shown with a warning symbol.

You can also open student submissions to read the feedback given.

Notes:

• Peer review works only for assignments that allow online submissions (file upload, text entry, etc.).
• You are able to also make reviews anonymous by checking the "Peer Reviews Appear Anonymously" as you set up the assignment. 
• Students cannot review until they have submitted their own assignment.

Have Questions? Contact the Academic Technology Support Team

atst@spcollege.edu

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(Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST).

After-hours or weekend assistance? Contact the Technical Support Center at 727-791-2795 or onlinehelp@spcollege.edu

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