We connected with Professor Karen Freberg, who teaches Strategic Communication at the University of Louisville, on what it was like adapting Kritik in her courses and the benefits she saw through using this platform.
Read below for a few highlights of the discussion and Q/A and click here to see the full recording of the workshop with Dr. Karen Freberg.
How did Kritik impact your teaching?
Kritik was very much a game changer for me and my class was because of what it was like seeing students coming into my social media class [prior to using Kritik]. They would be able to define certain concepts but then if I asked them to demonstrate those concepts in a project, they didn’t really have that experience.
Dr. Freberg addresses a problem faced by many professors in an online learning environment. Learning remotely can be beneficial in terms of the flexibility and independence it offers students, however, it can be difficult to tell if students are connecting with the course material and whether they are learning how to apply their understanding outside the classroom. Through peer assessment with Kritik, students are empowered to take control of their learning through their own work and through the evaluations of their peers.
What kind of feedback did you receive from students?
I was very pleased with how responsive and encouraging and positive the students were because a lot of students said they felt more confident being able to talk and demonstrate [course] concepts.
Providing the students with the opportunity to provide peer feedback throughout the term can also help you learn how to best use this platform, and what areas the students may need support or clarity on. There are many ways you can adapt Kritik to different teaching styles and the particular learning styles of your students. To gauge how students are responding to Kritik, you can ask questions like:
“How was this beneficial for you?”
“What are some things that we can do to improve?”
“Is there an assignment you would’ve liked to have done on Kritik that we didn’t do?”
I’ve seen a huge difference in writing and strategic thinking and concepts based on utilizing Kritik in my classes.
What advice would you offer instructors to get the most out of Kritik?
It’s important to talk to the students about this and say, this is an opportunity for you to test your understanding to make sure you not only know the concepts but have the ability to actually practice what you preach.
With Kritik, professors can seamlessly assess the growth and development of a student’s evaluations over the semester - and the students can see this happening in real-time too. Kritik incorporates Artificial Intelligence (AI), calibration and grading scores to ensure accuracy of peer grading. Calibration activities allow the Kritik system to compare students’ grading abilities to their instructor meaning that they provide feedback and a grade immediately after the feedback on feedback stage, the third stage of Kritik.
There are so many opportunities and it’s really an untapped tool that has a lot of possibilities and versatility.
Through the process of peer feedback, students apply their knowledge, expand their thinking and grasp course concepts on a deeper level. Not only does Kritik make the grading process more efficient for professors, it is a key component to realizing the benefits of competency-based education - whether teaching remote, or in-person.
