Audiovisual – Motion Graphics
Editorial
Photography
The Feedback
Capture Grid
Peer-to-peer feedback sessions
When Art and Design students work at a pre-degree or BA level, they need to receive feedback on their projects in order to reflect on what they are doing and further develop their work. At BACA’s Foundation course, we often ask students to present their ongoing project’s concept in front of tutor and peers, typically through a prototype, a visual board, sketchbook pages or, in some occasions, a Power-Point presentation. Whatever format is used, listeners will be invited to assess the work through constructive feedback.
Following a Design thinking method, we have frequently used the Feedback Capture Grid, a four-quadrant grid that helps to organise feedback into clear categories. The top left focuses on the likes or positives aspects that work well in the project; the top right highlights areas for improvement; the bottom left gathers open questions we may want to ask and, at last, the bottom right suggests new ideas. As students listen to the presentation, they write down their feedback on post-it notes that they will later place on the sections of the grid. To encourage further discussion, I often ask presenters to prepare a question for their peers, which they will try to answer orally, engaging everyone in further discussion. Then, after collecting all the written feedback, I find it useful to give the presenter time to review the post-it notes and choose one they would like to discuss in more detail. At the end of the activity, students are asked to complete a written evaluation of the feedback received to see which comments are most valuable for their project development. Even one constructive note can change someone’s project direction.
As a facilitator, I find it important to adapt to each group’s ability level and to work with small groups of four to six students. This enhances engagement, develops higher reflection skills, and gives more time for each student to talk than if they were in larger groups. In some cases, I also suggest a simple presentation structure: (1) What is your project about? (2) What have you done so far? (3) What are you planning to do next? (4) One question to ask others.
Alternatively, I sometimes replace the feedback grid with Edward de Bono’s “thinking hats” (1985), where each participant adopts a specific role symbolised by a hat. For example, a participant might wear the “yellow hat” and be extremely positive in their feedback about anything that the presenter discusses, another might wear the “black hat” and be more sceptic, or another might wear the “green hat” and be more creative in their suggestions. This pushes students to take a certain position and to comment from that perspective only. They can always switch hats and roles the next time someone presents, so they can experience a different problem-solving angle.
Using the grid online is also an effective way to stimulate group discussion, and this is something I have explored during Covid times. In this format, students present their work progression via screen sharing, and peers provide feedback using the four-quadrant grid on a shared digital board in Miro.com, where they can create post-its and interact with each other in real time. In any setting, the Feedback Capture Grid remains a simple and straightforward method that supports focused collaborative learning and critical reflection among Art and Design students. It is, by far, the most useful grid I have used in group crits over the past five years.
