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Feedback Tools

Effective feedback can reinforce existing strengths, keep behaviour aligned with goals, and increase recipients’ abilities to independently detect and remedy errors. However, providing effective feedback is a skill that takes time to develop.

Feedback tools facilitate the process of giving and receiving feedback from student-to-student and between instructors and students. Browse the page below to preview some of the feedback tools available to you!

Questions?

Instructor-to-Student Tools

Giving Feedback

Giving Feedback

Collecting Feedback

Collecting Feedback

Feedback with H5P

Feedback with H5P

  • When creating activities using H5P, you have the ability to add immediate feedback on the task given to learners. The feedback that can be provided goes beyond incorrect/correct. H5P activities do not integrate with Canvas Gradebook, but they can be embedded in Canvas or links shared as knowledge checks or practice activities. Examples include:
    • Correct/Incorrect Feedback: In content types like Drag the Words, Fill in the Blanks, Multiple Choice, and True/False, you can add custom feedback that appears when a user's answer is checked.
    • Keyword Feedback: For types like the Essay or Dropdown, you can provide specific feedback if a user includes or omits a required keyword.
    • Branching Scenarios: Create pathways where a user's answer leads to different branches of content, allowing for more tailored feedback or subsequent questions based on their previous responses. This also allows for more complex feedback options.

Facilitating Peer Feedback

Canvas offers a Peer Review feature that supports collaborative learning by allowing students to exchange constructive feedback on each other’s work, such as on drafts submitted before the final version. When instructors enable this option for an assignment, peer reviews can be assigned either automatically or manually. Students use built-in tools such as annotation features, comment boxes, and rubrics to provide meaningful feedback. This process not only encourages critical thinking and reflection but also helps students better understand assignment expectations and improve the quality of their final submissions. Peer review is a powerful way to foster engagement, build communication skills, and support deeper learning across disciplines.

Instructors

Students

For more information about teaching with Canvas, refer to the Canvas page in Instructional Support. 

Kritik is a peer review tool used in the Faculty of Education. If you are interested but teach in a different Faculty, please reach out to the Teaching & Learning Centre or submit a Canvas LTI Request.

Instructors

Students

Benefits

  • Accessibility: Cloud-based tools are available on any device, making it easy for students to participate.
  • Collaboration: Real-time editing and commenting foster a sense of shared learning.
  • Documentation: Feedback is saved and can be revisited, supporting reflection and revision.

Google Docs

  • Real-time commenting: Students can leave comments on specific parts of a peer’s document, making feedback targeted and contextual.
  • Suggestions mode: Allows peers to propose edits without changing the original text, giving the author control over revisions.
  • Version history: Enables tracking of changes and feedback over time, useful for monitoring progress.

Google Slides

  • Collaborative review: Students can comment on individual slides, suggest design or content improvements, and even co-edit presentations.
  • Peer critique sessions: Slides can be shared during virtual meetings (e.g., via Google Meet) for live feedback.

Google Forms

  • Structured peer review: Instructors can create custom rubrics or feedback forms for students to fill out after reviewing a peer’s work.
  • Anonymous feedback: Forms can be set up to collect feedback without collecting names or emails, which can then be shared with the student or group it was written for (ex. Feedback during presentations).

Google Classroom

  • Assignment integration: Instructors can assign peer review tasks directly within Classroom, linking to Docs, Slides, or Forms.
  • Comment threads: Students can engage in discussions about feedback within the assignment stream.

Benefits

  • Seamless Integration: Apps work together smoothly, especially within Microsoft Teams and OneDrive.
  • Accessibility: Cloud-based tools are available across devices, supporting flexible learning environments.
  • Documentation & Reflection: Feedback is saved and can be revisited, supporting iterative improvement and self-assessment.

Microsoft Word (Online)

  • Track Changes & Comments: Students can use the “Track Changes” feature to suggest edits and leave comments directly in the document.
  • Collaborative Editing: Multiple users can work on the same document in real time, making it easy to review and respond to feedback.
  • Version History: Allows users to view and restore previous versions, useful for tracking revisions based on peer input.
  • Give and Receive Feedback in Word: Microsoft Support

OneNote Class Notebook

  • Individual & Collaborative Spaces: Students can work in their own sections and share work in collaboration spaces for peer review.
    • Set up Your Notebook for Collaboration by Creating a Shared Notebook: Open OneNote and create a new notebook or select an existing one you want to use for feedback. Share with Peers by clicking the File tab and select Share, or use the Share button, to send an invitation to your team members. Ensure you give team members "editing access" so they can add their comments and notes directly to the shared notebook.
    • Leverage the Class Notebook Feature (Instructors): If using OneNote for educational purposes, open the Class Notebook tool. Review Student Work using the "Review Student Work" pane to select specific student sections and provide feedback. Integrate Reflection Prompts by embedding reflection questions using the "Reflect" option to prompt deeper student engagement with the feedback provided.
  • Ink & Audio Feedback: Students can leave handwritten notes or voice comments, adding a personal touch to feedback.
  • Tagging & Organization: Feedback can be tagged (e.g., “Needs Improvement,” “Great Idea”) for clarity and follow-up.

Microsoft Forms

PowerPoint (Online)