Fostering Agency in
Learning

Ideas

IDEA #11: Authentic Revision & Iteration

"For many professionals across disciplines, iterative processes are core to the work they do… It is through these iterative processes
—with cycles of feedback—that professionals learn how to improve their work to meet their goals." —Northeastern University

Learning Intentions

The authentic revision and iteration process empowers students to receive or give feedback, revise their work, and create better drafts. This learning process mimics the revision process that occurs in the workplace, creating more opportunities for learning.

Success Strategies

  • Keep a Record: Encourage students to keep notes of their edits and reflect how it affected their projects using notebooks, logs, journals, or minute-essays in class.
  • Revision Blocks: Set aside class time for students to examine feedback, ask questions, and revise their work.
  • Feedback Loops: Break assignments into steps/drafts with feedback (instructor, peer, or student self-reflection) to be utilized in the next step/draft.
  • Revision Cycle: Assignment submission, feedback on specifications, time to revise using feedback, resubmit.

Peer Feedback

Peer feedback complements instructor feedback by providing a student with multiple perspectives and opportunities to work collaboratively, mimicking a workplace dynamic.

  • Demonstrate and model how to give feedback.
  • Assign 1–3 peer reviewers to review student work.
  • Either in class, on a discussion board, or via a peer review system, have students review each other's work and provide written feedback.
  • Give students time to incorporate the feedback for the next submission.

Resources