In group projects, feedback often travels in one direction: students receive comments on their draft, read them quickly and move on. That makes it hard for them to learn what useful feedback looks like, or to use the ideas of other groups to improve their own work.

Sebastian Pahs designed an activity in which each group submits a short description of its game design concept, based on the course concepts. Every student then reviews and comments on the concepts of other groups, pointing out their strengths and the areas they could improve.

The key step comes next, because each group does more than receive comments. Students read the feedback on their own concept and nominate the insights that helped them most. They are graded on their submission, their part in the discussion and the feedback they nominate, so judging feedback becomes part of the work.

Concepts are submitted as a group while the discussion is individual, which encourages students to learn across groups. Anonymity can be switched on for both submitters and reviewers, so students feel free to give honest and constructive comments.

Students practise giving specific, actionable feedback and learn to recognise the comments that really move their work forward, a skill they can use well beyond this course.