CritViz: Web-based software supporting peer critique in large creative classrooms

Abstract

CritViz is an online framework for supporting realtime critique, conversation, and peer ranking of creative work in the classroom. In creative classes where student work cannot be entirely graded on objective criteria, classes often arrange critique sessions to provide direction and feedback to students, raise their level of performance, and teach them to give and receive constructive criticism. Critiques usually work best in classes small enough to sustain a single discussion. CritViz was created to scale up critiques for large classes whose size normally prohibits this activity. Through CritViz's countdown timers, assignment uploading, and randomized peer feedback, we can now run effective critiques in much larger classes and have seen changes in overall classroom "motivational structure". Typically with classrooms "Smaller is Better" but our work implies possibilities for increasing class sizes with little negative impact, and even leading to "Bigger is Better" in the classroom.