- Organise study activities in small groups (8-12 students) with a teacher/tutor or without a teacher (4-6 students). Experienced teachers can work in a classroom with groups of 40 or hundreds of students in a lecture hall.
- For peer feedback, the assessment criteria must be precise (for example, using rubrics) for students to learn and apply these criteria.
- Give students feedback on their feedback. Students want to know if they have been given adequate feedback. Often, some extra explanation from the teacher is needed.
- The crucial condition for success is that the (learning) activities are practical. Organise group activities for the benefit of shared success. All students should profit!
- Create a good working atmosphere in the small groups by organising group-building activities.
- Involve fellow teachers or tutors/moderators. They can support a number of ‘small groups without a teacher. They can stimulate a higher level of interaction in these small groups by answering questions, evaluating the quality of the peer feedback, stimulating the discussions in forums and sending reminders and regular updates to the students.
See also the Design Framework Group learning activities (see de Hei).
