Modes of feedback in design review process: Implications for utility and effectiveness based on student gender and tone

Andrea Magdalene Vasquez; David Kwan; Laura Palucki Blake; Sarah Silcox; Joseph John Sinopoli; Gordon G. Krauss

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Conference: 2017 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Publication Date: April 20, 2017
Start Date: April 20, 2017
End Date: April 22, 2017
Conference Session: Technical Session 5c
Tagged Topics: Diversity and Pacific Southwest Section
Page Count: 17
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--29226
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/29226
Download Count: 944

Paper Authors

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Andrea Magdalene Vasquez Harvey Mudd College

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Andrea Vasquez is a third-year undergraduate student at Harvey Mudd College. She is working towards getting a degree in General Engineering with an emphasis in Environmental Analysis. She has been involved in social justice advocacy in addition to ongoing research on tribology and education in STEM fields

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David Kwan Harvey Mudd College

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Laura Palucki Blake Harvey Mudd College

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Laura Palucki Blake is the Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at Harvey Mudd College, where her primary role is to coordinate data collection, interpretation and dissemination to support teaching and learning, planning and decision-making across the college.

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Gordon G. Krauss is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Engineering Design in the Department of Engineering at Harvey Mudd College. His design research interests include improving the way designers interact with each other in the design process and how design process tools are applied. Prior to joining Harvey Mudd College, Dr. Krauss was a lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan and enjoyed a career in industry. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, both from Boston University, and completed his undergraduate degree in Physics and Astronomy at Haverford College.

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Abstract

Modes of feedback in design review process: Implications for utility and effectiveness based on student gender and tone

Andrea Vasquez, David Kwan, Laura Palucki Blake, Sarah Silcox, Joseph Sinopoli, Gordon G. Krauss, Harvey Mudd College At its best, a design review or presentation delivers actionable information on the quality of the design artifact and design process to the designers and other involved stakeholders. Reviewers may not deliver candid, objective information if, as in the case of a design course, peer review accentuates issues of review reciprocity and social cost, interfering with a reviewer’s ability to provide candid feedback. Similarly, designers may defend their design artifact and process rather than receive and apply critique. This can be true in any context, but may be particularly true when presenting to an audience that includes the individual responsible for their grade.

In this study, the authors examine the traditional oral question and answer method of providing feedback and compare it with written feedback using an online tool. Of further interest is the breakdown by gender on the perceived effectiveness of each type of review process (oral vs written).

Three sections of approximately 20 students in an introduction to design course participated in this study. Sections were divided between those providing written (only), written and oral, and oral feedback. Each section was asked to provide feedback during a design review and final design presentation. Each designer was given the feedback in written form (including any oral questions which were transcribed). The designers identified the three best and worst comments and were asked to rate the comments topic, relevance, application to future work and tone. Later, each student evaluated the design review process. The authors observed statistically significant differences between male and female students in their perception of written and oral feedback and different points in the design process, including important questions, “The feedback was open and candid,” and “I received excellent feedback.” Associations between the comment tone, relevance, and impact on future design are also examined. The research implies changing that the method of feedback from the traditional oral question and answer session to written feedback during a design review or design presentation may be more inclusive of women students. The correlation between a comment’s perceived tone of feedback and its usefulness in the design process suggests that training in both appropriate framing of a comment for reviewers and parsing content from tone for designers may benefit feedback overall.

Citation
Format

Vasquez, A. M., & Kwan, D., & Palucki Blake, L., & Silcox, S., & Sinopoli, J. J., & Krauss, G. G. (2017, April), Modes of feedback in design review process: Implications for utility and effectiveness based on student gender and tone Paper presented at 2017 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting, Tempe, Arizona. 10.18260/1-2--29226

TY - CPAPER
AB - Modes of feedback in design review process: Implications for utility and effectiveness based on student gender and tone

Andrea Vasquez, David Kwan, Laura Palucki Blake, Sarah Silcox, Joseph Sinopoli, Gordon G. Krauss,
Harvey Mudd College

At its best, a design review or presentation delivers actionable information on the quality of the design artifact and design process to the designers and other involved stakeholders. Reviewers may not deliver candid, objective information if, as in the case of a design course, peer review accentuates issues of review reciprocity and social cost, interfering with a reviewer’s ability to provide candid feedback. Similarly, designers may defend their design artifact and process rather than receive and apply critique. This can be true in any context, but may be particularly true when presenting to an audience that includes the individual responsible for their grade.

In this study, the authors examine the traditional oral question and answer method of providing feedback and compare it with written feedback using an online tool. Of further interest is the breakdown by gender on the perceived effectiveness of each type of review process (oral vs written).

Three sections of approximately 20 students in an introduction to design course participated in this study. Sections were divided between those providing written (only), written and oral, and oral feedback. Each section was asked to provide feedback during a design review and final design presentation. Each designer was given the feedback in written form (including any oral questions which were transcribed). The designers identified the three best and worst comments and were asked to rate the comments topic, relevance, application to future work and tone. Later, each student evaluated the design review process.

The authors observed statistically significant differences between male and female students in their perception of written and oral feedback and different points in the design process, including important questions, “The feedback was open and candid,” and “I received excellent feedback.” Associations between the comment tone, relevance, and impact on future design are also examined.

The research implies changing that the method of feedback from the traditional oral question and answer session to written feedback during a design review or design presentation may be more inclusive of women students. The correlation between a comment’s perceived tone of feedback and its usefulness in the design process suggests that training in both appropriate framing of a comment for reviewers and parsing content from tone for designers may benefit feedback overall.

AU - Andrea Magdalene Vasquez
AU - David Kwan
AU - Laura Palucki Blake
AU - Sarah Silcox
AU - Joseph John Sinopoli
AU - Gordon G. Krauss
CY - Tempe, Arizona
DA - 2017/04/20
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Modes of feedback in design review process: Implications for utility and effectiveness based on student gender and tone
UR - https://peer.asee.org/29226
DO - 10.18260/1-2--29226
ER -