Are you pitching kidding me! Evaluating pitch videos and blogs was exciting but also made me realise how differently we all approached our DAs. I found that everyone was passionate about their DA idea from simply listening to their videos and reading their blogs.

The process of converting my mindset from peer to tutor is an odd one for me. I needed to be fair and appropriately comment on my peer’s work keeping in mind that I am providing constructive criticism and avoiding bias. I found that the process of evaluating the work made me stop and think about the areas I should add more emphasis and focus more on in future.

Looking back at the feedback I provided, I think something I picked up on was that 2 of the 3 DA blog posts and videos did not provide me with a link or the page/account name to be able to follow the DA. This was a little disappointing to me because the ideas and concepts were exciting and all unique and opposite from one another. I want to be able to support and follow along with the DAs and including the DA link or account name is crucial.

From the feedback I received from my peers, a common critique was that my DA was missing references. I understand where my peers were coming from, and I have taken this on board and will endeavour to use more references within my future assessments. With my pitch, I had chosen to centre the focus on my DA rather than my research itself as this is just the introduction for what to expect. The bulk of my research had not yet begun.

The other common suggestion that I was provided with was that I spoke a little fast in my pitch video. This is something that I am aware of and have tried to improve my speaking pace on over the years since high school. I believe the reason I speak as fast as I do in my videos was because when I am passionate about an idea, my mouth simply cannot keep up with all the things swirling around in my mind and that excitement translates in my communication.

I appreciate all the feedback I was provided with from my peers and will be keeping it all in mind for my future assessments.

-Olivia