UCATT and FeedbackFruits expand engaged learning at U of A

When the University Center for Assessment, Teaching, and Technology launched a pilot with FeedbackFruits in August 2023, the goal was clear: identify tools that could better support active learning, meaningful engagement, and student success across digital learning environments.

Less than two years later, the partnership has expanded rapidly across the University of Arizona. More than 22,800 students have engaged with FeedbackFruits activities across 953 courses, supported by 647 active instructors and more than 5,450 implemented learning activities.

The growth reflects a broader institutional commitment to cultivating partnerships that strengthen teaching and learning while supporting the university’s strategic priority of success for every student.

In a recently released partnership video produced by FeedbackFruits, Lady Amor Moran, director of instructional technologies at UCATT, emphasized the importance of creating learning environments where students feel connected, supported, and invested in their educational journey. She noted that tools like FeedbackFruits help instructors create more active and engaging learning experiences while supporting a stronger sense of belonging in digital spaces. “We create a university where students feel that sense of belonging and are truly invested in their learning journey,” said Moran.

Streamlining peer review and engagement

The partnership centered on identifying ways to make digital learning more interactive, collaborative, and streamlined for both instructors and students. For many instructors, the transition addressed longstanding challenges with peer review and engagement workflows.

“Before we switched to FeedbackFruits, peer review felt really ineffective and surface-level,” said Mariya Tseptsura, director of the University of Arizona Online Writing Program. “We would have to mix multiple applications together. It was time-consuming and confusing for students.”

By consolidating multiple tools into a single platform integrated into Brightspace, instructors were able to simplify course workflows and create more consistent student experiences. Josh Butcher, assistant director of instructional technologies, noted that reducing complexity was one of the platform’s most immediate benefits.

“Being able to consolidate 15 tools into just one platform is very valuable,” Butcher said. “The ease of use of the program and the organized structure of how the activities are built in FeedbackFruits was really valuable to us as well as the students.”

Scaling support across campus

The partnership also highlighted the role of collaboration and instructor support in successfully scaling instructional technology initiatives. According to Buddy Buttram, senior instructional technologist at UCATT, the university moved quickly from pilot to full rollout following early testing and adoption efforts. That momentum was supported through workshops, webinars, and ongoing instructor outreach designed to help faculty integrate the platform into their courses. 

Tseptsura also shared that the system proved easy to implement administratively and made the peer review process more efficient, allowing instructors to focus more directly on coaching students through feedback and collaboration. Student response was overwhelmingly positive, with approximately 96% of surveyed students reporting favorable experiences with the platform.

“Creating that sense of belonging, that sense of community and connectedness that we’re trying to achieve — that’s hard to do in the digital learning world, but achievable with the right tools,” Moran said. “Our partnership is going to continue to evolve and scale in a really positive way at the University of Arizona.”

The partnership video, filmed in Tucson in March, highlights the collaborative work between UCATT, instructors, and FeedbackFruits to support engaged learning experiences across the university.

Watch the full video from Feedback Fruits: