Good News! ASRW has decided to eliminate the final exam for WRDS 150. To make up the 20 percentage points normally assigned to the final exam, I have chosen to more formally assess the peer reviews that take place throughout the semester. I view this as a wonderful opportunity to make some positive improvements to support student success in the course.
Why did I choose to focus on the peer reviews?
First, I already incorporate peer feedback at various points in the writing process. My students tell me that they learn important things about their own writing by reading the work of classmates, they understand the assignment criteria better by applying them to the work of another writer, and they benefit from the research conversations with classmates interested in similar topics. (I try to group students together based on their topics and research perspectives whenever possible.) These anecdotal reports seem to be supported by recent research on peer review which finds that the task of providing feedback to others exercises a type of evaluative judgement that can later be employed in self-assessment, which can [I assume, over time] reduce the need for external feedback (Nicol, Thomson, & Breslin 2014).
Second, scholarly research on peer review has shown that peer evaluation can encourage an increased motivation for learning, a sense of autonomy and responsibility among members of the class, and the development of transferable, lifelong skills (see Carvalho 2013).
Third, I now provide additional training to help students understand the task, scope, format, and motivation for each assignment. Since our writing assignments are scaffolded, each assignment builds on the lessons and products of the previous one, students will also be learning different peer review strategies for different stages of writing. This should support the development of self-regulation skills necessary for success as researchers (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick 2006) and build a community practice of high quality peer feedback not only for writing and research, but hopefully by extension, for musical activity as well.
References:
Carvalho, A. (2013). Students’ perceptions of fairness in peer assessment: evidence from a problem-based learning course. Teaching in Higher Education, 18 (5), 491-505.
Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in higher education, 31(2), 199-218.
Nicol, D., Thomson, A., & Breslin, C. (2014). Rethinking feedback practices in higher education: A peer review perspective. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 39, 102-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2013.795518 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.