Students’ perceptions of the value of an anonymous peer review activity

Abstract

Peer assessment is often incorporated into undergraduate courses because it is associated with improved academic performance; however, reaction from students can be mixed. The objectives of this study were to assess students\u27 perceptions of the value of a peer assessment activity in a 2nd-year biology course. Students’ opinions were collected using an online questionnaire delivered at each of three time periods: first at the beginning of the course, second after receiving training and conducting two peer assessments, and third after submitting a revised draft and receiving feedback from the instructors. Interviews with students were also conducted after the completion of the course to gather contextual data about students’ experiences with the peer review activity. Initially, students’ comments revealed a theme of concern that their peers would do a poor job by not taking the process seriously. However, after completing the training session and conducting peer reviews, students showed a significant increase in their perception of the easiness and fairness of the process. Feedback from students also provided insight into whether they recognized the value of a peer assessment in improving their writing and whether they would rather have a TA mark the paper instead of a peer. The results of this study provide both clear direction for improving the peer assessment assignment offered in our course and valuable insight to others using peer assessment in their courses