Active Learning In Virtual Environment/Peer Review

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #offline/long-term, #individual-work

Outline

The main point of peer review activity is to give an opportunity for students to test their abilities in commenting and analysing their classmate’s work. As a matter of fact, it encourages students to communicate or collaborate with peers in a project. During this activity, students provide feedback for each other’s assignments, stating constructive critique on the issue. For more efficiency, a teacher should create a list of prompts students should pay attention to while providing feedback. Once comments are written down, students then should verbally go through their overviews. Consequently, students learn essential communicative skills as well as taking other people’s opinions into account.

Peer Review illustration

Activity arrangement

• create a guideline students should follow that may consist of several steps. An example of a scheme could be as follows:

1. Read the piece
2. Say what you like about it
3. Ask what the main idea is
4. Listen
5. Say “Add that, please” when you hear a good detail

• give examples of what constructive critique should look like so that no one ends up in a situation where someone is offended
• divide the class either into pairs if individual assignments are reviewed or groups for team tasks
• set the approximate time when the task has to be finished

The task does not necessarily need to be held online, it is suitable as an offline activity as well. But then, a clear deadline has to be set.

Pointers

• less grading workload on a teacher during introductory-level courses
• students are able to develop crucial skills such as reviewing, criticizing, developing arguments, describing and more
• students may become more inspired to study the course further
• if the activity is to be done outside of the class, students are able to schedule their time independently

How to use this method in online class?

This type of assignment can be done in Zoom breakout rooms or in Google Meet breakout rooms. Students exchange their documents in a chat box and then review it in their preferable document editor. If the task is assigned to be done offline, a teacher should make sure students are able to contact each other and exchange their works.