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Peer Review: A Conduit for Developing Graduate Attributes?
Judy Pate & Sheena Bell – The Business SchoolHelen Purchase & John Hamer – Computing Science
Research Question
Research question: To what extent does peer review facilitate the development of graduate attributes?
Agenda to build and develop generic skills and capability within Higher Education
The Graduate Attributes examined were:– Critical thinking– Evaluating own work and that of others– Reflective practice– Confidence– Autonomous learning – Communication
Peer Assessment Numerous definitions and labels
– describing a process involving students in for example: review, correction, feedback and rating/grading
In this context, peer review is the focus The literature suggests that peer review
promotes:– Critical thinking– Self evaluation– Reviewing others – Reflective practice – Self confidence– Deeper learning– Being an autonomous learner
The Context and Methodology
Context– Corporate entrepreneurship course
• Levels 1-5 across university programmes (200 students)
– Peer review exercise through on-line software (Aropa)– Not graded
Methodology– Questionnaire before and after the peer review
exercise (86% and 60% response rate respectively)– Three focus groups (around 6 participants in each)
Quantitative Findings
What are student perceptions at the start?– Positive about undertaking peer review– Don’t see review as just the role of the lecturer
At the end?– Still positive but, actually . . .– Less positive on all graduate attributes measured
• E.g. ‘Assessing my peers helps us learn from each other’
• Mean changes from 3.59 to 3.19 (scale 1 strongly disagree and 5 strongly agree)
Range of perceptions from: “What are you meant to do with a three word review?” to
“It was good. I don’t know if my view is right and it is good to check that I am not thinking in a weird way!”.
Lack of some students’ confidence in reviewing
“Who are we to tell somebody that their question is bad when we don’t have a clue”
Lack of empathy for recipients of their feedback In general a lack of trust in peers’ abilities to give
feedback“We did not trust the feedback given to us anyway”
Behaving as competitive and strategic learners“I don’t want others stealing my work”
“You know (the lecturer) knows better” and they (lecturer) are marking the coursework”
Qualitative Findings
Research question: To what extent does peer review facilitate the development of graduate attributes?
Potential is there– Online peer review software allows large classes - Aropa– Students willing and engaged – the seeds are there– Needs more input to prepare students for peer review and
graduate attributes– Not all students prioritise such an exercise – Can’t anticipate full achievement in a single course?
Contributes to embedded approach to graduate attributes enhancement (Barrie, 2006)– Interwoven rather than outwith the subject learning
Questions and comments?
Contact details:
University of Glasgow Business School
Judy Pate - [email protected] Sheena Bell - [email protected] Purchase -
[email protected] Hamer – [email protected]
