Allowing Students to Select Deliverables for Peer Review: Analysis of a Free-Selection Protocol

Allowing Students to Select Deliverables for Peer Review: Analysis of a Free-Selection Protocol

Pantelis Papadopoulos, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Qatar
Thomas Lagkas, University of Western Macedonia, Greece, University of Western Macedonia, Greece
Stavros Demetriadis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Frank Fischer, Ludwig Maximilian’s University, Germany, Ludwig Maximilian’s University, Germany
Thursday, June 30 10:00-10:30 AM in Room 8.1

This study analyzes the benefits and limitations of a “free-selection” peer assignment protocol by comparing them to the widely implemented “assigned-pair” protocol. The primary motivation was to circumvent the issues that often appear to the instructors implementing peer review activities with pre-assigned groups, without posing additional workload to the instructor or diminishing the learning outcomes. In the study, 36 sophomore students in a Computer Networking course were randomly assigned into two conditions: 20 in Assigned-Pair, where the students worked in pre-defined dyad, and 17 in Free-Selection, where students were able to explore and select peer work for review. Result analysis showed a very strong tendency in favor of the Free-Selection students regarding both domain specific (conceptual) and domain-general (reviewing) knowledge.

http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/submission//uploads/EDMEDIA2011/paper_3046_33989.doc