Using Peer Feedback to Enhance the Quality of Student Online Postings: An Exploratory Study

This study investigates the impact of peer feedback used as an instructional strategy to increase the quality of students\u27 online postings. While peer feedback has been demonstrated to support students\u27 learning in traditional classrooms, little is known about its efficacy in online discussions. To address this gap, we examined students\u27 perceptions of the value of giving and receiving peer feedback, specifically related to the quality of discussion postings in an online course. In addition, we investigated the impact of that feedback by comparing the quality of students\u27 postings, based on Bloom\u27s taxonomy, from pre-course to post-course. Results suggest that the quality of students\u27 postings was maintained through the use of peer feedback despite students\u27 preferences for instructor feedback. Students noted that peer feedback can be valuable and, more importantly, described how giving peer feedback not only reinforced their learning but enabled them to achieve higher understanding