Peer-review as a teaching method

Friedrich A, Pucker B. Peer-review as a teaching method. Working Paper der AG Forschendes Lernen in der dghd. Vol 2, 2018. Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg; 2018.Peer-reviews are a common and valued teaching tool at Anglo-American and Asian universities. Previous studies recommended a scaffolded peer-review process and pre-specified criteria. The current study investigated the feasibility and acceptance of scaffolded peer-reviews as a teaching method in German college students. Participants were 7 psychology students and 13 life science students. The students had to write a project report about a psychological experiment or genome research projects. All reports underwent a scaffolded peer-review process according to pre-specified criteria. The students’ feasibility and acceptance ratings were evaluated using customized questionnaires. The results indicated a good feasibility and acceptance in both courses, although the small samples and the different measurements impair comparability and restrict generalization. Descriptive data and qualitative comments indicated similarities between psychology and life science students. In line with evidence from other countries, this subsample of German college students provided first empirical evidence that the scaffolded peer-review might be a feasible and well-accepted teaching method. Future studies should include methodological improvements (e.g. control condition)