JISC

Summary

One of the key attributes that undergraduate study of a subject seeks to develop is an advanced level of problem solving ability within the discipline. This is particularly true in, although not restricted to, science disciplines. Although deliberate practice can develop these skills, it has been argued that a deeper understanding can be achieved by having students pose, as well as answer, problems.  In cognitive terms, it is far more demanding to generate both correct and incorrect reasoning and answers to a problem than merely attempting to find a solution.

PeerWise (http://peerwise.cs.auckland.ac.nz/) is a freely available web tool that provides an online framework to facilitate student creation of problems as well as including much of the social functionality that increasingly forms the cornerstone of online interactions. Using the tool, students can create assessment questions (in the form of multiple choice questions, with associated explanations), answer each other’s questions, rate and comment on questions, seek help from authors and follow their favourite question contributors.  If embedded appropriately in course assessment design, use of the system offers tangible benefits to both students and staff, enabling valuable peer discussion, interaction and feedback outside timetabled class hours.

This project aims to evaluate the impact and educational effectiveness of using PeerWise in courses in a range of science disciplines (physics, chemistry and biology) taken at different stages of the undergraduate degree programme at the University of Edinburgh.  It will identify and highlight common, consistent or generic lessons for a wide community of practitioners, rather than being limited to innovations within a single course or subject area. This will in turn provide a more persuasive argument as to the efficacy of the tool and its use in undergraduate teaching and learning.

Objectives

The key objectives of this project are:

• To survey student and staff perceptions of the effectiveness of using PeerWise in undergraduate courses.
• To measure student engagement with PeerWise and the extent to which this correlates with their academic performance.
• To evaluate the impact of PeerWise use on students and staff in terms of both its pedagogical effectiveness and the overall workload.
• To identify common, consistent and generic factors influencing the efficacy of PeerWise use that are relevant to the wider education community.

Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes

• Project wiki
• Online resources
• Final report
• Journal articles / conference presentations

Project Blog

http://sgc4l.blogspot.com/