Writing & Learning Project

Guiding Student Peer Review

Resources for coordinating & facilitating student peer review in your course.

Planning a peer review means making decisions about how to prepare students to give useful feedback, help them use peer feedback for revision, and finally, choose a tool to facilitate the peer review. This is not necessarily a linear process - you will likely circle back and forth between these decision-making points.

There are many ways to adapt these resources for your needs. The following is assumed here about a peer review design:

+ Peers respond to written work.

+ Peer response occurs asynchronously online.

+ All student submissions & communication are digital.

+ Instructional time (online or face-to-face) is dedicated to preparing for & debriefing the peer review activity.

+ Students have time & are expected to revise their work in light of peer feedback.

Resources for designing the peer review activity.

Design the peer review assignment.

Communicate expectations clearly.

Make evaluation decisions.

Resources for implementing the peer review activity.

Prepare students for peer review.

Choose a platform for peer review.

Help students use feedback to revise.