Abstract
Peer instruction has been shown to have a positive effect on students’ engagement and learning. However, many of the techniques designed to incorporate peer instruction into the student experience are very heavy on resources. PeerWise is a free, low-maintenance, web-tool designed to allow peer instruction between students within a large class group. Students can write, answer and discuss Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on their work in-class. In this study, we introduce PeerWise to a wide and varied cohort of science students (N=509) across different disciplines, undergraduate years, levels (certificate to honours degree) and institutes. The attitudes of the students to PeerWise are probed using a questionnaire (356 respondents). This includes responses to Likert-style questions and thematic analysis carried out on free-text responses. It is found that the students are positive about the addition of PeerWise and recognise the advantages of the software in their learning. They recognise, and articulate, the advantages of PeerWise as an active-learning, peer-instruction revision tool. Further advantages and disadvantages are discussed, such as the flooding of system with easy and/or repetitive questions. Overall, the results are positive and are very similar across the varied class groups. In this study, PeerWise performs as free and low-maintenance software that allows the addition of (another) peer-instruction aspect to modules.
Highlights
It has been described clearly in the literature that many science students complete undergraduate physics courses without a strong understanding of the concepts that are being taught (Hake, 1998; McDermott, 1991)
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) can replace traditional lectures with problem-solving and peer-instruction exercises wherein students are presented with a problem, working in peer groups to research and discuss concepts leading to a solution (Edgar, 2013)
Greater conceptual understanding of the required principles is typical with this method of peer instruction when compared to teaching with traditional lecture formats (Sahin, 2010)
Summary
It has been described clearly in the literature that many science students complete undergraduate physics courses without a strong understanding of the concepts that are being taught (Hake, 1998; McDermott, 1991). The perception by some students that others in the class flooded the MCQ repositories with easy or copied questions was identified as a common theme across all cohorts Conclusions drawn from this thematic analysis of student responses to their peer-instruction experiences allowed us to develop a set of ‘best practice’ recommendations for future implementation of the software. PeerWise was integrated into modules across a wide and varied student cohort It was implemented in a similar fashion in a number of different classes in the School of Physics (SoP) and the School of Food Science and Environmental Health (SoFSEH) in the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) along with the School of Physics and Astronomy (SoPA) in the University of Glasgow (UoG). This assessment scheme was decided upon to allow students to pass based on the minimum engagement (author, answer and comment on four questions); it encouraged students to engage beyond the minimum and nurtured competition within the class for the engaged students
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
