Peer Review Activities Research Articles

SEL and Technology: The Role of Digital Tools in Promoting Emotional and Social Skills

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has emerged as a crucial component of education, equipping students with essential skills for personal and interpersonal success. This synthesis explores the interplay between digital tools and learning, with a focus on interactivity, emotional literacy, and the evolving nature of education. The integration of technology reshapes traditional educational paradigms by emphasizing performative and collaborative dimensions of learning. Theoretical frameworks such as social constructivism highlight the role of digital tools in fostering collective meaning-making and situated learning. Meanwhile, the transformative potential of technology in early childhood education underscores its dual role as both a challenge and a resource. Digital tools offer significant advantages in promoting SEL by providing interactive, accessible, and personalized learning experiences. The integration of AI and other advanced technologies further enhances the efficacy of these tools. Despite concerns about diminishing face-to-face interactions, intentional applications of digital tools can bolster socialemotional skills, from empathy to collaboration. Examples include interactive platforms fostering peer review, storytelling techniques, and role-play activities tailored for both graduate students and preschoolers. These innovations align with future workplace needs, emphasizing emotional intelligence, teamwork, and adaptability. This discussion advocates for a balanced integration of technology, ensuring that the human elements of education-collaboration, creativity, and social connectionremain central amidst technological advancements. This paper also explores the intersection of SEL and technology, examining how digital platforms, applications, and resources contribute to the development of emotional and social competencies.

Using Quality Assurance to Drive Change and Enhancement in Our New Tertiary Landscape

Since 2021, QAA has been working collaboratively with colleges, universities, sector agencies and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to support development of Scotland’s new Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF). In 2023, QAA Scotland was asked by the SFC to oversee design of two key components of the TQEF - an approach to external peer review and follow-up activity, and national thematic enhancement activity. This paper outlines progress so far working with staff and students from across Scotland’s colleges and universities, our partner quality and sector agencies and the SFC.

Improving assessment for work-based learning and degree apprenticeships in business through a co-designed peer review process

Involving students in peer review has substantial benefits for students’ learning and development and, more pragmatically, for staff workload. This paper reports on a student-led effort to co-design a peer review formative assessment task. The assessment is part of a personal development module within a higher education degree apprenticeship programme delivered via blended mode by a business school in South-East England. This case study on student-staff partnership offers a description of the process and a reflection on the impacts from both the student and staff perspective. It suggests that student co-design and peer review activities complement work-based learning, effectively bringing the prior experiences and academic skills of mature/professional students into the classroom.

Examining peer review network dynamics in higher education visual communication courses using ERGM

Peer review plays a pivotal role in shaping collaborative learning environments and evaluating student engagement, but there is a lack of research on the relational dynamics that underlie the interactions between students during the peer review process, which is critical for understanding the effectiveness of peer review for students’ learning outcomes. Using explanatory sequential study design, this study’s objectives are to explore the dynamics of peer review as a feedback mechanism in higher education within a social network context, focusing on student interactions during the feedback process. Specifically, we applied dyadic-independent Exponential Random Graph Modeling (ERGM), along with mixed-methods design to analyze peer review interactions within a visual communication course at a large state university. We collected and analyzed two samples: a quantitative sample of 167 students for network analysis, drawn from 3082 peer reviews and rubric scores, and a qualitative sample of 136 students from post-course surveys that provided feedback on the peer review process and course methodologies. Our investigation revealed the inherently social network nature of peer review, shedding light on its significance in engaging students and assessing student engagement. Specifically, we examined the role of students’ performance levels, edge-based attributes derived from the visual peer review rubric, and language used in the feedback on the likelihood of forming peer review connections in the network. Our findings indicate that attributes derived from the visual peer review rubric significantly influence the likelihood of peer connections. On the other hand, students’ performance levels do not have any impact on the formation of peer connections. The findings highlight the importance of visual peer review activities in shaping peer connections in the classroom. Future studies will incorporate higher-order structures, such as transitivity and triadic closure, into our ERGM model to further enhance our understanding of peer review dynamics in educational settings.

An Analysis of Coherence and Cohesion in English Majors’ Academic Essays

This research investigates coherence (how ideas are logically connected) and cohesion (how sentences flow together) errors in essays written by junior English majors. Analyzing 80 essays and conducting 10 interviews, the researchers identified common errors and usage patterns. Using Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) framework for cohesion and Oshima and Hogue's (2006) framework for coherence, the findings reveal frequent use of lexical cohesion, such as repetition and synonyms, but also misuse of cohesive devices. The study suggests that clear instructional interventions should be developed to improve writing skills, and regular feedback should be provided. Teachers should demonstrate the use of cohesive devices to connect ideas and enhance coherence and peer review activities can also help students learn from each other's writing. Future research should consider longitudinal studies and cross-institutional comparisons to track progress and identify common issues.

Students’ Perception as Review Providers and Receivers on Writing

Many studies found out that peer review can improve students' abilities in writing activities. In conducting peer reviews, students carry out two roles, namely as review providers and receivers. Do these two roles have a positive impact on improving writing skills? To answer this question, this study aims to identify students' perceptions as review providers and receivers on writing activities and to analyze the comparison of the benefits received from the role of review providers and receivers. The data in this study were taken from 50 second semester students who took the intermediate writing course at the English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University. The instrument used in the data collection was a questionnaire consisting of 40 closed questions. The obtained data was analyzed descriptive qualitatively. The results of data analysis show that review receivers get greater benefits from peer review activities compared to providers. The benefits of peer review are far greater for receivers, especially in terms of better thesis statement formulation and better grammar used in their essay writing. The benefits of peer review for review providers and receivers in terms of increasing vocabulary are almost the same. However, overall it can be stated that the review provider and receiver gave a positive response to the peer review method in essay writing.

Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion awareness in clinical documentation through postgraduate year one training

Background and purposeAs healthcare providers increasingly focus on emerging issues of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in patient care, less is known about the training in postgraduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy residency on DEI clinical documentation considerations. This pilot project explored whether training, discussion and self-reflection within a peer review activity promoted DEI self-awareness in clinical documentation through a centralized curriculum of a multisite PGY1. Educational activity and settingBuilding upon an established peer review of clinical documentation activity, PGY1 pharmacy residents practicing in ambulatory care settings received training on DEI considerations and completed small and large group discussions, a post-activity mixed methods survey with self-reflection prompts, and a three-month follow-up survey. FindingsTwenty-two residents participated in the peer review of clinical documentation activity, DEI training and discussions. Twelve residents completed the post-activity survey with reflection prompts; 6 (50%) reported similar previous DEI training prior to residency. After the DEI training and discussions, 12 (100%) agreed or strongly agreed that their awareness of DEI documentation considerations increased; 10 (83%) would document their submitted notes differently, while one resident was unsure and one would not make changes. Twelve residents completed the follow-up survey three months following the activity. Themes from the free-text responses on key learnings collected post-activity and three-month post (respectively) included: 1) new knowledge, increased self-awareness, and intended action and 2) increased self-awareness and changes in note-making convention. SummaryIntegrating DEI training, discussion, and self-reflection prompts into a peer review clinical documentation activity increased self-awareness and knowledge of DEI considerations and promoted intended changes in patient care documentation for pharmacy residents. Regardless of previous training, residents reported continued self-awareness and changes in documentation conventions continued three months later.

The crisis of peer review: Part of the evolution of science

AbstractPeer review in journals is in crisis, and its current situation and sustainability are increasingly concerning for academics and scientific communities. We identify this crisis as part of an evolutionary step in the continuous development of science, arguing that peer review maintains a central role. We analyse the emergence and historical development of peer review, identifying its role as crucial to the legitimisation of global science, particularly in guaranteeing quality control in the scientific process of massification—despite its flaws. We then focus on the crisis as part of the recent second wave of massification stemming from ‘publish or perish’ dynamics, which overburden those involved in peer review management and activities. Based on this crisis and given that the alternative models to peer review rely on the same core ideals, we argue that the current scenario represents a golden opportunity for the peer‐review process to adapt by correcting some of its known biases, becoming more inclusive and relevant, and gaining recognition for its crucial role in career progression and in the training of the researchers of tomorrow.

Visibilizing invisible engagement behind students’ no-revision operation to written feedback

Student engagement with written feedback (WF) in English as a second language (ESL) / English as a foreign language (EFL) learning has been widely researched from cognitive, affective, and behavioural dimensions. Students’ textual change is taken as the only indication of their behavioural engagement with feedback. Students’ no-revision operation or their unaction is usually considered as their disengagement or lack of engagement, or excluded from the examination of students’ WF engagement. How students have possibly engaged themselves with WF before they consequently disuptake (used in the context of feedback engagement, as an opposite to “uptake”) it is hardly touched upon in most studies. To visibilize students’ invisible engagement, we contextualized the study in a natural EFL writing class involving students’ writing and revisions after peer review and automatic writing evaluation (AWE). We used stimulated recalls and screen capturing to investigate students’ cognitive, affective and behavioural engagement with unactioned WF (hereafter UAWF). The findings show that 95.9% of the UAWF have been attended. The three participants, of different English proficiency levels, reported to have variably engaged themselves with their UAWF. Our findings also reveal feedback quality and students’ experience in using AWE system greatly influences their engagement with AWE feedback; student’s language proficiency has a stake in their engagement effectiveness; carefully designed peer review activities can make peer reviews more effective to benefit both feedback receivers and providers.

Peer review in early academic writing: impact vs. students’ beliefs

ABSTRACT Purpose Peer review is one teaching activity that is gaining ground in academic writing training. Studies have addressed the variety of benefits involved and students are able to identify peer review's positive aspects. However, it is still unknown whether the impact peer review has on texts is aligned with what students believe. This research investigates the correlation between students’ perceived benefits of peer review and the impact this practice has on their texts. Design This mixed-methods study involves 45 freshmen attending a compulsory course on communicative competence in the largest university in the Basque Country (Spain). The students created two versions of the introduction of a scientific paper in their mother tongue: one before and one after receiving peers’ feedback. They also answered a questionnaire about their beliefs regarding the efficacy of this activity. Findings Results show that, overall, peer review has a significant effect on students’ academic writing. Specifically, the effect is relevant to the use of resources and structure. Questionnaires show that students trust their peers and believe that the peer-review activity helps to improve the quality of their texts. Value These results highlight the importance of making students aware of how to improve their texts to get more out of peer review.

Exploring Student Perspectives on Writing Activities through Cyber Learning via Moodle 3.6

This study is aimed to investigate the students’ perception on the writing activities using cyber learning, Moodle3.6 in Comprehensive Writing class. In this class students are expected to be able to write different kinds of essays and to write a research paper. All the activities are done online because of covid-19 pandemic. The teaching and learning activities are done through Moodle 3.6 platform which can be used to provide different kinds of activities. This platform is used widely and is believed to give benefits to the students. The data were collected through questionnaire to know the students’ perception on the writing activities done in cyber learning, Moodle3.6. There were 43 students who took Comprehensive Writing Class. The activities provided were forum, chat, discussions and materials were provided in the forms of files and videos. The writing assignment was done using google doc and a peer review activity were applied before they submit their essays in the cyber that can detect the percentage of plagiarism. The results show that the smallest mean is 1.7 for statement 8 (Cyber learning is helpful to download or read online writing class resources). This means that they agree that cyber learning makes them easy to get the material. However, they chose neutral on statement 2 (The teacher provides the class with interesting writing materials in Cyber Learning), showing that they feel the materials are not really interesting. Meanwhile, most students chose agree or strongly agree for other items. This means that they perceive the activities provided in cyber learning as positive.

Determinants of peer review engagement and quality in scientific journals: insights for academic research and the sustainability of the peer-review system

ABSTRACT Research productivity is a common topic in the literature, but peer reviewing for journals has received less attention, although it is a key activity of academic research. We help to fill this knowledge gap by assessing the determinants of peer review engagement and quality in scientific journals. We do so by analysing the combined information from a survey of academics working in different parts of the world and various fields of science, along with their publication and peer review information gathered from Scopus and Publons/Web of Science. We find that age, gender, and some dimensions of academics’ strategic research agendas are important predictors of peer review engagement. We also find that academic inbreeding along the educational path has a negative association with the quality of peer-review activities. However, we find no statistically significant results concerning academic inbreeding related to the professional trajectory and peer review engagement and quality. Equally importantly, our results suggest that although the activities of publishing and peer reviewing are closely associated, peer review tends to be ancillary to publishing, rather than the other way around. Furthermore, the greater the perceived availability of resources, including research funding throughout an academic’s career, the greater the focus is on publishing and the less the focus is on peer reviewing. These findings are discussed in relation to the current valuation of publication versus peer reviewing in terms of scientific and academic career recognition.

Student Peer Review and Receptiveness to Feedback in Global Classrooms.

Development of skills in peer-to-peer feedback in multicultural and global contexts is important to excellent teaching practice in nursing education. This study identified student attitudes toward giving and receiving peer-to-peer feedback between international peers in a graduate-level online instructional design course. Twenty-one graduate nursing students in 2 nurse educator programs from the United States and Finland participated in this descriptive study. Pre- and postcourse Feedback Orientation Scale (FOS) scores were analyzed in combination with student reflections on learning experiences related to peer-review course activities. Mean pre- to postcourse overall FOS scores increased, suggesting greater student receptiveness to peer feedback, particularly in the dimensions of utility and self-efficacy. Postcourse reflections demonstrated increased appreciation for opportunities to triangulate feedback from multiple, diverse sources. Opportunities for graduate students in nurse educator programs to exchange peer-to-peer feedback with international peers foster growth in positive attitudes toward receiving and using peer feedback.

An ESP Approach to Teaching Nursing Students the Quality of Clinical Nursing Notes Writing

For nursing students in the education system in Saudi Arabia, English-language writing skills, whether for general or specific purposes, have long been ignored, which may jeopardize their success in medical-oriented courses and their future careers. This study designed clinical nursing note-writing course (CNNWC) for university nursing students and explored the teaching outcomes of its implementation. The three main objectives were to (a) examine the effectiveness of the CNNWC in enhancing learners’ competencies; (b) survey learners’ satisfaction with the CNNWC, and (c) investigate learners’ perceptions of the CNNWC. In this action research, 47 students practiced four writing tasks while guided with four teaching tools, namely, multiple revisions, peer review activities, and direct and indirect teacher feedback, for a semester. External examiners included a language teacher and a nursing professional, and the data-collection instruments used included a writing competence scale and a course satisfaction questionnaire. The results showed that the learners’ writing competence significantly improved after the CNNWC. They also demonstrated a fair level of satisfaction toward the CNNWC. The learners indicated a preference for feedback from the teacher rather than from peers, and they perceived vocabulary capability to be crucial. ESP/ENP teachers are advised to consider the implementation of the CNNWC when designing syllabi.

Writing Circles: developing learner self-efficacy and agency through peer review activities

This paper outlines evaluation of practitioner research into a writing development intervention used with a group of international students studying at Masters level in a UK university. The research was motivated by our understanding that academic writing provokes significant anxiety for students. Our methodology was informed by evidence in the literature pointing to the utility of group learning and giving and receiving peer feedback. We aimed to explore the extent to which structured writing analysis and facilitated group feedback activities (conducted through writing circles) influenced student perceptions of confidence in academic writing. Our thesis was that instruction in identifying and noticing elements of effective disciplinary writing combined with writing circles cycles of review and redrafting would lead to an improvement in measures of confidence in academic writing. We examined the impact on students through interviews in addition to pre- and post-intervention questionnaires which assessed self-confidence, anxiety and self-efficacy. This paper presents a clear, practical solution to the difficult problem of increasing students’ confidence in undertaking academic writing. Our results indicate a positive impact on overall confidence in academic writing, increased perception of agency and a decrease in anxiety. The findings align with a large body of research which indicate the positive impact on students on being given opportunity to give and receive feedback on their work. This case study demonstrates the value of writing circles as a practical activity that acts as a generative frame for student activity. It affirms value of interdisciplinary practice sharing.

Results of a Peer Review Activity Carried out Alternatively on a Compulsory or Voluntary Basis

A comparative study on the performance and on the perception of two groups of students involved in a peer review activity on the writing of chemical laboratory reports is reported. The first group participated in a compulsory activity, while the second one participated on a voluntary basis. This study was aimed at determining whether the overall activity was more effective when the students voluntarily decided to participate. The results of this study seem to suggest that the use of the peer evaluation method for students in chemistry is partially affected by how the activity is proposed, whether voluntary or mandatory. The student perception, on the other hand, seems to be strongly influenced by whether the activity is offered as an obligation or as a voluntary option. This aspect could therefore foster a deeper and longer beneficial effect on learning for those students participating voluntarily.

Curricular changes in times of crisis: Lessons learned

Background and purposeDuring the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, experiential education became challenging as sites began to cancel scheduled rotations, and the University of Florida College of Pharmacy had to cancel the first advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) block. This was allowable given the excess number of experiential hours built into the curriculum. Educational activity and settingTo meet total program credit hour requirements, a six-credit virtual course was created to mimic an experiential rotation. This course was designed to bridge didactic learning with experiential learning. The course included presentation of patient cases, topic discussions, pharmaceutical calculations, self-care cases, disease state management cases, and career development. FindingsStudents provided feedback via a survey containing 23 Likert type questions and four open-ended questions. Most students agreed or strongly agreed that participation in self-care scenarios, small group discussions (calculations and topic discussion), and disease state management cases (preceptor dialogue and verbal defense activities) were valuable learning experiences. The verbal defense portion of the disease management case and the self-care scenarios were the most highly rated learning activities. Peer review activities in the career development assignments were seen as the least beneficial component of the course. SummaryThis course allowed students an opportunity to further prepare for APPEs in a unique learning environment. The college was able to identify students requiring additional support during APPEs and provide earlier intervention. Additionally, data supported exploring incorporation of new learning activities into the current curriculum.

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown in a biomedical research campus: A gender perspective analysis.

From March to September 2020, researchers working at a biomedical scientific campus in Spain faced two lockdowns and various mobility restrictions that affected their social and professional lifestyles. The working group "Women in Science," which acts as an independent observatory of scientific gender inequalities on campus launched an online survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on scientific activity, domestic and caregiving tasks, and psychological status. The survey revealed differences in scientific performance by gender: while male researchers participated in a larger number of scientific activities for career development, female researchers performed more invisible scientific tasks, including peer review or outreach activities. Mental impact was greater in researchers caring for children or dependents, and this was aggravated for women. Results spot a disproportionate impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on female scientific career development, and urges for equity measures to mitigate the consequences of an increase in the gender gap in biomedical sciences for current and future pandemics.

Asynchronous Peer Review Feedback in an Undergraduate Nursing Course: What Students Can Teach Each Other About Writing.

Because patient care depends on nurses' ability to effectively communicate, nursing students need opportunities to develop written and oral communication skills through low-stakes activities. However, content-intensive classes and clinical schedules are obstacles to explicit writing support. Online asynchronous peer review can be an effective solution. Students participated in an online asynchronous peer review intervention. Students reported their perceptions of the peer review and subsequent revisions. The authors developed a peer review activity, designed to guide students to give online asynchronous feedback. Students evaluated its effectiveness and value through pre- and posttest surveys. Ninety-four percent (n = 68) of participants reported peer review as beneficial to the writing process, with 74% reporting they revised their writing in meaningful ways. Students felt peer feedback was useful, positive, valid, and reliable. Findings suggest that even when delivered asynchronously online, peer review can support nursing students' writing process and scaffold content learning.

Load Lines of Transistor Circuits: A Unifying Educational Approach Using Blended Learning and Flipped Classroom

The paper presents the application of the blended learning and flipped classroom principles to the teaching of the load line concept. Blended learning is a rapidly evolving approach towards the direction of actively engaging students in the learning process. Flipped classroom is a proposal, in the blended learning context, suggesting that in-class students’ activities, supported by educational material made available to them in advance, could replace the traditional pattern of lectures led by teachers followed by homework. The lesson was designed according to established design principles. The content was divided into two parts. The first part was the preparation material, which was mainly pre-existing resources. Such resources can be notes, slides, videos, etc. taking into account self-assessment tests and the difficulties faced by students on the topic. All the preparation material was available online. The second part was the in-class activities including various design and decision problems, debates and logical exercises. The students in the class worked individually and in groups also participating in a peer-review activity. The participating students on the flipped classroom approach evaluated the project with a quite positive view compared to the conventional teaching forms. The aim of this work is to present the concept and applications of the load line in a unified and mathematically straightforward manner and, at the same time, employ the blended-learning and “flipping-the-classroom” approach in order to enhance students’ understanding and learning outcomes.