The design and investigation of a web-based synchronous and asynchronous peer feedback mechanism

Abstract

Peer feedback has received increased attention as a mechanism for promoting learning. Our experiences with peer feedback indicate that students face challenges in providing and utilizing peer feedback. We report on the design and empirical investigation of a web-based tool with the intent to support students' collaborative inquiry by helping contextualize students' feedback. The effectiveness of the tool was tested with two classes of 6th grade students (n=39) at an elementary school in Cyprus. Students worked in small groups to solve a topical' socio-scientific problem. Each group in one class was paired with a group in the other class and was asked to peer review each other's work in progress on two occasions. Several types of data relating to the peer review processes were collected and analyzed qualitatively. Findings suggest that synchronous and asynchronous web-based tools can serve different roles in supporting peer feedback. Implications for design are discussed