Undergraduate Essay Writing: Online and Face-to-Face Peer Reviews

We implemented two different approaches of using peer review to support undergraduate essay assignments for students taking large second-year courses in life sciences and biology: a web-based online peer review (OPR) approach and a more traditional face-to-face peer review (FPR) approach that was conducted in tutorial settings. The essays consisted of a review of current literature to discuss the molecular involvement of cancer development or stem-cell growth. Following implementation of the peer reviews, we conducted a preliminary analysis of the pros and cons of using the two methods. Student and instructor feedback suggested that the activity of peer review was generally perceived as valuable regardless of which approach was used. OPR was convenient and saved time and resources relative to FPR, but the technical drawbacks using the OPR approach made it challenging for some students to use. A subsequent investigation using alternative OPR programs that offer additional functionality is planned.