Strategy for Using Peer Reviews to Improve Student Papers

By Kim Priesmeyer
Full Time Faculty, Belhaven Houston

As an instructor who assigns a lot of writing, I’m always looking for ways to engage students in peer review.  However, just telling students to “peer review each other’s papers” can be unproductive, or even worse, dull.  Typically, students don’t know what to do with those papers, and comments can be uninspiring.

One way to bring energy and effectiveness to the process is something called Round Robin Peer Review (also available on the Faculty Resources tab under “Other Resources).  It’s pretty easy for any instructor to use, and it can be modified for any assignment depending on the requirements.  It keeps students and papers moving, and it gives peer reviewers a specific focus.  Here are the basics:

1. Pass out the peer review form and have each student write his name at the top where it says “writer’s name.”

2. Tell students to pass their paper and their form to the right. They should now be holding someone else’s paper and form.

3. Inform students that they will be given 10 mins. to critique just the first category on the peer review form. Set a timer.

4. When the timer goes off, students will pass the paper and form to the right. The next peer reviewer will critique only the second category for 10 mins.  And so on…

Ways to modify for your course:

• Change the categories to peer review
• Set different time limits for each session
• Provide critique expectations (for example, I might require a three-sentence critique minimum)

Ways to coach students before the process begins:

• Model the process with a couple of volunteers
• Provide examples of “critique” comments that are specific and useful
• Tell students it’s OK for the peer reviewer and writer to communicate during the process
• Prepare students for constructive criticism: it’s not about complimenting each other; it’s about improved writing
• Tell students they’re not required to make suggested changes, but they must at least consider them
• Give students permission to write on each other’s papers; peer review isn’t always neat and tidy

Give it a try and let me know your thoughts.  You can email me at kpriesmeyer@belhaven.edu