Leveraging digital technologies to advance

the potential of peer review pedagogies

Ann Shivers-McNairUniversity of Washington

Overview

• Philosophy of peer review

• Technologies

• The “live feed”

• Considerations for implication

• Discussion

Philosophy of Peer Review

• The value of in-between-ness: peer review as a space where students can engage each other differently than they do in a teacher-mediated discussion• Canagarajah (2012): a “socialization space” that

happens behind the teacher’s back• Students draw on a range of linguistic and meaning

making resources

• The value of structure and accountability • Clear expectations• Appropriate scaffolding for students to recognize and

practice the skills they are being held accountable for

Technologies

Co-constitutive relationship between pedagogical philosophy and technology use

• “Analog” peer review (paper drafts, handwritten comments)• In-between-ness: written comments on drafts, drafts• Structure: eavesdropping on/joining conversations

• Limitations:• Limited accountability for written feedback (and

therefore also uptake of written feedback) and difficulty modeling comments in context

• Eavesdropping stifled conversations

The “Live Feed”

The “Live Feed”

The “Live Feed”

• Structure:• Drafts and comments visible to instructor• Projected feed of comments

• In-between-ness:• Instructor stays out of the group conversations

unless invited

Considerations

• Qualifying the “advancement”: digital is not inherently better than other modes of engaging bodies; the framing of peer review is equally important

• Feasibility, privacy, and university/programmatic requirements for digital platforms like Eli Review, LMS, LanSchool, Google docs, etc.

• Suggestions for pedagogy:• Invite students to consider with you what the “live feed” is

(and is like) and to decide how it will be used• Model and encourage analysis of feedback (and drafts)• Connect the “live feed” to an uptake-oriented activity like a

revision plan that cites and responds to helpful comments

Discussion

• How do you navigate the co-constituting relationship of pedagogical commitments and use of tools/technology?

• How do you do peer review? What are your pedagogical commitments regarding peer review? What tools do you use?