Physics Education ResearchThe University of Edinburgh

Implications of Physics Education Research for Physics Instructors, University of Glasgow, May 2011

Using PeerWise to support a community of learning in physics

R.K. Galloway, S.P. Bates, K. McBride

sites.google.com/site/edpersite

peerwise.cs.auckland.ac.nz

What is PeerWise?

• Free, online multiple choice question (MCQ) authoring and sharing system.• Students create their own questions.• Students answer, rate and comment on their peers’ questions.

How did we introduce the system?

• Introductory group activity in workshops.• Simple exercises to build cognitive ‘scaffolding’.• Example question given as template.• Set the quality bar very high.

How did the students make use of the system?

• Assessed coursework task: write 1 question, answer 5 questions, comment on 3 questions.• Mid-semester task deadline:

• End-of-semester task deadline:

What standard of questions did they write?

Usually very good, sometimes outstanding.

Does using PeerWise influence course result?

• Higher levels of PeerWise engagement (lighter bars) correlates with better exam performance for all but one quartile.• Strongest influence from question writing activity.