A New Approach to Peer Learning
What is Peer Exchange?
A learning tool that enhances any assignment in any discipline - adding a peer review component that promises fair evaluation
How does it improve learning ?
- Students learn from classmates' views, insights, and professional experiences.
- Peer Exchange creates an academic ripple-effect: instructors choose their key learning goals and how best to evaluate them. Students use those criteria to evaluate and coach classmates.
- Peer Exchange builds skills: Students practice and improve providing constructive feedback - an important skill for academic and career success.
- Instructors can choose to integrate ChatGPT - offering significant advantages for instructors and students. Data privacy is ensured by our use of an API - Application Program Interface. Integrating ChatGPT requires no prompt engineering, no extra work for instructors or students, and is available at no additional cost.
- ChatGPT is integrated in unique ways: as a peer, a coach, or even a rival: Students and ChatGPT are assigned the same task, and students see how they ‘measure up’ to AI.
- The platform includes an oral assignment with limited prep time. This option focuses on course content, not public speaking. Instructors customize the questions and evaluation criteria, With no time to access outside help, this option helps ensure that student work reflects their own thinking. Instructors can choose feedback and evaluation from AI and/or peers.
Instructor & Student Experience
Below we refer to instructors & students; the same process applies to managers and employees.
Instructors customize Peer Exchange for their learning goals. They
- Follow easy online instructions to set up their assignment
- Can sit back and relax! Our algorithm takes over, assigning work to classmates. The instructor's settings determine timing and all communication to students.
- Receive metrics to evaluate students' participation and performance
The student experience:
- Students submit an assignment in any format; e.g., text, spreadsheets, presentations, videos
- Classmates review the assignment(s) and offer suggestions and feedback
- Students evaluate the quality of their classmates' feedback
What makes us distinctive?
- We overcome traditional skepticism towards peer review as explained in our Trust in Peer Review section.
- We solve the problem of "free riders" while also allowing late student work.
- We emphasize critical thinking and teach students how to give more effective feedback
- We integrate ChatGPT in several ways- as a peer, coach and rival.
- We address AI misuse through timed oral assignments that confirm students’ understanding of course material.
- We can accommodate thousands of users simultaneously, ensuring personalized feedback at scale
- Our approach values every voice and opinion - all views are respected.