Education Commons^™

Usability Of Peer Review Workshops, Margi Fox, Jennifer Jacobs

Writing Research Fellows

Research Question: What happens in a 300-level technical writing class when various peer-review/editing approaches are used?

We were interested in examining and enhancing the effectiveness of peer review/editing workshops in English 302, Introduction to Professional and Technical Writing. We explored several aspects:

• Factors impacting student confidence in their responses to peers’ writing
• Influences of types of workshops, size of groups, type of responses assigned, etc.

Method: During winter quarter 2010, we gave three questionnaires exploring the efficacy of different styles of peer review workshops. A total of forty students from two English 302 classes participated. Workshop types included “speed dating” …

Efficacy Of Interactive Journaling As An Undergraduate Teaching/Learning Device, William Lay, Annemarie Curd, Shanyese Trujillo

Writing Research Fellows

Research Questions:

1. What is the impact on learner attitudes and behaviors revealed by the Karchmer/Bauer study when peer read/respond interaction is used as an instructional technique in journaling?

2. In the perception of the learner, what is the impact on the degree of concept reflection and depth of concept understanding when peer read/respond interaction is used as an instructional technique in journaling?

3. In the perception of the learner, what is the impact on the development of critical thinking skills and achievement of course goals when peer read/respond interaction is used as an instructional technique in journaling?

4. What …

Analyzing Reflective Writing, Ray Wolpow, Jody Bault

Writing Research Fellows

Research Question: What happens in a Secondary Education undergraduate and graduate course(s) when we use a reflective writing rubric that addresses both cognitive and affective capacities/skills in order to demonstrate the proficiency necessary to meet standards for certification?

Method: After examining relevant literature, we defined reflection to be “a careful examination and evaluation of experience, beliefs, and knowledge.” We found that a careful examination and evaluation of an experience, when compared to one’s beliefs and prior knowledge, was considered by most to be the deepest form of reflection. Using a model based on Bain et al. (1999), we found that …