PeerWise: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Web-Based Learning Aid in a Second-Year Psychology Subject

• Published in: Psychology learning and teaching Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 166 - 176
• Main Authors: Howe, Piers D. L., McKague, Meredith, Lodge, Jason M., Blunden, Anthea G., Saw, Geoffrey
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.07.2018
• Subjects: College Students; Cooperative Learning; Educational Technology; Foreign Countries; Instructional Effectiveness; Multiple Choice Tests; Psychology; Self Evaluation (Individuals); Web Based Instruction; Australia; interactive learning environments; contributing-student pedagogy; Computer-based learning; learning communities; collaborative learning; online learning
• ISSN: 1475-7257; 1475-7257; 2057-3022
• DOI: 10.1177/1475725718764181

Testing can do more than just determine what a student knows; it can aid the learning process, a phenomenon known as the testing effect. There is a growing trend for students to create and share self-assessment questions in their subject, as advocated by the contributing-student pedagogy (CSP). For subjects with large enrolments, this process can be facilitated by educational technology. PeerWise is an example of such technology. It is free, web-based software that allows students to author, share, answer, and provide feedback on multiple-choice quizzes in a collaborative and constructivist fashion. While it is popular, it is unclear to what degree it facilitates student learning. To evaluate its effectiveness, we introduced PeerWise into a second-year psychology subject. We measured the extent to which it increased scores in the final exam. We found that PeerWise did significantly increase exam scores, so was a useful learning aid.