(457d) Utilizing Peer Review to Improve the Quality of Unit Operations Assignments

After graduation, we quickly learn that technical communication requires a significant time commitment and many iterations on the same draft. Unfortunately, undergraduate students rarely have the time to go through the iterative process of perfecting their communication skills. This limits not only the quality of their assignments, but also their ability to learn successful strategies for improving communication. While allowing students the opportunity to revise communication assignments based on faculty feedback would be ideal, the huge time commitment associated with grading and providing feedback is limiting. Therefore, this presentation will focus on strategies for integration of peer review processes for both written and oral communication assignments into the unit operations lab. In going through the peer review process, students are required to submit initial drafts as early as a week prior to the deadline for the assignment. This gives them significant time to improve the assignment on their own, as well as integrate feedback from at least one peer. In submission of their final draft, students are asked to include a letter to the editor which highlights major revisions that were made based on both peer feedback, as well as faculty feedback from prior assignments. This holds students accountable for both reading and applying faculty feedback as they continue throughout a course. Since introducing the peer review process in the lab, we have seen significant improvement in the quality of communication assignments, especially with regard to minor mistakes that can be time-consuming to address when grading. As a result, grading can be completed more quickly with a focus on higher-level feedback.