Moon Research Group partners with Peerceptiv, data-driven peer review, to support engagement in science practices in college chemistry

LINCOLN, Neb., May 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Moon Research Group at the University of Nebraska will partner with Peerceptiv to study peer learning in chemistry students. Leveraging Peerceptiv for peer review will enable the researchers to automate the process of grading and giving feedback to over 10,000 chemistry students as they complete written science practice tasks that offer authentic opportunities to engage using real data and models from the literature. Using data generated from student-to-student interactions, Moon Research will model how chemistry students develop competency in science practices.

"Science practices (e.g., 'analyzing and interpreting data' or 'developing and using models') are socio-culturally derived ways of generating knowledge. We need to engage our students in this social aspect! Using peer review, students can experience all the critical social components of these practices: justifying one's argument, evaluating others' scientific knowledge products, revising arguments based on feedback, weighing multiple perspectives, and determining what makes an argument good, to name a few," says Dr. Alena Moon, Principal Investigator of the Moon Research Group.

Very little is known about how college chemistry students develop competency in these science practices. One of the main reasons is that science practice engagement historically has been too difficult to facilitate at scale. Peer review overcomes that specific barrier, enabling research into all facets of science practices at the college level. Further, peer review uniquely leverages learners' natural tendency to engage in social comparisons to extract criteria for success, which is a component of science practice competency.  

"Peerceptiv has been a leader in research-based peer learning solutions and we are proud to partner with the Moon Research Group at the University of Nebraska to study learning progression in chemistry students," says Dr. Owen Brittan, VP of Partnership Development at Peerceptiv. "Research like what is being done by the Moon Research Group, and at the University of Pittsburgh Learning Research and Development Center by our Chief Learning Scientist, Dr. Chris Schunn, allows us to better understand the learning improvements generated when peers collaborate and provide each other with actionable feedback. Taking this research and leveraging AI, we can give instructors and administrators better tools to produce positive student outcomes and improve the efficiency of instruction at any scale."

Based out of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Moon Research Group is headed by Dr. Alena Moon. The research group investigates student learning of light-matter interactions and participation in science practices. The aim of investigating student learning of light-matter interactions is to elucidate how students' understanding develops as they progress through their degrees. By understanding the "levels" or "stages" a student might pass through in developing a more sophisticated understanding of this concept, instructors can design tailored curricula to support (and expedite) students' progression towards a sophisticated and functional understanding. Learn more at http://chemweb.unl.edu/moon/

Over a decade of research backs the validity and reliability of Peerceptiv peer assessment. Started as a research project from the University of Pittsburgh Learning Research and Development Center, Peerceptiv now facilitates high-quality, active learning for universities all over the world. Peerceptiv uses AI to scale instructional resources, enabling more effective collaborative learning and research for schools, institutions, and organizations across North America and around the world. Learn more about Peerceptiv at www.peerceptiv.com. 

SOURCE Peerceptiv