PeerCollate: A Peer-Centered Team Learning Approach to Digitized STEM Lab Activities and Assessments

Abstract

Professional success in STEM fields extends beyond technical expertise, requiring strong communication and teamwork skills. While program accreditation agencies emphasize these competencies, traditional classroom methods focus heavily on individual learning, offering limited collaboration opportunities. Digital learning platforms enhance engagement but often lack real-time peer interaction and teamwork. In this work, we present PeerCollate - a scalable, technology-enhanced learning strategy to promote active learning and peer collaboration in STEM curricula within both traditional and hybrid instruction modalities. PeerCollate integrates open-source electronic collaboration tools with Learning Management Systems (LMS) to facilitate structured teamwork, enabling students to engage in problem-solving activities through virtual team-based learning. For instructors, this approach supports dynamic assessment and real-time feedback, improving student engagement and learning outcomes. Additionally, a digitally mediated post-examination remediation method is introduced, where students are grouped based on differing knowledge gaps to encourage peer-assisted learning. Through this collaborative approach, students refine their understanding before meeting with teaching assistants for further clarification and potential opportunity for score adjustments. By fostering teamwork, enhancing problem-solving abilities, and streamlining assessment, this model significantly improves the effectiveness and scalability of STEM education.