Graduate engineering peer review groups: Developing communicators & community

Abstract

This study investigates student perspectives of graduate engineering peer review groups (PRGs). PRGs offer an ongoing supportive community for graduate students to improve their writing, presentations and posters through reciprocal discussion-based feedback. This study considers data collected through semester surveys of PRG members over five years across two large public research universities in the United States. Each group met for 1.5 hours to review 1-3 pieces of student work each week. Students noted that the groups led to both immediate (revisions on a draft) and long term (skills, habits, perspective) communication development which spanned both receptive and productive skills. They also valued that the groups helped them improve and feel more confident in giving and receiving constructive feedback through regular practice. Importance of the groups in developing local and disciplinary community in a supportive environment was also highlighted. Students found that the community, discussion, and skills they developed helped them to be better engineers and researchers, as they saw these skills and practices as key to engineering. The interconnected development of skills, products, perspective and attitude were made possible by the PRG structure and the supportive disciplinary community it represented. The group model is recommended as a low investment way to provide graduate communication support to engineering students.