title: Peer review as an educational strategy to improve academic work: an interdisciplinary collaboration between communication disorders and nursing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Communication Disorders and Nursing Programs conducted a pilot study to examine the value of peer review as an educational strategy to improve graduate student writing and understanding of course assignments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Graduate students enrolled in a communication disorders diagnostic process course, a health policy course, or a philosophical foundations course (N=120).
  
  
  METHODS
  Students participated as a peer reviewer for their final assignment. The reviewer read the draft assignment and provided comments. Additionally, nursing students read their papers out loud to the peer reviewer. Students submitted their draft assignment to their professor. The nursing drafts were graded. Students revised and submitted the final assignment for a grade. Students completed a questionnaire at the end of the course to provide feedback about the value of peer review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 65% response rate was obtained. Students (89.9%) felt that the draft was helpful, the partner was helpful (70.9%), and 78.5% incorporated the suggestions of the peer reviewer. Overall, grades improved from the draft version to the final version for each assignment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pilot study showed that peer review was an effective educational strategy to improve student grades and conceptual understanding of the material.
authors: Communication Disorders, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, USA. GSchlisselberg@mercy.edu
authors: Gloria
authors: G
authors: Schlisselberg
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Moscou
mesh_terms: D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D010379:Peer Group; D010380:Peer Review; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014956:Writing