Online peer feedback that improves argumentative essays

A structure-focused online peer feedback module improved university students’ argumentative essay quality across courses and degree levels.

Keep what you just learned

Save these 12 cards to your NoteFren library. Your first review starts right away, and each card links back to the study it came from.

What learning outcome did the online peer feedback module target?

Students’ argumentative essay writing performance, including recognized elements of high-quality argumentation.

What happened to essay quality from pre-test to post-test?

Overall argumentative essay performance improved significantly, with a large effect size.

Did course domain change whether the module worked?

No significant differences were found across course domains; improvements appeared regardless of course.

How many courses and students were involved?

Five courses; 330 students participated and 284 completed the module.

Where was the study conducted?

Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands during academic year 2020–2021.

What design problem were the authors trying to solve?

Many peer feedback tools for argumentation were content-specific and hard to scale across courses.

Did bachelor and master students improve differently overall?

No significant overall differences in mean essay-quality improvements by education level were found.

What kind of knowledge did the authors argue can transfer across disciplines?

Argumentation knowledge.

What statistical pattern indicated a large effect for essay gains?

Partial η2 for the pre-post essay improvement exceeded 0.14 (reported as 0.35).

Why were diverse courses selected?

To test whether the structure-based peer feedback tool would scale across domains and levels.

What ethical oversight governed the study?

The Social Sciences Ethics Committee at Wageningen University and Research, with informed consent and anonymous reporting.

What practical claim do the authors make for teachers?

The study proposes a peer feedback tool teachers can use for argumentative essay writing in online higher education.