1. Home
  2. Peer Review: Step-by-Step: Peer Review Video

Peer Review

Step-by-Step: Peer Review Video

Reviewed:

Mar 17, 2025 by Teacher Education
Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating: 5.0 stars
Content Quality: 5.0 stars
Effectiveness: 4.8 stars
Ease of Use: 5.0 stars
Overview:

This video will provide you with instructions for how to peer review learning material submitted to MERLOT, along with insight from a seasoned peer review.

The video outlines the peer review process for educational resources on MERLOT, emphasizing the importance of rigorous evaluation by subject matter experts. It details the two phases of review, criteria for assessment, and the structured template used for comprehensive feedback, ensuring resources are accurate, relevant, and pedagogically sound.

Type of Material:

Tutorial

Recommended Uses:

This tutorial could be used to prepare to become a peer review for MERLOT. In addition, it could serve as a resource for students to help them determine the value of learning materials they consider using for a class. The video could be shown in class or assigned for individual study.

The peer review process is robust and continuous refinement of the evaluation criteria and reviewer training enhances its effectiveness and reduces potential biases.

Technical Requirements:

Internet Access

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The overarching goal is to provide educators with reliable, expertly validated open educational resources that meet high pedagogical standards. The major learning goals for the peer review process on Merlot are:

  1. Describe the criteria and standards used in peer reviews in the context of MERLOT.
  2. Recognize the role of peer reviewers in assuring the accuracy, relevance and pedagogical soundness of resources available on MERLOT.

Based on the video presentation, outcomes are:

  1. Understanding Review Criteria

    • Learn the comprehensive standards used to evaluate educational resources
    • Recognize the multi-dimensional assessment approach
    • Understand how experts systematically review materials

  2. Resource Quality AssessmentKey evaluation dimensions include:

    • Content accuracy and credibility
    • Instructional design effectiveness
    • Technical quality
    • Navigation and user interface
    • Accessibility
    • Potential classroom use

  3. Pedagogical Effectiveness Evaluation

    • Assess how resources:
      • Align with learning objectives
      • Support student understanding
      • Integrate into existing curricula
      • Promote active learning
      • Facilitate conceptual comprehension

  4. Practical Implementation Guidelines

    • Identify:
      • Recommended instructional uses
      • Target student populations
      • Prerequisite skills needed
      • Technical requirements for resource use

  5. Transparent Review Process

    • Understand the two-phase review methodology:
      • Initial material screening
      • Comprehensive peer expert review
    • Quantitative and qualitative feedback work together
Target Student Population:

College General Ed, College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Graduate School, Professional

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Basic computer skills and equipment for watching a video online are all that is required of the user.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

The author speaks slowly and clearly providing the steps in the peer review process along with an explanation for each part of the process showing the peer review template and an actual peer review as an example. She explains the value of each step to eventual user of the learning material discussed in a peer review.

  1. Provides nuanced, professional assessment of resources
  2. Two-phase review process (initial material review and in-depth peer review)
    • Systematic and structured approach to assessing educational resources
    • Multi-dimensional assessment covering:
      • Content quality
      • Instructional effectiveness
      • Technical requirements
      • Usability
  3. Public publication of review ratings and comments
    • Allows educators to make informed decisions about resource adoption
    • Includes private feedback mechanism for authors

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

Learning goals for the user are listed at the beginning of the review so that the user will know that by the time they complete the video they will be able to:

  1. Describe the criteria and standards used in peer reviews in the context of MERLOT.
  2. Recognize the role of peer reviewers in assuring the accuracy, relevance and pedagogical soundness of resources available on MERLOT.

Teachers and students of education will study open educational resources as part of the discipline and whether or not they acquire peer reviewer cetification, they will be able to their new skills to evaluation potential OER resources for their classroom.

The video effectively outlines the rigorous peer review process for educational resources on MERLOT, ensuring quality and pedagogical relevance, aiding educators in resource selection.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

  • The user can easily navigate this YouTube video, start and stop the video for review, and even read the closed captioned slides for clarification on the speakers words.
  • The video demonstartes how the online peer review system is user-friendly, guiding reviewers through a structured, clear process, ensuring high video quality and robust content evaluations for educators’ confidence.
Concerns:

Ease of use is crucial for technical video content, ensuring educators can navigate reviews efficiently. The closed captioning is only available in English.

Creative Commons:
creative-commonscreative-commons by