Open AccessThe PRESTO Project relay: Open, Asynchronous Learning in Virtual Peer Groups
Author(s) -
C. Van Daalen,
Pieter W. G. Bots,
Sofia Dopper
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
european distance and e-learning network (eden) conference proceedings
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2707-2819
DOI - 10.38069/edenconf-2019-ac-0050
Subject(s) - asynchronous communication , relay , workload , computer science , workflow , grading (engineering) , software , work (physics) , engineering management , software engineering , operating system , engineering , database , telecommunications , mechanical engineering , power (physics) , physics , civil engineering , quantum mechanics
Academic education entails that students engage in open-ended assignments. Global education entails that students interact in projects with peers world-wide. The logistic challenge of offering academic project work to a large, heterogeneous student body, while keeping instructor workload manageable, is daunting. Project relays on the PRESTO software platform meet this challenge. In a project relay, students work in a virtual peer group on assignments that are organized in successive steps, where each step is peer reviewed. Unlike a regular peer review, the reviewing students revise the work they have reviewed. They then add the next step to it, and pass the improved-and-extended work on to another student. The PRESTO software fully automates the relay workflow, facilitates defining, monitoring, and grading projects, and has been adapted for use in LTI-compliant MOOCs. Since 2013, over 20 project relays have run in several courses at Delft University of Technology. Evaluations show that a project relay realizes the intended learning outcomes, but can at times be stressful for students. This prompts ideas for further pedagogical and technical improve¬ments.