This is a brief PowerPoint presentation to show Academics how easy it is to get started with PeerWise.

1. Getting Started with PeerWise
Dr Christine O’Connor
1

2. Where to start!
Step 1:
Register an account with your institute online with PeerWise at:
http://peerwise.cs.auckland.ac.nz/
Step 2:
You will receive a PeerWise verification code to create your account.
Step 3:
Set up your class account using their student i.d. numbers.
Step 4:
You will get a course i.d. for each group which is a code that you give to the class
to allow them to log in.
Step 5:
Introduce the concept of PeerWise to the students and where it fits in your
module assessment. (see example of introductory slides in the following set of
slides.
2

3. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: christine.oconnor@dit.ie
Introduction to PeerWise
Slides adapted from
Dr Aaron MacRaighne and Dr Morag Caseys
3

4. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
Introduction
4
• You’ve had the opportunity to answer lots of questions in
the tutorials, now its your turn to write some
What is PeerWise?
• PeerWise is an online system for supporting student
learning through, creation, evaluation and discussion
• It will be used to support your learning in chemistry.

5. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
Assessment: What you have to do.
5
Deadline – 04/01/2014
What is the minimum required
• Write 4 questions with 3 answers (1 true and 2 false)
• Answer 4 questions written by other students
• Comment on and rate a further 4 questions written by
other students
Creation, evaluation and discussion

6. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
Suggested Topics for Questions
6
Write your 4 MCQ questions on a selection of the
following topics:
• Molar mass, Moles, Molecules
• Theoretical Yield and % Yield
• Balancing Chemical Reactions
• Limiting Reagents
• Molarity and Titration Analysis
• Redox Chemistry

7. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
How are the marks allocated?
7
The marks are part of your on-line continuous assessment:
• Do ½ of the bare minimum – 20%
• Write 2, answer 2 and rate 2
• Do the bare minimum – 40%
• Write 4, answer 4 and rate 4
• Do well – 70%
• Write 4, answer 4, rate 4, and get a PeerWise score > class average
• Do brilliantly – 100%
• Write 4, answer 4, rate 4, and earn a place on the top ten PeerWise
leader board

8. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
How do I maximise my PeerWise
score?
8
• Get in early – do not leave it until just before the deadline.
• Contribute more than the required assessment minima.
• Collaborate with your classmates by commenting and
rating their questions as well as writing your own.

9. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
Any proof that this works?
9
Students with high activity on PeerWise
Students with low activity on PeerWise

10. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
How do we get started?
10
• Register at: http://peerwise.cs.auckland.ac.nz/at/?dit_ie
• You can choose any registration name you like (but keep it clean).
• Enter the course ID XXXX to enrol in “CHEM1002: Chemistry”
• Enter your DIT student ID as your identifier for this course.
• The course has been pre-populated using the class list.
• Please register on PeerWise by 16.00pm Wednesday 27/11/13.

11. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
Designing a good MCQ question
11
A multiple choice question consists of. . .
A stem – the text of the question.
options – the choices provided after the stem.
the key – the correct answer in the list of options.
distracters – incorrect answers in the list of options.
Distracters based on common student errors or misconceptions are very effective. Correct
statements that do not answer the question are often strong distracters.
The following quiz demonstrates how easy it can be to test nothing but language skills in an
MCQ test

12. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie 12

13. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie 13

14. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
Designing a good MCQ question
14
Finally, when is it NOT a good idea to avoid negative questions?
• Never
• Sometimes
• Always
• Eh?
Try not to use double negatives

15. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
Tech. support
15

16. Dr. Christine O’Connor email: Christine.oconnor@dit.ie
Questions?
Comments?
16