Student generation and peer review of examination questions in the dental curriculum: Enhancing student engagement and learning

Background Writing, sharing, answering, discussing and rating examination questions are a way to involve students in creating content and applying their knowledge. The PeerWise online question-setting platform facilitates student communities in this activity. This mixed-methods study asks the question: Does students' writing and answering examination questions enhance their engagement and learning of Neurology as a Life Science topic? Methods Over a 2-year period, self-assembled groups of 3-4 students submitted 1-2 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) every 2 weeks into the PeerWise portal for review by their peers. Summative examination results were compared with previous year's control group. Data were also collected regarding student engagement (number of MCQs answered or submitted comments) are compared to summative assessment results at the end of semester. Post-intervention student satisfaction surveys were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively to assess the effectiveness of the exercise. Results With 174 and 80 student participants in intervention and control groups, respectively, no statistical difference was found in the average marks between the cohorts. However, within intervention group, positive correlation (Spearman's r = .272-.333) was found between higher level of student engagement with PeerWise and higher examination result. Positive correlation remained persistent after completion of the PeerWise exercise. Student survey revealed greater engagement with subject content, and qualitative thematic analysis was mapped to define various ways students engaged with the PeerWise activity. Conclusion Tasking students to regularly generate and review MCQs enhances engagement with the topic, and higher engagement with PeerWise correlating to higher examination scores.