Peer 2 Peer University, or P2PU, founded in 2009 by Philipp Schmidt and others, is an example of the informal side of learning. Talking about the beginnings of P2PU, Schmidt echoes Siemens' connectivity ideas and explains that "Skill is in the group." That is the message: everyone can contribute to the discussion."In practice, this approach uses peer-based assessment, including recommendations and badges, to provide an alternative form of accreditation. Jeff Young's article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, "When Professors Print Your Own Ijaza," sparked a conversation about the need for formal degrees in an age when class lectures could be uploaded for free. MIT's Open Teaching Initiative, for example, has since 2001 put all of its course materials online.
A classic study of motivation in peer tutoring shows that "a reward is not a motivator." Although other, more recent work has shown that non-monetary rewards or recognition can make a difference in performance, the precise motivations for leaving teaching or mentoring are not clearly understood. As noted above, learning is often only part of problem solving, so "peer learning" and "peer teaching" tend to occur informally when people solve problems in groups.
Research on peer learning may involve participant observation and may itself be peer-produced. Some of this research falls under the broader umbrella of the scholarship of teaching and learning. Computer-supported collaborative learning is one obvious context for peer learning because, in such settings, "observable and accountable learning is embedded in collaborative activity." However, peer learning can play a role in settings where traditional conceptions of "teaching" and "learning" do not apply, for example, in academic peer reviews, organizational learning, development work, and public health programs. Research in this field may include organizational science, science, technology, and society, or other fields.
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Bibliography
David Boud, RC (2013). Peer Learning in Higher Education. In RC David Boud, Peer Learning in Higher Education. London.
Freire, P. (n.d.). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: continuum.
King, A. (1988). Mutual peer tutoring: Effects of structuring tutorial interaction to scaffold peer learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(1) , 134 - 152.
Rogers, CR (1952). Personal Thoughts on Teaching and Learning. 1 - 5.
Setiadi, AC (2008). The Concept of Educational Democracy According to John Dewey. At-Ta'dib Vol. 5. No. 1 Shafar 1430 .
