Application of peer-review in a university course with a high number of students

The article describes the application of the teaching strategy based on the peer-review process in the course of Computer Science with a high number of students in the Degree Course of Medicine at the University of Florence. Learners were asked to produce a paper by choosing from a list of topics about Biomedical Informatics. Subsequently, each learner reviewed and analyzed the papers produced by three peers and, applying the same criteria, assessed their own. At the end, an anonymous satisfaction questionnaire about peer-review was administered. In addition to the learning results related to the course, the responses to the questionnaire were analyzed. The peer-review was appreciated by the students so much that they hoped for its replication in other courses of the same Degree Course. The most valuable papers were selected by the teachers to be collected in a volume which was used as reference book in the following academic years.