Facilitating learning of the peer-review process through a student-led undergraduate journal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v9i1.5915Keywords:
students as partners, higher education, science education, inquiry-based learning, science process skills, information literacyAbstract
Conventionally, undergraduate science students engage in learning through didactic methods. This can present science as an indisputable collection of knowledge, rather than an ongoing process of discovery. By increasing students’ exposure to scientific processes, undergraduate science programs can enable students to understand the complexities of navigating scientific knowledge with a critical mindset. To facilitate this process, we implemented a student-led undergraduate peer-reviewed journal, The Child Health Interdisciplinary Literature & Discovery Journal, in the Child Health Specialization of McMaster University’s Honours Health Sciences (BHSc) Program. This case study discusses the development and implementation of this student-led journal within an inquiry-based learning curriculum. We aim to promote an understanding of curricular co-creation as a mechanism for enhancing student learning of scientific processes and the development of critical thinking, information literacy, and collaboration skills. We seek to inspire innovative teaching and learning strategies in higher education wherein students are active partners in the learning process.
Downloads
References
Alberts, B. (2022). Why science education is more important than most scientists think. FEBS Letters, 596(2), 149–159. https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.14272
Ali, P. A., & Watson, R. (2016). Peer review and the publication process. Nursing Open, 3(4), 193–202. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.51
Chang, Y. & Brickman, P. (2018). When group work doesn’t work: Insights from students. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 17(3), ar52. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.17-09-0199
Chiriac, E. H. (2014). Group work as an incentive for learning–students’ experiences of group work. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 558. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00558
Claxton, G. (2007). Expanding young people’s capacity to learn. British Journal of Educational Studies, 55(2), 115–134. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8527.2007.00369.x
Coil, D., Wenderoth, M. P., Cunningham, M., & Dirks, C. (2010). Teaching the process of science: Faculty perceptions and an effective methodology. CBE Life Sciences Education, 9(4), 524–535. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.10-01-0005
Cook-Sather, A. (2010). Students as learners and teachers: Taking responsibility, transforming education, and redefining accountability. Curriculum Inquiry, 40(4), 555–575. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-873X.2010.00501.x
Cook-Sather, A., & Alter, Z. (2011). What is and what can be: How a liminal position can change learning and teaching in higher education. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 42(1), 37–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1492.2010.01109.x
Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C., & Felten, P. (2014). Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: A guide for faculty. Jossey Bass. http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118434587.html
Delgado, A., & McGill, C. M. (2023). Graduate students’ perceptions of instructor power in the U.S. higher education classroom. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 35(4), 186–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/19394225231189937
Dunleavy, J., & Milton, P. (2009). What did you do in school today? Exploring the concept of student engagement and its implications for teaching and learning in Canada. Canadian Education Association. https://education.alberta.ca/media/3069762/cea-2009-wdydist-concept.pdf
Freeman, S., Eddy, S., McDonough, M., Smith, M., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(23). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111
Gammie, E., & Matson, M. (2007). Group assessment at final degree level: An evaluation. Accounting Education, 16(2), 185–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/09639280701234609
Handelsman, J., Ebert-May, D., Beichner, R., Bruns, P., Chang, A., DeHaan, R., Gentile, J., Lauffer, S., Stewart, J., Tilghman, S. M., & Wood, W. B. (2004). Scientific teaching. Science, 304(5670), 521–522. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1096022
Healey, M., Flint, A., & Harrington, K. (2016). Students as partners: Reflections on a conceptual model. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.4.2.3
Howell, R. A. (2021). Engaging students in education for sustainable development: The benefits of active learning, reflective practices and flipped classroom pedagogies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 325, 129318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129318
Husna, N., Halim, A., Evendi, E., Syukri, M., Nur, S., Elisa, E., & Khaldun, I. (2022). Impact of science process skills on scientific literacy. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA, 8(4), 4. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v8i4.1887
Keiler, Leslie S. (2018). Teachers’ roles and identities in student-centered classrooms. International journal of STEM education, 5(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0131-6
Matthews, K. (2016). Students as partners as the future of student engagement. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal, 1(1), 1. https://sehej.raise-network.com/raise/article/view/380
McKinnell, J., McLellan, A., Nastos, S., Nifakis, D., Park, S., Ritz, S., Secord, M., Szechtman, H., Trim, K., Barrett, S., Butler, J., Cates, E., DeLottinville, C., Harnish, D., Jordana, M., Kustra, E., Landicho, J., & Lee, A. (2005). Skill development with students and explicit integration across four years of the curriculum. In The Alan Blizzard Award – The Award Winning Papers. McGraw-Hill Ryerson. https://cmapspublic.ihmc.us/rid=1236124604375_1473797295_15932/The%20Health%20Sci%20project.pdf
Mercer-Mapstone, L., Dvorakova, S. L., Matthews, K. E., Abbot, S., Cheng, B., Felten, P., Knorr, K., Marquis, E., Shammas, R., & Swaim, K. (2017). A systematic literature review of students as partners in higher education. International Journal for Students as Partners, 1(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v1i1.3119
Miller, S., Pfund, C., Pribbenow, C. M., & Handelsman, J. (2008). Scientific teaching in practice. Science, 322(5906), 1329–1330. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1166032
O'Keeffe, P. (2013). A sense of belonging: Improving student retention. College Student Journal, 47(4), 605–613.
Postman, N., & Weingartner, C. (1969). Teaching as a subversive activity. Delacorte Press, Dell Publishing Co.
Rangachari, P. K. (2010). Teaching undergraduates the process of peer review: Learning by doing. Advances in physiology education, 34(3), 137–144. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00071.2009
Rehorek, S. (2004). Inquiry-based teaching: An example of descriptive science in action. The American Biology Teacher, 66(7), 493–499. https://doi.org/10.2307/4451726
Salas, E., Sims, D. E., & Burke, C. S. (2005). Is there a “big five” in teamwork? Small Group Research, 36(5), 555–599. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496405277134
Spronken-Smith, R. A., Brodeur, J. J., Kajaks, T., Luck, M., Myatt, P., Verburgh, A., Walkington, H., & Wuetherick, B. (2013). Completing the research cycle: A framework for promoting dissemination of undergraduate research and inquiry. Teaching & Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 1(2), 105–118. https://doi.org/10.2979/teachlearninqu.1.2.105
Stains, M., Harshman, J., Barker, M. K., Chasteen, S. V., Cole, R., DeChenne-Peters, S. E., Eagan, M. K., Esson, J. M., Knight, J. K., Laski, F. A., Levis-Fitzgerald, M., Lee, C. J., Lo, S. M., McDonnell, L. M., McKay, T. A., Michelotti, N., Musgrove, A., Palmer, M. S., Plank, K. M., … Young, A. M. (2018). Anatomy of STEM teaching in North American universities. Science, 359(6383), 1468–1470. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aap8892
The Child Health Interdisciplinary Literature and Discovery Journal. (n.d.). About the Journal. https://journals.mcmaster.ca/child/about
Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. A. C. (1977). Stages of small-group development revisited. Group & Organization Studies, 2(4), 419–427. https://doi.org/10.1177/105960117700200404
Vaccaro, A., & Newman, B. M. (2016). Development of a sense of belonging for privileged and minoritized students: An emergent model. Journal of College Student Development, 57(8), 925–942. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2016.0091
Walkington, H. (2008). Geoverse: Piloting a national e-journal of undergraduate research in geography. Planet, 20(1), 41–46. https://doi.org/10.11120/plan.2008.00200041
Walkington, H. (2012). Developing dialogic learning space: The case of online undergraduate research journals. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 36(4), 547–562. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2012.692072
Walkington, H., Edwards-Jones, A., & Gresty, K. (2013). Strategies for widening students’ engagement with undergraduate research journals. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 34(1), 24–30.
Willms, J. D., Friesen, S., & Milton, P. (2009). What did you do in school today? Transforming classrooms through social, academic, and intellectual engagement. (First National Report). In Online Submission. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED506503
Wong, M. (2024). Inclusion may not lead to belonging: The case for student-centered classrooms. College Teaching, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2024.2307884
Wong, M., Al-saqqar, S., Nash, J., Al-Humuzi, A., Dottori, M., & Secord, M. (2024). The impact of virtual or blended learning on sense of belonging in first-year undergraduate health sciences students enrolled in an inquiry-based course. Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.22329/celt.v15i1.8105
Zachary, L. J. (2011). The mentor’s guide: Facilitating effective learning relationships. John Wiley & Sons.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Celina Antony, Nevart Terzian, Mark Lee, Margaret Secord, Alessia Greco, Michael Wong

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process - this applies to the submitted, accepted, and published versions of the manuscript. This can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access).