peerScholar Student Guide

Enroll in your peerScholar course

A peerScholar account will be created for you after you open a peerScholar assignment from Canvas.

1. Log in to your Canvas course, and find your peerScholar assignment. This assignment might be in the "Assignments" or "Modules" area, depending on how your instructor has set it up.
2. Click the peerScholar assignment that you want to open. If prompted, click to load the assignment in a new window.
3. Once you see an overview of assigned peerScholar activities, you have successfully enrolled in your peerScholar course. If you don't see this overview, contact your instructor or teaching assistant, so that they can check your status in peerScholar.

Understand the peerScholar workflow

Assessments in peerScholar are completed in three stages:

1. Create - In the create phase, you will submit a type of digital assignment. Many instructors will ask you to submit written assignments. But submissions could also include other digital mediums like images or videos.
2. Assess - In the assess phase, you will see anonymous peer work to analyze, mark, and provide feedback on. You may also be required to assess your own work, depending on the assignment. Instructors will provide a custom rubric to guide you in providing feedback.
3. Reflect - In the reflect phase, you will read and consider the peer feedback that you have received. Depending on the assignment settings, you may be asked to evaluate each piece of feedback and/or implement the feedback suggestions by submitting a revised version of the original work.

To learn more about peerScholar's phases and the underlying purpose of each, you can read the peerScholar vision document.

Hand in work with peerScholar

To access peerScholar, you will first need to open the peerScholar assignment from within your Canvas course.

1. Log in to your Canvas course, and find your peerScholar assignment. This assignment might be in the "Assignments" or "Modules" area, depending on how your instructor has set it up.
2. Click the peerScholar assignment that you want to open. If prompted, click to load the assignment in a new window.
3. You will seen an overview of the activities assigned to your course. Click one of the phases, either Create, Assess, or Reflect, to complete that part of the respective assignment.
4. Read the instructions for each phase carefully, taking note of the objectives and prompts you should answer within the phase. When you are ready, click Let's Go! to proceed.
5. Complete the phase. You may need to type a response, attach a file, or some other task, depending on the instructions.
6. Once you are satisfied with your response, click Submit or Save and Submit.
   • You can also save your response as a draft as you complete it, if you aren't ready to submit. You can continue to work on your response as long as the phase is open, and it will be marked as "Complete" only once you have submitted your response.
7. You can resubmit work up until the due date passes or the instructor manually closes the phase. Once the due date has passed or the phase has been manually closed, your submission will be locked.

Troubleshoot issues with handing in peerScholar work

If something goes wrong while you are trying to submit your assignment, you will usually see an error message. Your instructor will also be able to check your progress throughout the assignment and confirm your submission. However, you can try to resolve certain issues yourself.

General troubleshooting tips

1. Ensure that you have a stable internet connection.
2. Switch to a computer, if you are submitting from a mobile device.
3. Update your browser to the latest version, or try a different browser.
4. Disable any extensions/add-ons in your browser.
5. Disable any VPNs (Virtual Private Network, e.g., myVPN).

Unable to complete a phase

The assignment schedule set by your instructor will affect when you can complete each phase of the assignment. First, check the status of the phase.

• Is the phase still open? You can only complete a phase when its status is "Open".
• If you would like to complete a phase but it is now "Closed" or past the submission deadline, please contact your instructor or teaching assistant to ask for an extension.

Review your graded work in peerScholar

Not all instructors will release grades using peerScholar; ask if you are not sure what to expect in your course.

1. Log in to your Canvas course, and find your peerScholar assignment. This assignment might be in the "Assignments" or "Modules" area, depending on how your instructor has set it up.
2. Click the peerScholar assignment that you want to open. If prompted, click to load the assignment in a new window.
3. On the left sidebar in peerScholar, click Marks & Review.
4. On the grades page, you will be able to see the grades received for each activity. Grades will be listed as "Not Available" if your instructor has not released the grades yet.
5. You can click Review to see your original submission along with instructor or teaching assistant feedback.