Online peer review: an alternative to face-to-face?

The question of whether online peer review (OLPR) can be a worthwhile alternative to face-to-face peer review (FFPR) led us to undertake the exploratory study which is presented in this article. We conducted the study in two pre-college ESL writing classes at Community College of Philadelphia to examine students' responses in both modes of peer review, and to see whether OLPR could become a viable option. First, we offer a step-by-step training model to demonstrate how we guided the students from FFPR to OLPR. Next, we present a brief analysis of the students' FFPR to OLPR. Next, we present a brief analysis of the students' FFPR and OLPR negotiations, and summarize their opinions on both modes of peer review. Finally, we discuss our findings, and certain advantages of OLPR that we found from our experience.