AI assistance in peer feedback provision: Pedagogically sound, but minimally adopted
Stanislav Pozdniakov, Jonathan Brazil, Seyyed Kazem Banihashem, Omid Noroozi, Dragan Gašević, Shazia Sadiq · Computers & Education · 2026
AI-generated evidence extraction, verified across multiple analytical personas. Not a substitute for the peer-reviewed original.
This is an AI analysis. Read the peer-reviewed original at the publisher: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2026.105591
Methodology & findings
Study design
Observational study analyzing 7,670 instances of AI-assisted peer feedback from 433 undergraduate students in a semester-long course.
Sample
N = 433, 1 group
Main result
The study found that "AI-A was typically positive, well structured, and focused on pedagogical strengths (79% of all instances)" but "uptake remained relatively low, with just 9% (690) of AI assistance suggestions leading to revisions." Additionally, "AI-A that was less accurate, less complete in describing the original peer feedback, or less positively worded was more likely to prompt revision, with small-to-medium effect sizes."
Reports effect sizes.
Research paradigm
Empirical - mixed methods (quantitative analysis of platform data with qualitative implications)
Author conclusions
The authors conclude that these findings "offer valuable insights for designing AI-A in peer feedback platforms that promote learning, encourage reflection, and preserve student autonomy." They also note the "nuanced role of GenAI: AI-A, which contained only moderately specific and correct suggestions, prompted students to act on it."
Risk of bias
Selection bias: Only students who engaged with the AI assistance platform were included; non-users excluded; Observation bias: Students may have modified behavior knowing their feedback interactions were being analyzed; Confounding variables: Student motivation, prior feedback experience, and disciplinary knowledge not controlled; Selection bias: Single large undergraduate course may not be representative of broader student populations; Measurement bias: Uptake measured as revisions only; students may have engaged with AI-A in other ways not captured; Confounding: No control group mentioned; cannot isolate effect of AI-A from other pedagogical factors; Confounders: Course-specific factors, instructor practices, and student motivation not controlled; Generalizability: Results from one undergraduate course may not transfer to other disciplines or educational contexts
Open questions raised
- Limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of GenAI for peer feedback provision
- further research needed on designing AI assistance that balances pedagogical support with student autonomy and engagement
Explore related topics
Related papers
- Comparing scientific abstracts generated by ChatGPT to real abstracts with detectors and blinded human reviewersCatherine A. Gao · 2023 · 657 citations
- Fabrication and errors in the bibliographic citations generated by ChatGPTWilliam H. Walters · 2023 · 352 citations
- Generative AI tools and assessment: Guidelines of the world's top-ranking universitiesBenjamin Luke Moorhouse · 2023 · 343 citations
- Human-AI collaboration patterns in AI-assisted academic writingAndy Nguyen · 2024 · 301 citations
- Hallucination Rates and Reference Accuracy of ChatGPT and Bard for Systematic Reviews: Comparative AnalysisMikaël Chelli · 2024 · 295 citations
- AI literacy and its implications for prompt engineering strategiesNils Knoth · 2024 · 277 citations