The impact of two types of peer assessment on students' performance and satisfaction within a Wiki environment

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two peer assessment methods on university students' academic writing performance and their satisfaction with peer assessment. This study also examined the validity and reliability of student generated assessment scores. Two hundred and thirty-two predominantly undergraduate students were selected by convenience sampling during the fall semester of 2007. The results indicate that students in the experimental group demonstrated greater improvement in their writing than those in the comparison group, and the findings reveal that students in the experimental group exhibited higher levels of satisfaction with the peer assessment method both in peer assessment structure and peer feedback than those in the comparison group. Additionally, the findings indicate that the validity and reliability of student generated rating scores were extremely high. Using Wiki interactive software and providing an online collaborative learning environment to facilitate peer assessment added value to peer assessment.     

Feedback,feedforward: evaluating the effectiveness of an oral peer review exercise amongst postgraduate students

Assessment for learning approaches, such as peer review exercises may improve student performance in summative assessments and increase their satisfaction with assessment practices. We conducted a mixed methods study to evaluate the effectiveness of an oral peer review exercise among post-graduate students. We examined: (1) final assessment grades among students who did and did not take part in the peer review exercise; (2) student perceptions of the impact of the peer review exercise; and (3) student understanding of, and satisfaction with, this new assessment practice. We found that students who took part in the exercise had a significantly higher mean grade in a subsequent summative oral presentation assessment than students who did not take part in the exercise. Students gained a better understanding of assessment and marking criteria and expressed increased confidence and decreased anxiety about completing the subsequent summative assessment. Assessment for learning improves academic attainment and the learning experience in postgraduate students.     

The Implementation of Peer Assessment: An action research approach

This paper examines the process of implementing peer assessment in higher education. In order to discover the aspects by which the method could be utilised to its full potential, it has been tried out among diverse types of students using an action research approach. The paper depicts the way the method was introduced and portrays students' reactions. It demonstrates the contribution of previous exposure to peer assessment, of a good preparation process and of student involvement in criteria setting to building up student confidence in using the method. It further shows how student involvement in establishing the assessment criteria contributes to their learning process. Based on the results of the action research, the paper recommends introducing peer assessment into the curriculum gradually and in a consistent way while involving students in the process of criteria setting and making the method relevant to student learning and future careers.     

The Importance of Marking Criteria in the Use of Peer Assessment

This paper reports a study which implemented and evaluated a method of peer assessment, as a formative and summative assessment procedure. Pairs of first‐year undergraduate biology students were asked to complete a poster assignment on a specific aspect of nerve physiology. This paper contains details of a method which allows student peer and tutor marking of work against the individual marking criteria to be evaluated. The results show that a comparison between the tutor and the student peer mark may be misleading as a guide to the validity of peer assessment. The importance of considering the individual sections of the marking criteria is illustrated. It was found that when the individual criteria were analysed the number of students marking the same as the tutor ranged from 31% to 62%. It also became clear that specific areas of the marking criteria were prone to over and under‐marking. Analysis of student feedback forms showed that students not only liked carrying out peer assessment, but felt the benefits in terms of developing facets of their learning process and heightening their awareness of their work. These results are discussed in the light of other studies.     

Group peer assessment for summative evaluation in a graduate-level statistics course for ecologists

Peer assessment is often used for formative learning, but few studies have examined the validity of group-based peer assessment for the summative evaluation of course assignments. The present study contributes to the literature by using online technology (the course management system Moodle^?) to implement structured, summative peer review based on an anchored rubric in an ecological statistics course taught to graduate students. We found that grade discrepancies between students and the instructor were fairly common (60% of assignments), relatively low in value (mean = 3.3 ± 2.5% on assignments that had discrepancies) and proportionally higher for criteria related to interpretation of statistical results and code quality and organisation than for criteria related to the successful completion of analysis or instructional tasks (e.g. fitting particular statistical methods, de-identification of one’s submission). Students reported that the peer assessment process increased their exposure to alternative ways of approaching statistical and computational problem-solving, but there were concerns raised about the fairness of the process and the effectiveness of the group component. We conclude with some recommendations for implementing peer assessment to maximise student learning and satisfaction.     

The development of science activities via on-line peer assessment: the role of scientific epistemological views

This study implemented an online peer assessment learning module to help 36 college students with the major of pre-school education to develop science activities for future instruction. Each student was asked to submit a science activity project for pre-school children, and then experienced three rounds of peer assessment. The effects of the online peer assessment module on student learning were examined, and the role of Scientific Epistemological Views (SEVs) in the learning process was carefully investigated. This study found that student peers displayed valid scoring that was consistent with an expert’s marks. Through the online peer assessment, the students could enhance the design of science activities for future instruction; for instance, the science activities became more creative, science-embedded, feasible and more suitable for the developmental stage of pre-school children. More importantly, students with more sophisticated (constructivist-oriented) SEVs tended to progress significantly more for designing science activities with more fun, higher creativity and greater relevancy to scientific knowledge, implying that learners with constructivist-oriented SEVs might benefit more from the online peer assessment learning process. These students also tended to offer more feedback to their peers, and much of the peer feedback provided by these students was categorized as guiding or helping peers to carefully appraise and plan their science activity projects. This study finally suggested that an appropriate understanding regarding the constructivist epistemology may be a prerequisite for utilizing peer assessment learning activities in science education.     

Peer Assessment of a Group Project in a Primary Mathematics Education Course

This paper discusses the problem of discriminating between individual contributions in the assessment of group projects. It is argued that peer assessment is a necessary element of any proposed structure but that the use of any ‘weighting‐factor’ system is contrary to the philosophy underpinning collaborative groupwork. A structure that separates the process and product elements of the assessment is described and a set of generic criteria for the process peer assessment identified. This structure was implemented with a group of students at Hong Kong University and evaluated using questionnaires and in‐depth interviews. The paper discusses the results of this evaluation and in particular identifies the need for ‘benchmarking’ when using the criteria and also the problematic nature of the ‘insider‐outsider’ syndrome as an important cultural factor.     

Introducing the use of a semi-structured video diary room to investigate students’ learning experiences during an outdoor adventure education groupwork skills course

Outdoor adventure education courses are used in higher education to develop transferable skills such as groupwork and problem-solving skills. There is a need for exploratory investigation into students’ perceptions of this experience. This study aimed to develop an innovative qualitative data collection method, and to use it to explore students’ perceived learning processes and developmental outcomes when taking part in an outdoor groupwork skills course. Participants (n = 40) were undergraduate engineering students who were taking part in the 3 day residential course as part of their degree course. Students’ experiences were captured whilst immersed in the course, using a semi-structured video diary room. Participants entered the diary room at different time points throughout the course and responded to openended questions. Following a thematic analysis, students were found to arrive on the course with mixed feelings towards groupwork and expected learning outcomes. Activities were enjoyable yet challenging, revealing students’ weaknesses and demanding a range of skills and coping methods. The outdoor environment added novelty, risk and natural consequences. Students reported developing a range of skills in groupwork, adaptability, persistence, planning, problem-solving, time-management, communication, leadership, cooperation, group reflection and team spirit, as well as benefits to physical activity, self-confidence, self-awareness, peer and staff relationships and internationalisation. These findings provide a base for future investigation into the long-term impact on student development and skill transfer. The semi-structured video diary room yielded rich data, contributing to the literature by offering a simple, yet effective, qualitative research method that can be implemented in a variety of contexts.     

Developing Procedures for Implementing Peer Assessment in Large Classes Using an Action Research Process

Peer assessment has been used successfully in higher education, with important benefits reported in terms of student learning. However, most of the literature has focused on its use with small groups of students taught by staff who are committed to the peer assessment process. This paper reports the development of peer assessment procedures for use in large classes, using a cyclical process of action, reflection and refined action. The project was carried out in three phases and after each phase changes were made to the procedures in response to student and staff feedback. The development of procedures is discussed in relation to assessment tasks, assessment criteria, anonymity, procedural guidelines, distribution systems, marking procedures and tutor remarking. Although there are specific difficulties associated with the use of peer assessment in large classes, this study suggests that these are outweighed by the learning benefits for students. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations are made for ways in which peer assessment might be successfully applied in large classes.     

Student perception of Moodle learning management system: a satisfaction and significance analysis

This research study addresses differences in student perception of the significance of Moodle learning management system (LMS) quality characteristics and differences in student satisfaction in regard to such characteristics. Therein, it has been proven in this study that male and female students are equally satisfied with Moodle LMS quality characteristics and that there is a difference in the significance that students give to these characteristics. When students were observed in regard to their age and year of study, it was found that these groups assigned different significance levels to quality characteristics and were not equally satisfied with them. It was also found that there is a substantial statistical difference in the significance students gave to quality characteristics and in student satisfaction itself, according to how much time they spent using the Moodle application, which is also noted as one of the most important aspects of the research conducted. A further analysis of the variables demonstrated that the following components of quality characteristics were more important to female students: average waiting time for a response, feedback quality, material thoroughness, material clarity, website user-friendliness, cooperation diversity, and material quantity.     

The effect of peer assessment on project performance of students at different learning levels

Peer assessment has been increasingly integrated in educational settings as a strategy to foster student learning. Yet little has been studied about how students at different learning levels may benefit from peer assessment. This study examined how peer-assessment and students’ learning levels influenced students’ project performance using a two-way factorial design. One hundred and thirty teacher education students participated in this quasi-experimental study. When working on a technology-integrated lesson plan project, the experimental group completed an online peer assessment process while the control group followed the discussion method. Students’ learning levels were measured and divided into low, average and high achieving according to the quality of their draft lesson plans. Data analysis suggested that the impact of peer assessment on students’ lesson plan project seemed to vary according to students’ learning levels. While low- and average-achieving students showed significantly improved performance right after the integration of a peer assessment model, the model seemed to have had less impact on the performance of high-achieving students. Significance, implications and limitations of findings are discussed.     

Learning through science writing via online peer assessment in a college biology course

This study used an online peer assessment activity to help 47 college students to learn biology through writing. Each student submitted a biology writing report to an online system and then experienced three rounds of peer assessment. During the online peer assessment process, self, peer and expert evaluation scores for the writing were gathered across three rounds. It was found that self-assessment scores were not quite consistent with the expert's scores, but the peer assessment scores demonstrated adequate validity with the expert's evaluation. In particular, when the students had more rounds of peer assessment for reviewing the writing, the validity of the peer scores was enhanced. An examination of the students' writing scores, allocated by peers and expert, indicated that the students significantly improved the writing as the peer assessment activity proceeded. Content analyses of the students' writing also revealed that their writing gradually developed with significantly better coverage, richness and organization resulting from the online peer assessment activity.     

Occupational Therapy Students as Peer Assessors in Viva Examinations

This study was undertaken in order to evaluate the use of students as peer assessors, in collaboration with academic tutors, in the assessment of second-year viva examinations as part of a problem based learning occupational therapy curriculum. Data were collected from three consecutive cohorts of second-year students (N = 93), and an assessment was made of the reliability of the academic tutor marking, and the reliability of peer marking against the tutor marks. Results demonstrated that overall ratings of the viva examination performances given by the panel of assessors (two peer assessors and one academic tutor), were significantly correlated. On some occasions, such as the assessment of a borderline student, the ratings given were not as closely correlated. Some modifications of the examination process are suggested in order to optimise the reliability of the outcomes, but the study results lend support for the practice of peer assessment.     

Chinese students’ groupwork practices and experiences in China

Chinese students constitute the most rapidly growing international cohort of students enrolled in many Western tertiary settings, and it is important to understand more about their preparation for engaging with commonly used teaching approaches such as groupwork. This study investigated their attitudes and experience of groupwork while enrolled at a large Chinese university. Semi-structured and video-stimulated recall interview data were collected from 16 third-year Finance students over a 5-week field study. Results showed that this group of Chinese students experienced more out-of-class than in-class groupwork activities. These out-of-class groupwork sessions fell into three categories: (1) student initiated, (2) student league initiated and (3) teacher initiated. Students identified both individual and collective benefits from groupwork, highlighting that Chinese students value groupwork and actively seek to engage with it in the Chinese tertiary context. This study contributes to the understanding of Chinese students’ group practices in Chinese tertiary settings.     

Faculty-student engagement in teaching observation and assessment: a Hong Kong initiative

There is now a worldwide focus on the quality of university teaching and yet there is general dissatisfaction in universities with the student evaluation of teaching system. Peer observation of teaching seems to hold much promise in the assessment of teaching quality, but such observation pays little attention to the quality of teaching as perceived by students. One approach to overcome this deficiency is for faculty and students to also partner in the assessment of a faculty member’s teaching, with a student trained in observation and feedback techniques acting as a peer in the observation process. This paper describes and evaluates an ongoing student consultant initiative at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. It presents faculty and student observations in terms of the benefits to faculty regarding potential enhancement of university teaching, and the benefits to students especially in terms of close collaboration with faculty and training in consultation techniques. The paper notes that the student consultant initiative has been more popular with students than faculty, and recommends further investigation of the potential of such programmes in Hong Kong higher education.     

Assessment training effects on student assessment skills and task performance in a technology-facilitated peer assessment

This study examines the impact of an assessment training module on student assessment skills and task performance in a technology-facilitated peer assessment. Seventy-eight undergraduate students participated in the study. The participants completed an assessment training exercise, prior to engaging in peer-assessment activities. During the training, students reviewed learning concepts, discussed marking criteria, graded example projects and compared their evaluations with the instructor’s evaluation. Data were collected in the form of initial and final versions of students’ projects, students’ scoring of example projects before and after the assessment training, and written feedback that students provided on peer projects. Results of data analysis indicate that the assessment training led to a significant decrease in the discrepancy between student ratings and instructor rating of example projects. In addition, the degree of student vs. instructor discrepancy was highly predictive of the quality of feedback that students provided to their peers and the effectiveness of revisions that they made to their own projects upon receiving peer feedback. Smaller discrepancies in ratings were associated with provision of higher quality peer feedback during peer assessment, as well as better revision of initial projects after peer assessment.     

Chinese students’ perception of out-of-class groupwork in Australia

Despite increasing number of mainland Chinese students studying in western tertiary settings, there is limited information available on their learning experiences and responses to popular educational practices in these contexts. There is an assumption in the literature that Chinese students respond well to the collaborative demands of groupwork due to the collectivist nature of their culture, however there are few reports to substantiate this claim. This paper reports on mainland Chinese students’ perception of groupwork in two Australian tertiary settings. Thirteen students from mainland China were interviewed on their groupwork experiences. All interviews were completed in either Mandarin or Cantonese. Two types of groupwork were identified: assignment groupwork (AGW) and student generated groupwork (SGGW). Three criteria for collaboration: level of interaction, construction of knowledge and a shared goal were used to search for signs of collaborative elements in the Chinese students’ recall of their groupwork experience. Indicators of collaboration were identified in the reports of AGWs but were less consistent in SGGWs. The findings of this study suggest that Chinese students perceive out-of-class groupwork in an Australian context as a positive learning experience, reporting enhanced understanding of academic contents, application of knowledge and socializing with other Chinese students.     

The validity and students’ experiences of peer assessment in a large introductory class of gene technology

Although studies have examined the validity of peer assessment, research including students’ own experiences of peer assessment is scarce. The present study aims to improve assessment practices in a context with a highly traditional assessment culture. The aim is first to examine the validity of peer assessment by analysing the compatibility of student and teacher evaluation and explore the differences between minor and major students’ evaluations. Second, the study examines students’ experiences of peer assessment. Peer assessment was implemented in a large bioscience course with 79 student participants. After the peer assessment, the students provided feedback. The results indicate that student subject understanding can be supported through a proper assessment practice. Peer assessment was successful in an introductory class with minor and major students, and most students experienced it as supportive of their learning.     

‘Just enough to make you take it seriously’: exploring students’ attitudes towards peer assessment

The use of peer learning and peer assessment has gained considerable interest in higher education driven by both its educational value and by its ability to provide students with the opportunity to develop important transferrable skills. This paper reports on the use of peer learning and peer assessment with a cohort of four-year undergraduate physiotherapy students and an 18 month taught post-graduate teacher education programme. The study observed the students’ engagement in the process, surveyed their opinions on the activity at the end of the experience and conducted one focus group discussion with a subset of students from each cohort. The study found that the vast majority of respondents felt that the experience was valuable and enjoyable. However, when asked to indicate whether it was a fairer method of assessment there were more varied responses. Similarly when asked whether their peers should have a greater say in their overall grade the majority disagreed. Views on the educational value of the experience appeared to differ between the two cohorts of students. The study highlights the influence of a prevailing assessment cultures on students’ engagement in peer learning which requires consideration when including such pedagogical approaches.     

Formative Peer Assessment of Academic Writing Between Postgraduate Students

Reciprocal paired qualitative formative peer assessment of academic writing was undertaken by 12 postgraduate students of educational psychology. Overall, staff and peer assessments showed a very similar balance between positive and negative statements, but this varied according to assessment criterion. However, only half of all detailed formative assessment statements made showed some degree of correspondence between staff and peers. Nevertheless, there was very little evidence of conflict between the views of staff and peers-rather, they focused on different details. Subjective feedback from students indicated that most found the process time consuming, intellectually challenging and socially uncomfortable, but effective in improving the quality of their own subsequent written work and developing other transferable skills. The reliability and validity of this type of peer assessment thus appeared adequate, and the partiality of overlap in detail between staff and peer assessments suggested that the triangulation peer assessment offers is likely to add value. However, caution is indicated regarding the generalisation of this finding. Implications for action are outlined.