Effectiveness of Peer Assessment in a Professionalism Course Using an Online Workshop

Abstract

An online Moodle Workshop was evaluated for peer assessment effectiveness. A quasiexperiment was designed using a Seminar in Professionalism course taught in face-to-face mode to undergraduate students across two campuses. The first goal was to determine if Moodle Workshop awarded a fair peer grader grade. The second objective was to estimate if students were consistent and reliable in performing their peer assessments. Statistical techniques were used to answer the research hypotheses. Although Workshop Moodle did not have a built-in measure for peer assessment validity, t-tests and reliability estimates were calculated to demonstrate that the grades were consistent with what faculty expected. Implications were asserted to improve teaching and recommendations were provided to enhance Moodle.

Evaluating Assessment in MOOCs

“…give fair grades to their peers, consistent with what is expected, this evaluation is presented as reliable (Strang, 2015). Topping (2009) argues that this is an effective approach and encourages its use.…”

“…A study gives low or moderate quality feedback, and recommends it as "assessment for learning" rather than "assessment of learning" (Admiraal et al, 2014). Sometimes it is defended, more than as another type of assessment, as a change in the educational model (Vera-Cazorla, 2014): Summative and quantitative evaluation tool at the end of the process, and learning and qualitative assessment of students' understanding (Admiraal et al, 2014;Planas et al, 2013;Strang, 2015;Topping, 2009Topping, , 2017.…”

Predicting Student Satisfaction and Outcomes in Online Courses Using Learning Activity Indicators

“…Shum (2012) further expanded upon the learning analytics definition for a UNESCO policy briefing as being methods to analyze learning data and to improve learning systems through evidencedriven adaptation. He described three 'strategic' levels of analysis in learning analytics: macro (region/national/international) meso (institution-wide) individual user (student) (Shum, 2012, p. 3) In addition to above, the group, team, or course is often the strategic level of analysis (Strang, 2015a). The unit of analysis usually includes learning performance (e.g., grade or academic performance) as the dependant variable but other fields are sometimes analyzed such as satisfaction, specific outcome artifacts or career advancement.…”

The Role of Moodle in Education: A Bibliometric Review

“…Regarding the assessment problem, the second author uses Moodle in conducting peer assessments, and according to Strang, this is also very effective (David Strang, 2015). He also predicts student learning outcomes based on logs of online learning activities recorded in Moodle (Strang, 2017).…”