Peer assessment as a method of improving student engagement

Abstract

To encourage increased student attendance and engagement in a third year Economics unit, the curriculum was redesigned to incorporate continuous assessment throughout semester. A component of group project marks were allocated to peer-assessment, in an attempt to address concerns about free-riding colleagues sharing a common mark (Gibbs 2009). This study investigated the consistency of marks awarded to peers within teams, and the acceptance by students of marks awarded by peers. Students were asked to provide ratings and explanatory comments for each of their group peers. Focus groups were conducted to determine students' acceptance of this strategy. Eighty student ratings were compared to determine consistency of assessment. Within groups, students who received higher marks from their peers generally awarded marks to their peers across a wider range, whereas students who received lower average grades often awarded the same mark to all team members. These results might indicate that students who were attending class regularly and/or contributing at a higher level were more discriminating in the marks awarded to their peers. Similarly, non-contributors (as identified by their peers) assigned the same or similar grades to each of their peers, possibly due to a lack of knowledge about their peers' contributions.

Literature review on the use of action research in higher education

“…If students perceive the assessment as fair (particularly in respect of group work) and relevant to the subject, it can help their level of engagement (Prunty and Crean 2011;Weaver and Esposto 2012). Measurement of their engagement as a result of the introduction of an assessment change through AR has produced interesting results (Hughes 2011;Min et al 2011;Prunty and Crean 2011;Taylor and Pettit 2007;Weaver and Esposto 2012;Welsh 2008Welsh , 2012.…”

“…Current literature suggests that the type of assessment used in higher education can play a part in improving the engagement of the student, with a variety of forms -formative, peer, and group work -all implemented with varying success (Prunty and Crean 2011;Weaver and Esposto 2012;Welsh 2012Welsh 2008. If students perceive the assessment as fair (particularly in respect of group work) and relevant to the subject, it can help their level of engagement (Prunty and Crean 2011;Weaver and Esposto 2012).…”

“…If students perceive the assessment as fair (particularly in respect of group work) and relevant to the subject, it can help their level of engagement (Prunty and Crean 2011;Weaver and Esposto 2012). Measurement of their engagement as a result of the introduction of an assessment change through AR has produced interesting results (Hughes 2011;Min et al 2011;Prunty and Crean 2011;Taylor and Pettit 2007;Weaver and Esposto 2012;Welsh 2008Welsh , 2012. In student cohorts the levels of engagement and re-engagement of alienated students generally increases upon introduction of a new assessment mode, in particular the use of peer assessment (Min et al 2011;Prunty and Crean 2011;Weaver and Esposto 2012;Welsh 2012).…”

“…As a result, an enhanced learning environment is created with higher levels of overall engagement (Case 2008;Mann 2001;Min et al 2011;Prunty and Crean 2011;Weaver and Esposto 2012;Welsh 2012). The level varies between studies and may be dependent on whether the students are passive (Pahinis et al 2007;Seib et al 2011;Weaver and Esposto 2012) Furthermore, the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning in higher education shows a link to student engagement (Charles et al 2008;Currie et al 2012;Gillies 2008;Hughes 2011;Welsh 2012). The implementation of technology to enhance teaching and learning is critical to the students' engagement in learning online: projects, sets, modules and lectures often suffer from varying levels of engagement (Charles et al 2008;Currie et al 2012;Gillies 2008;Pahinis et al 2008).…”

Online Peer Assessment no ensino superior: uma revisão sistemática da literatura em práticas educacionais

“…A organização dos pares (aluno-avaliado e aluno-avaliador) ocorreu de formas distintas: em grupos de 2 a 6 alunos-avaliadores (WEN; CHANG et al, 2011;; em pares, com troca de papéis entre um aluno-avaliado e um aluno-avaliador ); e onde o aluno-avaliado recebeu avaliação de todos os alunos da turma A organização dos pares em grupo influencia a integração da avaliação com o trabalho cooperativo, visando possibilitar o desenvolvimento de competências de comunicação, liderança, gestão de tempo, resolução de problemas, tomada de decisão e aumentar a responsabilidade do aluno frente aos resultados que devem ser gerados pelo seu grupo. Além disso, devido à sua dinâmica, a organização em grupo pode proporcionar experiências de aprendizagem mais interessantes do ponto de vista do aluno e mais eficazes do ponto de vista do professor, assim como gerar novas ideias de diferentes perspectivas, fato que conduz a mais ocorrências de discussões e de debates construtivos (GUEST et al, 2011;NULTY, 2011;WEAVER;ESPOSTO, 2012).…”