Integration of different assessment approaches: application to a project-based learning engineering course

Abstract

Formative assessment and self-, peer- and co-evaluation strategies for assessing students’ learning have been developed and applied, over two academic years, to 75 students on a project-based learning course in the Chemical Engineering Degree at Cantabria University (Spain). The project proposed for teamwork learning in the Process Design course was the preliminary design of a second-generation bioethanol plant. Rubrics of formative assessment and evaluation generated positive reinforcement for the student advancing through the consecutive learning stages. The negotiated co-evaluation process has proved to be an effective tool for reflecting the distinctive contributions of each working group member, which are then successfully incorporated in the final individual mark set by the teachers. Students' perceptions regarding the proposed assessment approaches have been obtained by creating and applying an anonymous and voluntary survey instrument. The active participation of the students in the design and application of rubrics using specific criteria is proposed for peer-assessment processes in learning activities with high qualitative content and more susceptible to subjective capabilities such as oral presentations. We consider that the assessment, learning methodology and the experience gained with the survey results contribute to enhanced achievement of the learning outcomes, and to enhanced quality in the teaching-learning process.