Peer Assessment and Cooperative learning in Higher Education: -Analysis of an Undergraduate Engineering module

Abstract

Peer Assessment plays an important role in facilitating a collaborative learning environment among students in Higher Education. It can be an effective platform for Team-Based activities and to promote cooperative learning. Such approaches are being introduced at different curricula levels as students who engage with cooperative learning tend to exhibit higher academic achievement, better critical thinking and deeper understanding of teaching contents. They can also build more positive and supportive relations with peers which is a crucial organizational skill. However, very few studies have investigated the use of peer assessment for informing cooperative learning in Higher Education. Can Peer Assessment be used to promote cooperative learning among students in Higher Education? This paper explores a second year undergraduate module titled ‘Design, Construction and Test’ in the Department of Electronic Engineering at York. This module has a Peer Review component in one of the assessments. A total of 12 groups participated in this module and using content analysis, their peer review reports were analyzed. The findings highlighted five key factors that contribute towards cooperative learning: delegation, team leadership, attendance, active engagement and effective communication. Groups which implemented these elements within their teams experienced effective collaboration among team members whereas groups which experienced conflicts among peers reflected on the lack of some of these. Peer Assessment gives students an efficient platform to understand the benefits of cooperative learning. To facilitate collaboration in an effective manner, educators must emphasize these factors when exercising Team-Based activities in their curricula.