Peer Assessment Activities Research Articles

University Students’ Perceptions of and Attitudes Toward (Online) Peer Assessment

The use of peer assessment (PA) as an alternative form of evaluation method is reported to be helpful in learning and is increasingly being adopted in higher education settings. Through collecting data from 280 university students in Taiwan, a 20-item instrument was developed to investigate university students’ attitudes toward and perceptions of PA and online PA. Four subscales, Positive Attitudes, Online Attitudes, Understanding-and-Action, and Negative Attitudes, were extracted and reliabilities were calculated. Results revealed that participating students held positive attitudes toward the use of PA activities, but they viewed online PA as a technical tool to facilitate assessment processes, rather than as a learning aid. Male students had more positive attitudes toward PA than females did, and students with previous PA experiences had less negative attitudes toward PA. A majority of these students suggested that the PA score should be counted as a small part of the total course grade, and there was an effect of the perceived importance of PA score on students’ attitudes toward these four subscales.

On-line question-posing and peer-assessment as means for web-based knowledge sharing in learning

This study is an examination of a novel way for merging assessment and knowledge sharing in the context of a hybrid on-line learning system used in a postgraduate MBA course. MBA students carried out an on-line Question-Posing Assignment (QPA) that consisted of two components: Knowledge Development and Knowledge Contribution. The students also performed self- and peer-assessment and took an on-line examination, all administered by QSIA—an on-line system for assessment and knowledge sharing. Our objective was to explore student's learning and knowledge sharing while engaged in the above. Findings indicated that even controlling for the students’ prior knowledge or abilities, those who were highly engaged in on-line question-posing and peer-assessment activity received higher scores on their final examination compared to their counter peers. The results provide evidence that web-based activities can serve as both learning and assessment enhancers in higher education by promoting active learning, constructive criticism and knowledge sharing. We propose the on-line QPA as a methodology, and QSIA system as the technology for merging assessment and knowledge sharing in higher education.

How Am I Doing?: Developing critical self-evaluation in trainee teachers

How do we help trainee teachers make judgements about the quality of the work of their pupils? In attempting to answer this question this paper draws on the experience of a large, collaborative multidiscipline project on self- and peer-assessment and empirical work conducted on one Post Graduate Certificate in Education programme. Reference is made to the literature on improving student learning and questions raised about the extent to which we are prepared to learn from experience and challenge existing assessment paradigms. Using a case study, it is argued that self- and peer-assessment activities can help trainee teachers to understand the requirements of formal assessments by helping them develop and practise making qualitative judgements. Self- and peer-assessment integrated into programmes can improve confidence, motivation to learn and increase ownership of subject content. Recommendation for practice and a conceptual framework for reflective practice are suggested.