Assessment and Feedback Peer and Self Assessment

1. Assessment and FeedbackPeer and Self Assessment Fang Lou, Mark Russell and Helen Barefoot The Learning and Teaching Institute

2. What does good assessment look like?

3. GOOD assessment • Stimulates learning • ALWAYS provides high quality feedback • Efficient and timely • Related to learning objectives • Develop self-assessment abilities • Provides staff-student contact • Monitors student progress • Appropriate methods used • Accurate and reproducible

4. Assessment Experience Questionnaire Student learning is best supported when the following conditions are met: • Assessed tasks capture sufficient student time and effort • These tasks distribute student effort evenly across topics & weeks • These tasks engage students in productive learning activity • Assessment communicates clear and high expectations to students • Sufficient feedback is provided, often enough & in enough detail • The feedback is provided quickly enough to be useful to students • Feedback focuses on learning rather than on marks or students • Feedback is linked to the purpose of the assignment and to criteria • Feedback is understandable to students, given their sophistication • Feedback is received by students and attended to • Feedback is acted upon by students to improve their work or their learning (Gibbs & Simpson, 2004)

5. Good Feedback Practice Good assessment and feedback practice should: 1 Help to clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, standards) 2 Encourage 'time and effort' on challenging learning tasks 3 Deliver high-quality feedback information that helps learners to self-correct 4 Provide opportunities to act on feedback (to close any gap between current and desired performance) 5 Ensure that summative assessment has a positive impact on learning 6 Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer and teacher-student) 7 Facilitate the development of self-assessment and reflection in learning 8 Give choice in the topic, method, criteria, weighting or timing of assessments 9 Involve students in decision-making about assessment policy and practice 10 Support the development of learning groups and learning communities 11 Encourage positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem 12 Provide information to teachers that can be used to help shape their teaching Nicol(2009)

6. NUS Principles of effective assessment Assessment… 1. Should be for learning, not simply of learning 2. Should be reliable, valid, fair and consistent 3. Should incorporate effective and constructive feedback 4. Should be innovative and have the capacity to inspire and motivate such as with the use of technology 5. Should measure understanding and application, rather than technique and memory 6. Should be conducted throughout the course, not simply positioned as a final event 7. Should develop key skills such as peer and reflective assessment 8. Should be central to staff development and teaching strategies, and frequently reviewed 9. Should be of a manageable amount for both students and tutors 10. Should encourage dialogue between students and their tutors, and students and their peers (NUS’ Principles of effective assessment)

7. Experiences of self/peer assessment

8. Coping strategies for large numbers of reports/essays marking (1) • Work in groups; joint rather than individual report. • Run parallel activities on some weeks • Abolish half the practicals/seminars and provide time for self-directed learning • Mark only some of the exercises rather than all reports • Get your post-graduate students to do the marking for you • Specify very tight format; reporting data recorded, processing, final result

9. Coping strategies for large numbers of reports/essays marking (2) • Use objective marking (e.g. MCQ) to test understanding of the practical/calculations. • Pre-prepared comment sheets for feedback or assembled feedback via StudyNet • Use peer-or self-marking of the write-ups • Separate the learning objectives of different teaching activities and teach each explicitly.

10. Why do peer assessment? • all get all the information • provides full explanation • requires better understanding • develops critical evaluation • see others’ mistakes and standards • exposes bias/fairness/integrity issues • saves staff time and effort • IMPROVES STUDENT LEARNING

11. Example of improvement in student learning at Leeds

12. Self- & Peer - assessment • What is it? • Why do we use it? • Student – centered • Clear transparent criteria • Encourage deep learning • Quicker feedback • Learn from others

13. Example (peer assessment) • Bioscience level 1, 200 students • Practical on exercise physiology, proforma • A workshop to brief students • Full lab report, submitted on StudyNet & hard copy • 2 hour session for peer assessment; marking criteria; comments; • WATS for reflection and feedback (5%)

14. Key points of the workshop • Using EVS to discuss with students about what, why and how to do peer assessment • Detailed guidance of how to write a lab report • General marking criteria of a full lab report is given • Total marks and sign • Reports collected and marking sheet to lecturer

15. Key points of the marking session • Preparation and organisation • 2 hours duration with prompt start • Clear and detailed marking scheme – take them through timely; print-out • Prompt attendance to queries – consistent answers • OMR (optical marker Reader) marking sheet for scan • WATS (weekly assessment tutorial sheet) system for reflection and feedback

16. What do the students think?

17. What do the students think?

18. What do the students think?

19. “In what ways did you benefit from the peer assessment activity?” • marking other people • work can be useful to • spot what you have • done wrong in your • own report so that • was a good benefit nothing much really • showed the • standard that • others were • working at I don't feel that I benefited from the peer assessment activity, however, the detailed marking scheme did help to show what the lecturers are looking for in future reports. • I felt that the marking • scheme and even reading • other peoples work made • me reflect upon what I was • good at and what I could • work on/add to in • my report and future • reports. • i had the chance to • look at someone • else’s style of writing • and problem solving, • which i may • incorporate into my • own work. • Good indication of what our • lecturers would be looking for • as well perhaps of how our • peers may view our written • work. Additionally from this • exercise, i can gauge how • effective my written • communication skills are • in the scientific field norms. • allowed me to • understand the • lecturers • impartial role in • the marking • process

20. “What other comments do you have regarding the peer assessment process?” • Time could have • been used as a • lecture to • improve • our understanding of • human • physiology • i think the assesment • wasnt very fair as • some markers can be • really generous and • others will not be. • It was a • very good • eye • opener • the marking criteria • was a great help and • provided a guideline • for future lab • reports. • I feel really unwell for my lab • report marks. the marker didn't • even count the total marks for • me, and the comment he/she • wrote was unreasonable. and • he/she didn't even • marks my PTS skills!! • It wasn't as bad • as I thought, but • had trouble • keeping up. • It is quite a bit risky • marking someone • else's work but it was • quite beneficial in • understanding the • criteria used in • marking our • laboratory reports. • it's a • fantastic • experience

21. What is prompt ?

22. Consider if one of your assignments could be peer or self assessed

23. ESCAPE Themes Good Assessment for Learning… …Engages students with assessment criteria …Focuses on student development …Ensures feedback leads to improvement …Stimulates dialogue …Considers staff and student effort

24. Remember • Assessment creates learning opportunities • Assessment can enhance teaching • Good assessment is motivating, aligned and feedback rich • Guidance is out there • ESCAPE project page: http://tiny.cc/jaqjr • ESCAPE blog; Blogging from the mud movers: http://escape-uh-jisc.blogspot.com/