Group-work: automated peer assessment, moderation and feedback

Tim BulloughDan Hibbert

School of EngineeringUniv of Liverpool L&T Conf 23 June ‘10

Good way for students to get to know themselves and each other. Reflection of own and others contributions.

Achieve outcomes that couldn’t be achieved individually.

Simulate real-life experiences (key for Engineers’ employability) & practice project management theory

Reduce the amount of assessment (single group output) & allows an assessment of students’ contributions without an academic having to observe everything

Why do group/team work?

How is group/team work developed within the Engineering curriculum?

Year 1: Short “active learning” experiences (labs, design-build-test) & a superficial introduction to team roles. Some reflection on team dynamics and contributions.

Year 2: Theories of team-work and project management are taught. Group activities vary from half-day to whole-year. Reflection on contribution, and peer moderation of group marks for group output(s)/achievements.

Year 3&4: Formal “capstone” industry-facilitated 1-2 year team projects (required for accreditation).

Problems/concerns: group membership, dealing with conflict

and lack of contribution; assessment and peer moderation criteria and process.......

What is peer moderation?Process to allow individual contribution to a group activity to be “rewarded”:

i.e. individual mark = group mark x “peer moderation factor”

How do we do it?

1. Single group mark awarded for each assessed output.2. Academic decides on criteria and extent to which individual contribution

should be rewarded.3. Students rate their own and others contributions against these criteria.4. Use an algorithm to produce an individual “peer moderation factor” for

each student in the group (keeping the average factor as 1)5. Individual marks obtained

+ 6. FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS (later)

Old paper-based peer moderation proformas

Dan............WebPA

e.g. MATS213 “Manufactured Article” activity: 4-5 weeks of lab-based group-work with single group wiki assessment.........

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Discuss..........

10 minutes to kick-off!!!