Activity 3: Online self and peer assessment tools

Bostock (2000) suggests that peer assessment encourages autonomy and the development of higher order thinking skills, and is one way of making assessment more innovative and authentic. He further argues that internet technology can assist the management of peer assessment, particularly when dealing with large numbers of students. The following examples illustrate how online technology has been used to facilitate peer assessment.

1. In 1999, the Committee for University Teaching and Staff Development (CUTSD) funded a project that resulted in the development of a Self and Peer Assessment Resource Kit (SPARK). It is an open source online system designed to overcome some of the problems associated with paper-based approaches and was developed at University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) by a multi-disciplinary team. The software and manuals can be downloaded for use by institutions that wish to use it. Go to the SPARK website to find out a little more about what it is and how it can be used. Note in particular the types of problems that the online system can solve, and the summary evaluation findings. If you are interested in finding out more about the research into SPARK, see Freeman and McKenzie (2001, 2002).
2. An AUTC funded project on learning designs commenced towards the end of 2000 and produced a final report in 2002. One of the products of this project was an online self and peer assessment tool developed by Joe Luca and Andrew Dunbar with Ron Oliver. While the tool is no longer available from the website, you can read about its main features, and if you are interested in learning more, you can read the concise paper (17 KB) by Luca and McLoughlin (2002) which argues that self and peer assessment should be 'an essential characteristic of the students’ learning experience in higher education' (p. 833) because it provides opportunities for developing professional skills such as team work, problem solving, communication and decision-making skills, that are transferable to the workplace. They further argue that online learning environments provide opportunities for developing these skills.
3. For a Deakin case study in the use of online technology and peer assessment, see Kristin Demetrious on the Contemporary Online Teaching Cases website.

References

Bostock, S. (2000). Learning technology: Student peer assessment. Accessed 6th June 2006, from http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/landt/lt/docs/bostock_peer_assessment.htm

Freeman, M. A. and McKenzie, J., (2001) Aligning Peer Assessment with Peer Learning in Large Classes: The Case for an Online Self and Peer Assessment System, In D. Boud, R. Cohen and E. Sampson, (Eds.), Peer Learning in Higher Education, pp. 156-169, London: Kogan Page.

Freeman, M.A. and McKenzie, J., (2002) Implementing and evaluating SPARK, a confidential web-based template for self and peer assessment of student teamwork: benefits of evaluating across different subjects, British Journal of Educational Technology, 33 (5), pp. 553-572.

Luca, J., & McLoughlin, C. (2002). A question of balance: Using self and peer assessment effectively in teamwork. In A. Williamson, C. Gunn, A. Young & T. Clear (Eds.), Ascilite2002 winds of change in the sea of learning: Charting the course of digital education (Vol. 2, pp. 833-838). Auckland, New Zealand: UNITEC Institute of Technology.