Computer support of effective peer assessment in an undergraduate programming class

Abstract

Active learning is considered by many academics as an important and effective learning strategy. Assessment is integrated in learning as a tool for learning, but traditional assessment methods often encourage surface learning (passive learning) rather than deep learning (active learning). Peer assessment is a method of motivating students, involving students discussing, marking and providing feedback on other students' work, and is one of the successful approaches which can be used to enhance deep learning. Students are required to think critically about what they are learning during the peer assessment process. Tutors' marking is usually accepted as reliable, but student peers' marking in a peer assessment process is suspect. As part of a study investigating whether peer assessment can be an accurate assessment method in a computer programming course, a novel web-based peer assessment tool has been developed. In this paper, we describe the tool and report the results of evaluating the tool through experiments involving large programming classes. The results suggest that computermediated peer assessment is a valuable assessment approach which promotes active learning and is an accurate assessment method in a programming course.

Open Assessment of Learning: A Meta-Synthesis

“…In such traditional practices the learner is considered a passive receiving agent, absent of criterion and experience in order to be able to empower their learning and, of course, their assessment (Montgomery, 2002;Sitthiworachart & Joy, 2008). Scenarios like this establish a clear context of reluctance to embrace a potentially disruptive concept such as Open Assessment of Learning.…”

A Network-Based Peer Evaluation Strategy

“…As mentioned in [34] peer evaluation is a process in which learners evaluate the performance or achievement of peers. Although this concept is more general, many researchers clarified it in more detail such as [49]who defined peer evaluation as a type of motivating students, consists of students' discussions and providing instance feedback on other students' works.…”

“… Giving students some control and responsibility [13].  Encouraging students to take an active role in managing their own learning [49].  Improving the high-order thinking and learning motivation of students [56].…”

Quality of peer assessment in CS1

“…However, Miller [16] found that more specific, detailed rubrics provided better differentiation of performance. Sitthiworachart and Joy [19] found high correlations between tutors' and students' marks for objective criteria, but lower correlations between tutor and student marks for subjective criteria in a large CS1 course.…”

“…Sitthiworachart and Joy [19] found that tutors tended to write more comments on program correctness while students tended to write more on program style.…”