Is reflective writing an effective peer assessment tool for students in Higher Education?

Abstract

Abstract-Today the ability to monitor and evaluate the performance of team members and identify their strengths and weaknesses is highly crucial in any organizational role. Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) are adopting different strategies in their teaching curricula and assessment methods to encourage the development of team management skills among graduates, one of which is peer assessment. It is an important component in the design of an effective learning environment in Higher Education (HE) and for promoting a strong participatory and collaborative culture among students. It provides students with a platform to not only engage with the HE learning process but also to learn from each other by receiving and giving critical feedback. Reflective writing in HE offers a flexible platform for students to discuss the contributions made by peers in teamwork however, not many researchers have looked at its potential as a peer assessment tool. This study addresses this gap by using the case study of the MSc Engineering Management (EM) programme at York (UK). Using the method of content analysis, this study looks at the quality of peer assessment and the skills gap analysis demonstrated in the reflective assignments students undertake in one of the modules. The findings show the viability and potential of this method for building peer assessment skills. It eliminates some of the limitations like bias among students usually encountered in other peer assessment tools. It also helps in skills gap analysis and for understanding group dynamics in teamwork. Students should therefore, be encouraged to seek the application of such tools for skills analysis, to build up confidence in peer assessment and boosting employability factors.

Should Higher Education encourage the use of Intergroup Peer Assessment among students?

“…Bias among students engaging with PA seems to be a consistent topic of discussion among researchers [6,18]. This is one of the reasons why many academics hesitate or refrain from using student PA in HE curricula.…”

“…Tighe-Mooney et al [5, pg 2832] add "Facilitating students to partake in some of assessment interaction alters the balance of power and encourages some control over their own learning…". Baruah et al [6] thereby labeled PA as an important component in the design of an effective learning environment in HE. It promotes a strong participatory and collaborative culture among students.…”

Using Post-Assessment Reflection to Enhance Student Learning Outcomes in a Fluid Mechanics Course

“…Even so, reflective assignments are rarely employed in technical engineering courses. When reflections have been employed in higher education engineering courses, the focus has been on less technical artifacts including peer interactions [16], portfolios [17], or using course grades to measure the efficacy of reflections [18]. That is, reflection is mostly used for behavior-based reflection (i.e., working well in a group, learning a tool, or effective study habits) rather than more typical engineering content.…”