Outcomes of synergetic peer assessment: first-year experience

Abstract

Active participation in learning activities and reviewing assessment activity can facilitate learners engaged in these processes. This case study reports student experiences of the process of peer assessment with teacher guidance in a group project for a first-year nursing course with 153 students. Twenty groups of students were assigned roles in exploring one of the two scenarios: one involved analysing diabetes mellitus and the other considered colorectal carcinoma, in each case covering provision of acute nursing care in hospitals and preparing health promotion strategies in a community. Each group also provided comments to the group that worked on the other scenario, based on prearranged assessment criteria. After receiving comments from their peer group, each group was then allowed to revise their drafts prior to final submission. The teacher's input would be offered, if the peer feedback was inaccurate or insufficient. A survey was conducted to explore the learning experiences, and three semistructured focus group interviews were conducted to triangulate findings with the survey. The first-year students expressed the need for both peer feedback and the lecturer's direct guidance.

Implementing first-year assessment principles: An analysis of selected scholarly literature

“…Providing quality critique in peer review does not come naturally to students (Hodgson et al, 2014), so it is imperative to provide opportunities for discussion of criteria and standards and to teach students evaluative skills if peer review is to be effective (Hodgson et al, 2014;Yucel et al, 2014). Mostert and Snowball (2013), for example, found that students believed they had put effort into providing feedback but did not receive adequate feedback in return.…”

An Investigation of Agreement between Clinical Educators and Peers in Rating Speech Pathology Students’ Interview Skills

“…In addition to self-reflection, student engagement in active learning may also be facilitated through peer assessment which provides students with the opportunity to evaluate, and be evaluated by, peers of a similar academic level and expertise who share a common knowledge and skill base (Boud andSoler 2016, Finn andGarner 2011). A range of studies in health professional education have explored the notion of peer assessment (Hodgson, Chan, and Liu 2014, Perera, Mohamadou, and Kaur 2010, Rush et al 2012, Speyer et al 2011. Rush and colleagues (2012), in their study of first-year nursing students, highlighted the positive effects of peer assessment and feedback.…”

“…This included students learning how to give and receive constructive criticism and students gaining insights into how others approach similar clinical problems. Receiving and providing quality feedback has been reported to enhance self-directed learning and improve professional performance (Hodgson, Chan, and Liu 2014, Perera, Mohamadou, and Kaur 2010, Rush et al 2012, Speyer et al 2011.…”

“…Despite literature outlining the benefits of peer assessment and feedback, there are some concerns regarding the equity of the assessment process and the quality and accuracy of feedback provided by peers (Kaufman and Schunn 2011). Friendships, collusion among students to allocate the same marks and reluctance to provide negative feedback to peers may influence the outcomes of peer assessment (Hodgson, Chan, and Liu 2014). Given these concerns, if peer assessment is to be utilised and valued by students, it is essential that peer ratings are valid and justified.…”

Pass/Fail and Discretionary Grading: A Snapshot of Their Influences on Learning

“…For example, double-marking, or having more than one teacher assign marks to an assignment is useful [13]. Similarly including peer assessments of student work is valuable [14] [15]. Including opportunities for self-assessment in grading practices is especially important [8] [16].…”