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Abstract:
The
complex organisational and dynamic software development environment
establishes the need to equip students with a diverse set of
competencies to face the challenges of the work place more effectively.
Peer assessment is one such skill required in industry. Furthermore, the
recognition of individual contributions to group performance in student
group projects is essential.
Assigning the same grade to all members of a group gives reason for
concern about equity as there is the underlying assumption that all
contributed equally. Correct assessment practices can motivate students
to achieve the desired learning outcomes and is without doubt a valuable
and effective teaching tool.
Peer
assessment when used for Information Systems (IS) student group
projects, contributes to the real-life experience strived for in both
the 3rd and 4th year IS
courses at the University of Cape Town South Africa. Each group has its
own organisational structure and is responsible for its own
administrative tasks and project deliverables. Peer assessment
complements the multiple assessment strategy consisting of formal
summative assessment, formal continuous
assessment and informal formative assessment. Various methods and
instruments like tests, checklists, questionnaires and scoring rubrics
are used to accomplish these assessments. Informal peer
assessment is used formatively to incorporate feedback which facilitates
student learning and identify students who under perform in
project teams, timeously. A formal assessment is
applied summatively to provide the opportunity to grade individual
contributions in the final product. Self-assessment as part of
peer assessment is included in the 3rd year course.
A
numerical algorithm was developed and implemented to quantify the
results of the final peer assessment. These results were used to derive
individual ratings to adapt the marks and thus more adequately reflect
the different individual contributions within each group. The scores in
the peer assessment process were applied as penalties to adjust
imbalances within certain groups rather than just increasing or
decreasing the marks of individuals. It was found that the use of peer
assessment during different stages of the course assisted to reduce
occurrences of severe group conflict and assisted early identification
of areas within specific groups that needed attention. It also offered
students the opportunity to become active participants in the assessment
process, thus improving their judgement and understanding of quality.
Keywords:
Peer assessment, group work, assessment, self-assessment, IS Project. |
