Assessing Peer Performance in
PBL Groups:
how technology can help
Carolyn K. Manning
Associate Professor
Dept of Health, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
USA
Objectives
1. Describe strengths &
weaknesses of an online peer
evaluation tool
2. Implement an online peer
evaluation tool in your teaching
activities
Questions for the audience
1. How many of you include peer evaluation in
your course requirements?
2. Do you use this model:
 Mid-semester
•
•
give numerical score/grade & comments
award points toward final grade
 End of semester
•
award points toward final grade
Questions for the audience
3. What has been your experience
with peer evaluations?
? Paper form
? Time
 Feedback: calculations,
compiling comments
? Quality
A peer evaluation process
needs to be:
• Easy for students to do in a meaningful
& confidential manner
• Easy for the instructor to provide
feedback in a confidential manner
• Timely
Peer evaluation process:
Paper form
• 3 sections (see handout)
– Evaluation scale & Criteria for evaluation
– Individual:
• group member names & numerical scores
• supporting comments
• specific strength
– Group:
• strength
• weakness & strategy to overcome
Paper form
Advantages
1. Easy to implement (instructor)
2. Somewhat easy for students to complete
Paper form
Disadvantages
1. Lots of paper to collect & keep track of
(instructor & student)
2. Time consuming (instructor) due to manual:
•
tabulations & compilations of comments
3. Quality of evaluations:
•
•
Comments (limited space, superficial)
Inflated numeric scores
Peer evaluation process:
Online form
• Information Resource Consultant III:
John Hall
• “Quiz” tool in WebCT (see handout)
Online form
• Sections:
– Individual performance
• letter grade
• comments:
– strength and/or weakness
• specific to research & writing skills
– Group performance
• strength
• weakness & strategy
Online form
(see handout)
Online form
Advantages
1. Quality (see handout)
– No space restrictions for comments
2. Easy for students
– Time spent
3. Easy to track student participation
4. Printed summary reports (see handout)
Online form
Disadvantages
1. Evaluation criteria not listed
2. Instructor time
– Printing reports
(~1 hour 5 min for 42 students in 9 PBL
groups)
– Compiling comments & grade into written
feedback for each student (see handout)
Questions?
Comments?
What I learned
• Online form facilitates the peer
evaluation process
– More depth by students in supporting
comments
– Printed individual feedback for each
student
How can you have an online
peer evaluation form?
• PBL WebCT Quiz Generator (see handout)
– Download :
http://udel.edu/~hall/webct/pblgen
– Need IT help