CASE STUDIES OF PRACTICE: CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH STUDIES
Title of Practice/Project: Poster and Peer Assessment
Published: March 2008
Reason for selection: Students are expected to link theoretical models of personal, social and health education
to the work of agencies and professionals who provide authentic examples of health practices, and to case
studies and research data that exemplify and contextualise practice One of the means of assessing student’s
understanding is through the production of a poster. The way that this poster is assessed, via a group
presentation, peer assessment and the offering of constructive peer feedback, gives students the opportunity to
fully understand the processes of the assignment and its formal assessment, and to learn with - and from - others.
GENERAL BACKGROUND
School
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
AND LIFELONG LEARNING
Subject
BA CHILDHOOD AND
YOUTH STUDIES
Level
BA second year
Duration
1 semester
Lead person
Kate Mannion
Others involved
Nadine Schaefer
Module Title (if applicable)
HEALTH AND RELATIONSHIPS
ABOUT THE PRACTICE/PROJECT
Type of activity
eg. Single session, project,
module, other (please
describe)
Focus for activity,
Students are expected to produce an individual poster (not bigger than A1) and
summary notes (maximum 1000 words) on the work of a chosen agency or
professionals in a specific context concerning health and relationships that relate to
children and young people. The overall assignment is equivalent to 3000 words and
contributes to 40% of the overall module mark.
eg. Active learning,
students as researchers,
key skills, other
Active Learning highlighting the connection between theory and practice and involving
students in the assessment process. The process of presenting and discussing
posters is also similar to that used for dissemination of academic research via posters
at research conferences, so students are to some extent acting as ‘real’ researchers.
Size of student group
40-50 students; for the assessment: divided in 4 groups (11-15 students each group)
Description
During the one hour session 11 students will exhibit their posters (poster conference).
1) Students are given 15 minutes to have a look at all posters.
2) The whole group (students and tutors) has time to ask questions regarding the
design/aim/topic of the poster (15 minutes, discussing each poster)
3) Students work in groups of 2 to 3 (20 minutes) and assess three posters each
according to general assessment criteria. They are encouraged to give
constructive feedback.
4) The whole group comes back together and give brief feedback to each poster
highlighting its strength/originality.
Students marking sheets for each poster will be collected and considered in the final
marking process.
What was the rationale
for introducing the
practice?
To make the assessment process more transparent to students; to increase their
critical thinking skills; to increase their communication skills; to enable a reflective
process on their own work as well as on the work of others; to practice constructive
feedback and group work.
ASSESSMENT
Assessment Formative
The assignment feedback sheet used is split into two parts, for formative and
summative comments. Students are informed of ways they could improve, under four
headings:

Understanding

Reading & Referencing

Conforming to instructions/clarity of objectives

Presentation, style, communication
Assessment Summative
Summative feedback is also given to explain the mark awarded in relation to the
assessment criteria.
Benefits of practice
The poster presentations engage students with the processes of learning, as the
activity requires that students evaluate and assess each other’s work and, in a formal
context, give each other constructive feedback.