Intra-group peer assessments for business case exercises - Students’ opinions on peer assessment, their
abilities as assessors and the usefulness of the feedback
Purpose of the study
According to Topping (2009:20) “peer assessment is an arrangement for learners to consider and specify
the level, value, or quality of a product or performance of other equal-status learners… often reciprocally
among the assessors and assessed.” Peer assessment has also been seen as a form of collaborative learning
(Brooks & Ammons, 2003) and as a type of active learning (Salemi, 2002). More and more, peer assessment
has become a working skill as well (Hedge, et al., 2001; Bamberger et al., 2005; Stimel. 2011)
This paper discusses the intra-group peer assessment (Sivan, 2000). Especially, the study focuses on
students’ 1) opinions on peer assessment in general, 2) opinions on students’ abilities to act as assessors,
and 3) perceived usefulness of the feedback. This is done in the context of master degree students solving
business cases in groups.
Institutional and Course Background
Tampere University of Technology conducts scientific research in technology and architecture and provides
higher education within these fields. Furthermore, the Department of Industrial Management focuses on
research and education of management of industrial activities.
‘Business Management Cases’ consists of two parallel courses: in Finnish (50 students) and in English (28
students including 7 Finnish students). Most participants are close to finish their master degree. The main
objectives of the courses are to develop students’ skills on systematic problem solving and managing
business as a whole. The backbone is the set of weekly exercises where students need to solve and report
the given cases beforehand, and discuss about the case in the case sessions. However, a consensus is not
necessary.
The present study is conducted as a part of an additional case exercise, so-called “Case Avaya”, which
consisted of three cases complementary to each other. 78 students were divided into four groups and each
group was divided into Marketing, Sales and Management teams. This time the consensus was needed
since the team leader of the Management team represented the whole group in front of the board of
teachers. The aim of the exercise was to simulate some characteristics of real working life.
Methodology
The online survey will take place in mid-November 2012. The exercise is compulsory for all students and
thus, the number of the respondents will be 78. The survey is divided into two separate phases.
The first phase is threefold. First, students will be asked to evaluate their own and team mates’
performance during the exercise. This is done using 1) the category-based peer assessment sheet, and 2)
open-ended questions to name the strengths and the skills which should be improved. The category-based
sheet used was a slightly modified version from that used by Lejk and Wyvill (2001). The sheet was
originally derived from the ones used by Goldfinch (Goldfinch, 1994) and Deeks (Deeks & Lejk, 1995).
Second, students’ opinions on peer assessment will be asked by using a modified version of questions used
by Stimel (Stimel, 2011) as well as questions about “negative social processes” (Salomon &Globerson,
1989). Finally, they will be asked to assess their own and others’ abilities to act as assessors.
The second phase of the survey will be simpler. Students will be asked 1) do they agree with the feedback
they received and 2) are they going to use the feedback somehow.