Peer Assessment and Tutoring
[Comparative analysis of e-Learning with respect to Business Information Technology]
Ezendu Ifeanyi Ariwa
Department of Accounting, Banking & Financial Systems
London Metropolitan University, United Kingdom
Email: e.ariwa@londonmet.ac.uk
Paper presented at the Scottish Educational Research Association
Annual Conference, Perth, 27-29 November 2003.
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this project is to investigate and validate peer assessment and
tutoring as means of instructional practices that maximize the information
systems application skills and academic achievement within the diversified nature
of students’ composition in the Business School. The work focused on ethnic
minority and majority of students with disabilities considering the limited
resources available to them.
The project used info-media and virtual application as bases for motivation and
engaging students assessment and analysis procedures as a research tools. The
project considered the time frame available and focused on one module KQM100
taken across the Business School by first year undergraduates [BA Accounting
and Finance’ and BA Business] students.
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The project examined the relationships between students’ achievement and
performance when supported by knowledgeable peers in a semi structured
groups.
The assessment results and Peer tutoring are non-contributory formative
assessment but contributory in terms of students knowledge development.
LITERATURE REVIEW
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Examination of education theories, especially assessment and evaluation
CONTEXTUAL BUSINESS MODEL AND METHODS
The following models examination focused on the use of relevant tutorial support
mechanism and workshop based activities tailored towards enabling student’s
achievement and embedded within the instructional programme.
1. Instructional Techniques – This consist of the following steps
 Organizing material and resources
 Providing basic analytical tools – Average, Sum and Operators such as greater
than and logical statements – IF, AND or Else
 Providing opportunities for active exploration
 Involving formative assessment
2. Peer Tutoring – This stage covered the following applications
 Demonstrating and describing basic parameters using understandable
language or students indigenous dialect if necessary
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 Answering questions and directing student’s attention
 Constructive criticism and reinforcement with minimum supervision from the
lecturer
3. Motivation and lecturers involvement – This is the final model application
stage
 Lecturer acting as role model and facilitating learning and decomposing
teaching to manageable stages
 Encouraging Group dynamics and involvement
 Students were encouraged to value skills amongst team members
4. Engagement and e-brainstorming sessions
 Questioning and directing attention to new aspect of knowledge as well as
helping/supporting students to sequence activities within manageable sub
units
Literature Review
E-LEARNING USAGE ANALYSIS
The use of computer-based application was of great benefit to the students
learning needs, acquisition and transfer of knowledge, using available resources.
The research in Curriculum Education Development module provided evidence
that most of the weak students lack the necessary knowledge and skills to
complete their work. They benefited from motivation through pastoral work and
office hours. The teaching and academic staff were actively involved and made
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available resources for development of basic ICT skills through staff training
scheme within the faculties.
In addition, the Co-ordinators ensured that
pedagogical advice and research models were used for developing appropriate
and relevant teaching and learning criteria tailored towards the individual needs.
According to Technology for Teachers (1995), it argued that ‘only with the
intensive use of technology is a shift in the learner experience model possible’.
Gooler and Stegman (1995) outlined the following as implications for teaching
and learning:

Time frames and more flexibility, within the assessment criteria

Use of classroom within virtual architectural context

Incorporating access to information super-highway
Kachelhoffer [1997] in the application of peer assessment as non-contributory
part of the overall coursework has in their work that learning process is
important as it teaches skills and values; and taking this further to the peer
assessment model, it is evident that ongoing assessment is encouraged by peer
reviews, interaction and shared knowledge.
The role of the peer in developing effective assessment tools meaningful and
caters for the need of the students, and fair to the students as well as defining
the role of the lecturer as facilitator, guiding learners in the skills of accessing,
organizing and analyzing its relevance to improving learning and assessment
methods.
Brown and Bull (1997) argued that computer-assisted assessment (CAA) and
related to various other terms used such as:

Computer-aided assessment

Computerized assessment

Computer-based assessment

Computer-based testing
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The effectiveness of any assessment method depends on the mode of delivering
and dynamics of the group and enhancement.
Methodology:
This research population consisted of all students in the first year taking KQM
and three separate samples were included in the data collection process. The
first sample included all the data analysis components and competence in the
use of goal seeks analytical tools [See appendix 1].
The second sample included very numerically weak students randomly selected
from the reminder of the seminar groups and included special needs and disable
students [Appendix 2]. The second sample was added to the study to provide a
more inclusive study of the representation of the diversified nature of the
students’ composition and to increase the total number of participants. An overall
response rate of 85% was generated.
The method for achieving intended learning and teaching was based on the
following
 Use of Evaluation and feedback questionnaire
 Brief Interview
 e-Grouping: e-discussion groups, e-Brainstorming and e-focus group
 Observation of performance during seminar and workshop sessions
The students were able to complete a simple business-modeling task, but were
able to provide only limited account of the required analytical skills involved in
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dealing with it. Their performance was poor on less routine assessment but after
peer tutoring, their performance improved which was evidence of value
education.
The students’ performance in the module was evidence of the
improvement of the new approach incorporated [appendix 3]
Findings, Conclusion and Summary
Peer tutoring and assessment is a best practice model and recently widely used
in Universities and Colleges as an effective learning and teaching tools. There are
different forms of collaborative peer assessment and alliance tutoring focused on
improving and facilitating learning and teaching as knowledge management and
information sharing mechanisms. This work and research suggest that students
develop and deployed interactive methods of teaching and learning as means of
knowledge capture and intellectual empowerment.
It is worth mentioning that this pilot is small scale representation, and may be
decomposed within the information systems dynamics of enrichment of
knowledge poverty in educational context, which is quality controlled and
embedded within the institutions culture and tradition.
There is an indication that peer tutoring and assessment is effective and result
oriented. The cross-section of e-group tutoring and traditional applications was
contributory to the differential performance in Business Information Technology
[KQM 100].
Students’ achievement was very high and good outcome, better than group
tutoring in seminar and student subjective feedback was very good.
Analysis showed the extent of improvement in students’ academic performance
and use of information systems application and analytical tools such as data
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analysis, goal seek, solver and other relevant mathematical and statistical tools
for developing and building business models. This was measured against related
levels
of
academic
performance
on
curriculum-based
assessment
and
standardized achievement assessment and coursework.
Reference
Brown
George
et
al
(1997):
Assessing
Student
Learning
in
Higher
Education. Routledge publishers, London
Morris, Lynn et al (1987):
How to design a program evaluation. SAGE
Publications. Inc, London
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