Bioscience Peer marking of simulated pharmacological experiments Ian Hughes Professor of Pharmacology Education Co-director LTSN Centre for Bioscience University of Leeds

Bioscience Assessment Why is assessment important? 6Takes a large amount of staff time 6Should be integral to the learning process 6Is a spur to student work 6Helps to indicate progress to students 6Provides contact between staff/students 6Monitors student progress, identifies problems 6Satisfies current grading requirements

Bioscience Assessment Features of good assessment 6Appropriate to the learning objectives and teaching methods (knowledge, skills, attitudes) 6Appropriate to the individual student 6ALWAYS has a formative element 6Open and transparent criteria 6Appeals process for those dissatisfied 6Efficient and economic 6Accurate, timely and reproducible 6Develop self-assessment skills

Bioscience Assessment Peer assessment 6accurate 6reproducible 6efficient and timely 6related to learning objectives 6monitor student progress 6provide staff-student contact 6provide high quality feedback 6stimulate learning 6develop self-assessment abilities ?

Bioscience Assessment Why peer assess dry-lab write-ups? 6provides full explanation 6requires better understanding 6all get the information 6develops critical evaluation 6see other’s mistakes and standards 6saves staff time and effort 6improves learning

Bioscience Assessment Peer assessment of dry-lab write-ups - How’s it done? 6explain purpose 6instructions on format; additional questions 6hand-in deadline (penalty) 6all in LT (350) (penalty) - distribute at random 6explicit marking schedule distributed 6prepared explanations + OHP; takes 50 minutes 6total marks and sign (10% checked) 6appeals procedure

Bioscience Assessment Practicalnumber Acad. staff marked Peer marked Mark (out of 10) Prac write-ups

Bioscience Assessment What are the problems? 6is it reproducible and accurate? 6introduction and initiation 6keep silence during marking! 6students don’t like it (hard work, its your job, some are unfair) 6marking schedules get passed on 6cheating? 6scheduling; all same prac; time between prac and marking session; standard answer /data

Bioscience Assessment What else can be peer assessed? 6‘wet’ practicals 6oral communication skills 6poster presentations 6data interpretation exercises 6information retrieval and formating 6practical skills 6long essays ??????

Bioscience Assessment Peer mark % Academic staff mark % y= x r=0.88 Communication skills

Bioscience Assessment MARKING n=44 ACADEMIC PEER Global mean Commonality: Top quartile mean+s.e Bottom quartile 11 9 mean+s.e Communication skills

Bioscience Assessment Peer poster assessment Group A Group BGroup C n=4 n=4n=4 staff peer first poster staff staffstaff second poster NOTE: peer process took significantly longer; small numbers; groups not isolated; 6 weeks between posters; rest of course ongoing; self selection of groups; new method effect

Bioscience Assessment Peer assessment of long essays 6Medical students words 6proforma for staff and students (properly referenced, critical approach, evidence based; good presentation) 6Staff mark % 6Student mark % 6NSD; P>0.7

Bioscience Peer (self) mark % Academic staff mark %