1. Peer Assessments Using iPeer
11/13/2009
Peer Assessments Using iPeer
Dr. Carolyn Awalt
Vinayak Melarkod
Instructional Support Services
UTEP

2. The Reason I do this:
Students who are unsuccessful in assessments often seem to lack insight into the standard of their own performance, yet the ability to self-assess accurately is essential for the effective self-management of learning.
Langendyk, V. (2006). Not knowing that they do not know: self-assessment accuracy of third-year medical students. Medical Education, 40 (2),

3. The Challenge
How do we foster the ability to self-assess accurately?

4. One Solution
Foster individual accountability through the use of peer and self assessment as
Students complete specific learning tasks and activities
Students use clear rubrics or other tools to measure their own and their peers work

5. 1. What are peer and self assessment?
Peer assessment
students are involved in the assessment of the work of other students.
Self assessment
students are involved in and are responsible for assessing their own piece of work.
It encourages students to become independent learners and can increase their motivation.

6. 2. Why do we use them? Peer assessment Develop the ability
to work cooperatively
to be critical of others’ work
to receive critical appraisals of, and feedback on, their own work
Provide students with some insight into the criteria to be used for grading a piece of work

7. 2. Why do we use them? Self assessment Help students develop
the ability to examine and think critically about their learning
Help students understand
what criteria should be used in judging their work
how to apply these objectively to their own work in order to facilitate their continuing learning

8. Students internalize the criteria for high-quality work
3. What are the benefits?
Students internalize the criteria for high-quality work
Students who see clear models of work that meet the standards and understand why the work meets the standards will begin to make comparisons between their performance and the Exemplars presented.
Students understand the process of getting to the standard

9. Teachers involve students
3. What are the benefits?
Teachers involve students
in the monitoring process and
shift some of the responsibility for documenting and justifying learning to the students

10. 4. When is it appropriate to use?
Peer Assessment - students
Receive feedback as formative assessment
Learn from
giving feedback to other students
receiving peer feedback
Self Assessment - encourages
reflection and
self criticism

11. 5. Challenges and possible solutions
It’s your job – most professions do it
Peer pressure on students not to mark down their colleagues - anonymous marking
Lack of confidence in process - practice
Misunderstanding the criteria - workshops

12. 6. How to get started
Be explicit about the reasons for and benefits of using peer assessment
Provide clear marking criteria, and possibly involve students in discussing or negotiating the criteria.
Take it slowly and prepare students for the process
Keep the system simple

13. Give students a practice session Use rubrics or checklists
Key Factors
Give students a practice session
Use rubrics or checklists
Seek to create student trust in each other
This happens, when groups
Are formed early in the semester
Stay together throughout the term
Become more comfortable with each other which leads to better peer feedback
Some research says it takes six weeks

14. iPeer – What is it?
iPeer allows instructors to easily develop and deliver peer evaluations to their students. Instructors can compile evaluation results by student or group
Designed by Faculty of Applied Science at University of British Columbia under GNU/GPL License
UTEP

15. iPeer – Get Started
Roles
Student
Instructor
Administrator [ISS]

16. iPeer – Instructor
1. Add a course

17. iPeer – Instructor
2. Add students to the course

18. iPeer – Instructor
3. Create Groups

19. iPeer – Instructor
4. Create a simple or rubric evaluation

20. iPeer – Instructor
5. Students submit Evaluations (Simple Evaluation)

21. iPeer – Instructor
5. Students submit Evaluations (Rubric-based Evaluation)

22. iPeer – Instructor
6. View and generate reports of results

23. iPeer - Students Submit available evaluation assignments
Edit their profiles

24. iPeer – The positive
Peer and Self assessment can be an assessment of group effort OR projects and papers
Student Self enrollment
Work is time stamped
Student Help to
Edit their username/password any time
For faculty – Courses and Evaluations do not have to be created every semester

25. iPeer – The negative
During Self-Enrollment, students might enter wrong address
Faculty need to reassign evaluation to a group if a student is added/deleted within the evaluation time

26. iPeer @ UTEP Fully deployed in Fall 2008 Faculty currently using iPeer
Dr. Carolyn Awalt [Teacher Education]
Dr. Harry Meeuwsen [Kinesiology]
Dr. Steve Roach [Computer Science]
Dr. Martha Veale [Teacher Education]
Instructional Support Services [Digital Academies]

27. Questions???