Student Peer Assessment Using Moodle Workshop : Challenges in a COVID-19 world
• Neuroscience Fundamentals - 2 nd year introductory course in neuroscience
• Enrolment of ~ 100 students
• Structure : 5 x 2-week modules around a “ hot topic ”
MOODLE WORKSHOP PEER ASSESSMENT TOOL
• 15 min to answer the SAQ
• Assess two peer submissions , 20 min
• Students encouraged to discuss the marking rubric with each other and the tutor
• Grades and feedback released immediately
• Introduced in 2019 in an invigilated class setting
• Recognised benefits on deeper understanding and academic performance ( 1-3 )
COVID-19 2020 – FULLY REMOTE ONLINE COURSE
STUDENTS PERFORMANCE
CHALLENGES
• Students paid less heed to the time limits without a timer or invigilation
• Workshop Tool did not automatically save SAQ answers ; 50 % not submitted or “ lost ” in the system in Module 1
• 89 % successful submissions by Module 5
• Blackboard collaborate live-chat sessions dominated by technology rather than pedagogy
The fortnightly quizzes , though very stressful , were FANTASTIC and you should most definitely keep these . They are the only reason I am on top of my work .
The fortnightly module quizzes were helpful but were poorly delivered in the beginning
Jennie Cederholm , Chelsea Goulton , Richard Vickery , Andrew Moorhouse - SoMS , Faculty of Medicine
1 . Double et al . ( 2020 ) Educ . Psychol . Rev . 32 : 481-509 2 . Reinholz . ( 2016 ) Assess . Eval . High . Educ . 41 : 301-315 3 . Topping ( 1998 ) Rev . Educ . Res . 68 : 249-276
• Students achieved similar results for the peer review activity compared to 2019 ( best 4 of 5 ; unpaired t-test ; n . s . = not significant )
• The final exam SAQs significantly improved from previous years ( one-way ANOVA , Holm- Sidak multiple comparison test )
KEY COVID LEARNING LESSONS
• The Workshop Tool is great for in-class peer assessment , but in the current form , had unexpected challenges as a remote learning tool
• Effective remote peer assessment is possible , but requires trained tutors to facilitate discussion and provide technical support as compared to F2F activities
• We will replace the summative peer review in Module 1 with a practice session in 2021