Research in Distance Education: impact on practice conference, 27 October 2010. Presentation in Assessment Strand by Patricia Cartney, Middlesex University. More details at www.cde.london.ac.uk.

1. Pat Cartney, Middlesex University, October 2010

2. Purpose of today’s session
To explore a case study of peer assessment as one
part of formative assessment on UG Year 1 social work
module
Aim is to highlight process used, the outcome and the
student feedback on what worked well and what the
issues were
To consider whether peer assessment can close the
gap between feedback given and feedback used by
students

3. Setting the context
Assessment for learning debate highlights key role
assessment plays in student learning
Increasing attention paid to value of feedback and
formative assessment (Orsmond et al ,2004)
Recent literature calls for more advanced
understanding – need for active participation of
students and student tutor dialogue (Rust, 2007)
Gap between feedback given and feedback used –
feedback alone not enough (Crisp, 2007)

4. Case study
Our aim was to encourage a more active , open
dialogue between students and tutors about
assessment.
To use peer assessment as key component of creating
this dialogue between students and between students
and tutors.
To use formative assessment and peer feedback to
encourage students to use the feedback they are given
to improve future work.

5. What we did...
Part of summative assessment 2 -3,000 word essay
45 students in total: split into Home Groups with 5
students in each
Each Home Group were asked to formatively assess
each other’s essay and to give written feedback on
marking sheet
Tutors to give feedback on the group feedback
Held workshop to outline feedback process

6. The big idea
The aim here is that you give each other feedback to
enable you to submit an improved essay for your final
work which will be marked.
Feedback from your peers can be one of the best
feedback channels.
Reading other’s work can be helpful.
Getting used to the marking criteria can help your
own focus.

7. How process was managed...
Initial workshop outlining purpose and process in Nov
Return session in January – asked students to submit
feedback electronically after session to Home Group and
to discuss on line
Brief feedback in Home Groups on process
Tutors were given hard copies of each essay to read for
seminar students plus hard copies of feedback sheets
given by students to each other
Students asked to comment on how they used formative
feedback in their summative assessment – two fails and
both disregarded comments

8. Issues from Focus Group
Level of anxiety about commenting on other students’
work – higher than others seeing their work
“..I thought ‘oh my God’ I really don’t want to do this”
“ I was very worried about what would happen if someone
gave me an essay to read and it’s, in my opinion, clearly
rubbish”
“You think all the worst things at the start...all the horrible
things that could happen.”

9. Level of anxiety about other students seeing their
work
“ I can just about take criticism from teachers ...but to
get it from peers as well. It was almost like that will
stay with you for the rest of the time that I am with
them. How are they going to judge me?”
“ It was a terrifying experience for me to actually give my
work for someone to look at – not just one person but
four...”

10. Many groups were reluctant to feedback on line and
gave a hardcopy to each other: on –line discussion
didn’t happen then in several groups
Feedback was variable across students – ranging from
detailed constructive feedback to very brief comment.
Some students felt let down by lack of feedback,
“I know I gave a lot of feedback but I didn’t receive it”
Others had a positive experience,
“The feedback was incredible...then I could change and
make things better”

11. Whilst everyone saw the rationale for using the
marking sheet several commented on the need to
spend more time in advance ‘decoding’ the language
“It’s in tutor speak and not student speak”
“Simplify it to make it a bit more friendly for people”

12. Overall experience...
Very positive experience reported overall
“It was probably – I hate to say this – but probably the
most enjoyable and helpful thing this year.”
“I think it was one of the most fantastic things ever ..but
my initial feeling was ‘no way’”

13. Learning pluses in a nutshell
Feedback from others on own work
“ I received very specific feedback and it really helped me.
Some people gave really constructive (comments) like
‘this is how your introduction should be.”
“When I write I get too close to my essays so I am not
reading them anymore..I can’t see the mistakes – so
someone else reading them for me is invaluable.”

14. Finding new ways of writing from seeing work of
other students
“ You don’t take whole chunks. You take ideas, and the
way that people have written them in a clearer format
than yours and then you think yes, if I had done it like
that it would have been better and then you can change
it, and it helps everyone.”

15. Giving insight into what the standard on the
programme is
“ It showed you how high you need to go and how low
you were”
“ I could see where I had come from and I could see
where I want to go”

16. Giving students a clearer understanding of the
marking criteria
“ Having to use it makes you think my God the tutors
have to do all this, so you need to be able to make it
easy. And the easier it is the more likely you are to have
a higher mark. It is almost stepping out and having a
little insight into a different world. A sneaky preview
into how you are going to get better marks.”

17. Helping with future academic work in other modules
– feedback to feed-forward
“I have already started doing it – using the feedback in
my other essays and transferring it.”
“You can transfer your feedback to the next piece of
work...It is like going up a ladder.”

18. Changes we made
More openly acknowledged the potential initial
anxieties and stressed potential gains
Devoted more time to making the marking sheet
more intelligible
Acknowledged reluctance to e discussions and
allocated class time for written feedback to be
presented and discussed
Stressed need for full involvement in process and
links to professional practice and employment

19. Future plans
Held focus groups with Year 3 BAs to explore how
they experienced the links between peer assessment
exercises throughout their programme.
Data needs further analysis but one key finding is
that the students supplemented the formal peer
assessment exercises with their own informal peer
feedback groups throughout the programme. Used in
practice too.
Suggests peer assessment promoted a learning
community and a way of addressing the feedback gap.

20. References
Cartney, P. (2010) Exploring the use of peer
assessment as a vehicle for closing the gap between
feedback given and feedback received, Assessment
and Evaluation in Higher Education,35, (5), 551 -564
Crisp, B. R. (2007) Is it worth the effort? How
feedback influences students’ submission of
assessable work, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher
Education, 32, (5), 571 - 581

21. Orsmond, P., Merry, S. & Callaghan, A.C. (2004)
Implementation of a formative assessment model
incorporating peer and self assessment, Innovations in
Higher Education and Training International, 41 (3),
273 – 290
Rust, C. (2007) Towards a scholarship of assessment,
Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 30
(3), 231 - 240