WebPA - A practical approach to peer assessing group work

Enabling every team member to recognise individual contributions to group work

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wmacphail/3382077156/

Adam CrawfordengCETL, Loughborough University

“Some of the best modules during my Engineering degree were group based modules. The combination of the team working and the peer assessment was a great introduction to working in a team within industry.”

Alan Curtis Research Engineer

JCB Power Systems Ltd

• Group work is common practice in higher education

• It can help prepare students for the workplace

• Develops transferable skills such as team-working, communication and problem solving

• It can help reduce assessment load

Group work in education

A well known criticism of assessed group

work is that each student receives the

same team mark, regardless of

individual performance

By using WebPA to peer assess group work, each student receives an adjusted mark

Marked by students, the people that know!

How it works…

creating formscreating forms

© Loughborough University 2009

How it works…

creating groupscreating groups

© Loughborough University 2009

How it works…

setting up an setting up an assessmentassessment

© Loughborough University 2009

How it works…

Student markingStudent marking

© Loughborough University 2009

It is a sophisticated, yet quickquick and easy easy tool for formativeformative or

summativesummative assessmentassessment.

How do teachers benefit from using WebPA?

© Loughborough University 2009

FlexibilityFlexibility to create assessment criteria, scoring ranges and groups to suit the way you teach, in any any subject disciplinesubject discipline

How do teachers benefit from using WebPA?

The generation of individual student marks

is automated using a researchedresearched and trustedtrusted

method.

How do teachers benefit from using WebPA?

Students are involvedinvolved in the assessment process, reflectingreflecting on their own and their peers’ performance

How do learners benefit from using WebPA?

It is a fair and confidentialconfidential way of

assessing an individuals’ contribution

within group work

How do learners benefit from using WebPA?

It positively impacts upon individual performanceperformance and team dynamicsteam dynamics, enriching the overall learning experiencelearning experience.

How do learners benefit from using WebPA?

Student Experiences• Some would like to leave justification of scores

given in the assessment (feature added after research carried out)

• Enhances deeper reflection• A wish to know what their peers feel about them

through the tool (feedback mechanism)

The student perspective• 12 departments over 3 faculties

(386 students, 8.5% response rate)

• 77% prefer group work with peer assessment (14% don’t)

• 79% happy to self assess (11% unhappy)• 87% happy assessing peers (7% unhappy)• 70% happy with peers assessing them (17%

unhappy)

“Overall, marking is honest and credible”

Dr Keith PondBusiness SchoolLoughborough University

Dr Carol RobinsonDirectorMathematics Education Centre Loughborough University

“Students are much more satisfied – complaints have almost disappeared.”

The spread of WebPA from Engineering across theLoughborough University Campus

The staff perspective

"WebPA is now embedded in our first year and will be for the next five years. Typically 180-200 students will be subjected to.. [WebPA] ..every year."

Dr Bob Cherry Manchester Metropolitan

University

“We are impressed with the success of the WebPA project and the impact on group work in higher education.”

David KernohanProgramme Manager

eLearning Team JISC

Embedding • Departmental and

Professional Development training sessions

• New Lecturers Route• Academic Practice Award• Word of mouth• ‘One to one’ training• Group work review and

policy

Usage at Loughborough• In over 67% of

departments • Over 7,500 students• From one academic

tutor in 2004 to 57 in 2009

Open source• Free to download• Over 250 downloads• In over twenty institutions in

the UK and 10 world wide• Note: staff resource cost to

install and maintain on a server

• To support those considering adoption of WebPA

• Sections for

• Academic tutors

• Learning Technologists / Educational Developers

• IT Support Staff

• Briefing Papers for senior managers etc.

• Available online from: http://www.webpa.ac.uk

Resource Pack

JISC - WebPA Project• Funded under the JISC: e-Learning Capital Programme • Led by the Faculty of Engineering at Loughborough

University. • Project partners:

- University of Hull- HE Academy Engineering Subject Centre- HE Academy Physical Sciences Subject Centre

• Ran from October 2006 to March 2009

Resource pack and other informationProject Website: www.webpa.ac.ukwww.webpa.ac.uk

Have a lookWebPA Demonstrator: http://webpaos.lboro.ac.uk http://webpaos.lboro.ac.uk

User communityWebPA mail list: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/WEBPA.htmlhttp://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/WEBPA.html