Peer marking on a group-based problem solving assessment

The initial motivation for a group-based project was to improve the core physics degree’s provision on training regarding collaborative skills of the students. The idea of the group-based problem solving is to provide an assessment that is as close to the real world working environments as possible, where collaborative groupwork is the norm. Initiated during Curriculum Review, the project ran for the first time for the 2021-22 year 3 cohort. Assessment is entirely conducted by module lead guided peer marking, designed to reflect the environment of a professional scientific research group environment such as a research committee. 

There are two components to the marks given: peer assessment during term for individuals, and then a peer-provided mark given to the whole team based on their end-of-module presentation. The individual peer assessment is in two parts, with one part given in early in the module, providing individuals with an opportunity to reflect & improve, and the final part given at the end. Marks and feedback for all components are split into several categories (for example “attitude” and “participation” are two of the components of the individual peer assessment) and all are sent to and collated by the module leads. Module leads use the peer marks to give a final grade following an elaborate (and also robust & transparent) algorithm.

The module component is relatively new, having been introduced as part of Curriculum Review. Students tend to view it as challenging while also having a strong and positive appreciation of the idea and philosophy behind the exercise. One of the greatest challenges for students is working in groups of 25, which occasionally leads to a disproportionate amount of time on internal group organisation. Some students became too concerned with the organisational aspects of the project, at the expense of devoting time & energy to contributing to the physics, which was handled by other members of their group. This aspect wasn’t as well appreciated as much by students, and was something flagged as an unanticipated problem by the module lead, and there are measures in place to improve this for future years. 

This assessment really offers the opportunity to make use of each and everyone’s individual strengths, whilst also permitting individuals to recognise what aspects of teamwork they thrive in, and which areas they might be able to improve on. The use of 100% peer assessment is something that is unusual for the department, and indeed the College, and while it is difficult to execute well, it is something well worth considering for other courses.