Peer and Self Assessment

This component of assessment is worth 15% of the final mark, performed in the last week of the semester. The learning groups form an important part of the learning process, and in many ways those who participate in the group are in the best position to assess the performance of each member of the group. It is also of increasing importance to be able to assess the work of oneself and one's colleagues, and this ability is a key outcome of RMIT's teaching and learning strategy, and to be able to understand the different kinds of contribution which can be made in a group situation.

What is assessed

It is important to realise that contribution to the learning of other group members can take may different forms. Some examples are given below.

Reading and sharing information - both technical content and judgements as to what is worth reading.
Explanation of things not understood. Here it is important not to just tell someone the answer, but to explain it so that the other group members learn and understand, and able to apply that knowledge to other problems as well
Suggesting a solution which is examined by the group.
Going through someone else's solution in detail and finding problems with it.
Comparing one solution to another and identifying points of difference.
Asking questions - showing what is not understood. In this case it is important to have done some preparation beforehand, so that it is not simply a matter of saying "I don't understand this" because you have never seen anything like it before, but to have attempted to understand before the tutorial and to have some understanding of what it is that is understood and what is not.
Sit together in the lab and help with problems. Here it is important to consider not just the help per se, but whether the assistance given helped someone else to learn. In other words, did X help Y learn or just help Y get the assignment done?

Advance Preparation

In preparation for the peer and self assessments each person should prepare a short comment on each group member, including themselves, and assign a mark to each person. Make the comments (positive and negative) as specific as possible. It is much more useful for everyone if you state specific things that a person does well, and specific things they could improve on, rather than making a fairly generic comment.

Your preparation should be handed to your tutor at the beginning of the tutorial. Those who do not come prepared will lose 10% of the total mark for this component.

Mark Guidelines

These are some guidelines for assigning marks in the self and peer assessment.

Once you have determined a grade, use the following table to establish a corresponding mark out of 20.

NN 0-9
PA 10-11
CR 12-13
DI 14-15
HD 16-20
For the NN case, you should use the range 0-5 for the first case, and 5-9 for the other two. Process First you should review the quality of tutorial work handed in by group members over the semester. This will provide an indication as to how successful you were as a group in helping each other master the material. This will provide some of the information for deciding your marks. Make a summary for your tutor of how well group members went in doing the tutorial questions. Next you should go through each person’s comments and marks for each other person. The person being assessed can ask for clarification of comments but may not argue or defend themselves - they have an opportunity to make their own comments on their performance in the form of the self-assessment. If there are differences of opinion as to an individual’s level of contribution this should be discussed until the group reaches consensus agreement. If consesnus cannot be reached the differing viewpoints and marks should be noted, along with information as to who held what view. It is NOT acceptable just to average out the mark. If this is done all members of the group will have their mark decreased. Once agreement has been reached regarding an individual, the mark should be noted and some information recorded justifying this mark. When marks have been recorded for all members, the marks should be reviewed as a whole to ensure that relative differences seem appropriate. E.g. if X has 13 and Y has 14 you should consider in the light of the full picture whether this relative difference seems right. Any adjustments that you wish to make at this stage should be noted following your original list of marks and comments. You should also ensure that the marks are appropriate given “evidence” (the tutorial work handed in). Make a final list of marks. Hand in the group’s material - i.e. the summary of quality of individual work handed in over the semester, the original marks you gave each other and justifications made during the process, plus any adjustments you wish to make at the end. Put a list of the final reccomended marks at the end.

NN	Has attended 2 or fewer tutorials and has made no significant contribution to group learning. or Has attended sporadically and made some contributions to group understanding and learning. However contributions have not been of sufficient significance to counterbalance poor participation. or Has attended relatively regularly but has mostly been passive, making little contribution to the group's learning.
PA	Has made some genuine efforts to participate and assist all members' learning.
CR	Has made some useful contributions to the group, eitherby regular attendance and participation in tutorials or by some other means.
DI	Has made significant and useful efforts to assist group learning, either in a steady, regular manner or somewhat irregulary but very helpful when present.
HD	Has taken a consistently active role in developing better understanding within the group - note that this can just as easily be by preparing and asking specific questions as by giving explanations. A good mark for this aspect of assessment is not primarily to do with having a good understanding oneself.