Learning Communication: Peer Assessment - Assignment Example

ASSESSMENT #3 - REPORT I. Introduction Understanding and learning communication is crucial for students in several fronts. This is underscored best in any excellent curriculum drafted and adopted by institutions for higher learning, which devotes a specific percentage of the students’ time to mastering the rudiments of communication. A case in point is the one followed by ______________ (name of your school). The reason, as has been emphasized in this course’s entire discourse on the subject during the term so far, is that communication will enable students to navigate the real world more effectively by enhancing their capability to interact, market themselves, express ideas, compete, persuade and a host of other capabilities that would allow them to be able to seize opportunities and excel in whatever field or endeavor they would be engaged in. For instance, a study conducted among students at Loyola University of Chicago revealed that communication could facilitate a specific target that aims to change or reform something, which in this case was a campaign for social justice. The process involved using communication in order to advance the project, with undergraduate students applying communication theories into practice to facilitate talk and action, which resulted in a campus-wide initiative that spurred dialogue, debate, and consensus building. (Cissna 2009, p497) With the positive outcome of the project, it became clear that the theories that were put into practice successfully achieved the purpose and objectives of the students involved. This may be a very specific or small example, but that it demonstrated the potency of effective and systematic communication at work. Sluijsmans, Dochy and Moerkerke (1999) emphasized that, “students in modern organizations should be able to analyse information, to improve their problem-solving skills and communication and to reflect on their own role in the learning process.” (p293) II. Peer Assessment Part of the communication topics explored throughout the term so far is the peer assessment concept, which forms part of the learning in groups module in last week. This has received significant attention because it supposedly contributes to the enhancement of communicative capabilities of students. Also, from the students’ end, the interest is also generated out of the desire to please and impress by how well a specific project or report is delivered in front of his or her classmates. One of such students remarked that “peer assessment is one of the most nerve-wracking class activities because one has to get the approval of not just one individual but a bunch of people.” (Personal Correspondence) Seger, Dochy and Cascallar (2003) succinctly defined peer assessment as the “arrangement for learners and/or workers to consider and specify the level, value or quality of a product or a performance of other equal-status learners and/or workers.” (p65) A research by Mizoguchi, Dillenbourg and Zhu (2006) on the subject reported that it has become a very popular instructional assessment method as it reached a particular level of reliability and effectiveness because it supposedly “improve the high-order thinking and learning motivation of students.” (p298) Unarguably, scholars and academics are quite enthusiastic about this learning model, which can be integrated in a number of classroom activities such as in writing, drafting portfolio, presentations, test performance, and even those that involve behaviors, and a number of others. It is safe to say the possibilities are endless to a creative teacher. Specific benefits of peer assessment, from the perspective of students, are as follows: Students learn in a non-threatening and often friendly environment. About 60 percent of students are, according to Irons and Alexander (2004), content to allow averaged final student assessments to be used summatively, but only if these were moderated by the teacher. (p93) There would be more feedback generated for a specific work or task done not just from the teacher but also from peers. It will enable students to hone their ability to explain themselves and their ideas to others. Students can further enhance their ability in the area of collaborative learning and interpersonal skills by working with one another in the peer assessment environment. (Freeman and Lewis 1998, p126) The model also allows students to gain more insights and diverse approaches to assignments and academic tasks. The students are involved in the actual assessment process. There are numerous other benefits and that they are sufficiently covered by many scholarly work. There is Tracy and Ashcraft, for example, who maintained that: “Warring over words enables groups to navigate troubled waters – to become clearer about what a valued commitment is to mean and to build agreement among group members.” (Cissna, p497) Peer assessment, however, also has its limitations. For example, an instructor can save time tutoring by simply using it for classroom learning. In this case, Davies (2000) explained that: “There must be a positive educational benefit for students and they must made aware of what that benefit is prior to the use of the system. This will reduce any negative preconceived ideas they may have.” (p354) There are still those believe that peer assessment is not authoritative. Kane and Lawler (2007), for instance, argued that it might be the most useful method for feedback but that it produces the least valid and reliable measurements. Foreman also documented her experience and found that: students may not feel confident in evaluating each other; students may not treat exercise seriously and allow solidarity with classmates to influence their marking; students may misinform each other—the lecturer may need to intervene. III. Conclusion Communication is crucial in the experiential kind of learning. By encouraging to understand this concept (especially as a two-way process) and adopting it for almost all academic activities, the students’ learning experiences are more productive. The peer assessment model is an excellent demonstration of this. It works around the parameters of two-way communication of knowledge and skills. This is very important in the way students learn and process learning contents, as well as understand and use excellent methods and capabilities for inquiry in such a way that they become expert in constructing valid ideas, concepts about different phenomena, including being adept at critical thinking. Peer assessment, help students to acquire the kind of learning behaviour and culture that is aligned with the educational approaches preferred in Australia. References JOHN, DOE. (Please insert a classmate's name) 2011, [Personal Communication]. December 16. Cissna, K 2009, Routledge handbook of applied communication research, Taylor & Francis. Davies, P 2000, "Compuerized Peer Assessment," IETI, 37(4): 346-355. Freeman, R and Lewis, R 1998, Planning and implementing assessment, London: Routledge. Foreman, M 2007, "Peer Assessment of Problem Based Learning—Fostering Reflective Practice in Social Work Students," All Ireland Society for Higher Education. Available from: AISHE. Irons, A and Alexander, S 2004, Effective learning and teaching in computing, London: Routledge. Kane, J and Lawler, E 2007, "Methods of peer assessment," Psychological Bulletin 85(3): p. 555-586. Available from: Science Direct. [17 Jan. 2011]. Mizoguchi, R, Dillenbourg, P and Zhu, Z 2006, Learning by effective utilization of technologies: facilitating intercultural understanding, IOS Press. Segers, M, Dochy, F and Cascalar, E 2003, Optimising new modes of assessment: in search of qualities and standards, Berlin: Springer. Sluijsmans, D, Dochy, F and Moerkerke, G 1999, Creating a Learning Environment by Using Self-, Peer- and Co-Assessment," Learning Environments Research 1(3): p. 239-319. Available from: Springer Link. [16 Jan. 2011]. Read More