Findings, Conclusion and Summary

Peer Assessment and Tutoring

[Comparative analysis of e-Learning with respect to Business Information Technology]

Ezendu Ifeanyi Ariwa

Department of Accounting, Banking & Financial Systems

London Metropolitan University, United Kingdom

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Paper presented at the Scottish Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Perth, 27-29 November 2003.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this project is to investigate and validate peer assessment and tutoring as means of instructional practices that maximize the information systems application skills and academic achievement within the diversified nature of students’ composition in the Business School. The work focused on ethnic minority and majority of students with disabilities considering the limited resources available to them.

The project used info-media and virtual application as bases for motivation and engaging students assessment and analysis procedures as a research tools. The project considered the time frame available and focused on one module KQM100 taken across the Business School by first year undergraduates [BA Accounting and Finance’ and BA Business] students.

The project examined the relationships between students’ achievement and performance when supported by knowledgeable peers in a semi structured groups.

The assessment results and Peer tutoring are non-contributory formative assessment but contributory in terms of students knowledge development.

LITERATURE REVIEW

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Examination of education theories, especially assessment and evaluation

CONTEXTUAL BUSINESS MODEL AND METHODS

The following models examination focused on the use of relevant tutorial support mechanism and workshop based activities tailored towards enabling student’s achievement and embedded within the instructional programme.

Instructional Techniques – This consist of the following steps

 Organizing material and resources

 Providing basic analytical tools – Average, Sum and Operators such as greater than and logical statements – IF, AND or Else

 Providing opportunities for active exploration

 Involving formative assessment

Peer Tutoring – This stage covered the following applications

 Demonstrating and describing basic parameters using understandable language or students indigenous dialect if necessary

 Answering questions and directing student’s attention

 Constructive criticism and reinforcement with minimum supervision from the lecturer

Motivation and lecturers involvement – This is the final model application stage

 Lecturer acting as role model and facilitating learning and decomposing teaching to manageable stages

 Encouraging Group dynamics and involvement

 Students were encouraged to value skills amongst team members

Engagement and e-brainstorming sessions

 Questioning and directing attention to new aspect of knowledge as well as helping/supporting students to sequence activities within manageable sub units

Literature Review

E-LEARNING USAGE ANALYSIS

The use of computer-based application was of great benefit to the students learning needs, acquisition and transfer of knowledge, using available resources.

The research in Curriculum Education Development module provided evidence that most of the weak students lack the necessary knowledge and skills to complete their work. They benefited from motivation through pastoral work and office hours. The teaching and academic staff were actively involved and made available resources for development of basic ICT skills through staff training scheme within the faculties. In addition, the Co-ordinators ensured that pedagogical advice and research models were used for developing appropriate and relevant teaching and learning criteria tailored towards the individual needs.

According to Technology for Teachers (1995), it argued that ‘only with the intensive use of technology is a shift in the learner experience model possible’. Gooler and Stegman (1995) outlined the following as implications for teaching and learning:

Time frames and more flexibility, within the assessment criteria
Use of classroom within virtual architectural context
Incorporating access to information super-highway

Kachelhoffer [1997] in the application of peer assessment as non-contributory part of the overall coursework has in their work that learning process is important as it teaches skills and values; and taking this further to the peer assessment model, it is evident that ongoing assessment is encouraged by peer reviews, interaction and shared knowledge.

The role of the peer in developing effective assessment tools meaningful and caters for the need of the students, and fair to the students as well as defining the role of the lecturer as facilitator, guiding learners in the skills of accessing, organizing and analyzing its relevance to improving learning and assessment methods.

Brown and Bull (1997) argued that computer-assisted assessment (CAA) and related to various other terms used such as:

Computer-aided assessment
Computerized assessment
Computer-based assessment
Computer-based testing

The effectiveness of any assessment method depends on the mode of delivering and dynamics of the group and enhancement.

Methodology:

This research population consisted of all students in the first year taking KQM and three separate samples were included in the data collection process. The first sample included all the data analysis components and competence in the use of goal seeks analytical tools [See appendix 1].

The second sample included very numerically weak students randomly selected from the reminder of the seminar groups and included special needs and disable students [Appendix 2]. The second sample was added to the study to provide a more inclusive study of the representation of the diversified nature of the students’ composition and to increase the total number of participants. An overall response rate of 85% was generated.

The method for achieving intended learning and teaching was based on the following

 Use of Evaluation and feedback questionnaire

 Brief Interview

 e-Grouping: e-discussion groups, e-Brainstorming and e-focus group

 Observation of performance during seminar and workshop sessions

The students were able to complete a simple business-modeling task, but were able to provide only limited account of the required analytical skills involved in dealing with it. Their performance was poor on less routine assessment but after peer tutoring, their performance improved which was evidence of value education. The students’ performance in the module was evidence of the improvement of the new approach incorporated [appendix 3]

Findings, Conclusion and Summary

Peer tutoring and assessment is a best practice model and recently widely used in Universities and Colleges as an effective learning and teaching tools. There are different forms of collaborative peer assessment and alliance tutoring focused on improving and facilitating learning and teaching as knowledge management and information sharing mechanisms. This work and research suggest that students develop and deployed interactive methods of teaching and learning as means of knowledge capture and intellectual empowerment.

It is worth mentioning that this pilot is small scale representation, and may be decomposed within the information systems dynamics of enrichment of knowledge poverty in educational context, which is quality controlled and embedded within the institutions culture and tradition.

There is an indication that peer tutoring and assessment is effective and result oriented. The cross-section of e-group tutoring and traditional applications was contributory to the differential performance in Business Information Technology [KQM 100].

Students’ achievement was very high and good outcome, better than group tutoring in seminar and student subjective feedback was very good.

Analysis showed the extent of improvement in students’ academic performance and use of information systems application and analytical tools such as data analysis, goal seek, solver and other relevant mathematical and statistical tools for developing and building business models. This was measured against related levels of academic performance on curriculum-based assessment and standardized achievement assessment and coursework.

Reference

Brown George et al (1997): Assessing Student Learning in Higher Education. Routledge publishers, London

Morris, Lynn et al (1987): How to design a program evaluation. SAGE Publications. Inc, London