Abstract:

The judgment of complex learning tasks is a major issue in Higher Education. Notwithstanding, the learning potential of the evaluation procedures can be strongly enhanced through Learning-Oriented Assessment (LOA) strategies (Carless, 2006). The participation of the students in proactive assessment schemes where the evaluation serves ultimately to the purpose of learning through peer- or self- evaluation can be particularly valuable (Falchikov, 2005).

New Technologies play a key enabling role in the implementation of innovative approaches to the learning process providing properties such as flexibility, accessibility or interactivity, among others, to the educational mechanisms. We explore the potential of peer evaluation in a virtual learning environment (Chamorro-Posada, 2001, 2009) with support for mobile devices (Chamorro-Posada, 2012) at the ETSI Telecomunicación of the University of Valladolid.

The learning environment provides a series of JAVA and ANDROID simulators and web assignments. The work of the students is kept at a central server where they can access and modify it through a web interface. For this experience, the software platform has been extended to implement a blind peer-evaluation process. When this tool is enabled, each group can access to the work of several groups they have to evaluate using a (web form) rubric. Full details of the implementation and the results of the experience will be presented.


References:
Carless, D., Joughin, G., Mok, M.M.C. (2006). Learning-oriented assessment: principles and practice. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 31, 395-398.

Chamorro-Posada, P. (2001) Web based computer simulation laboratory to study pulse propagation in optical fibres. Proceedings of the International conference on New Technologies in Science Education, vol. I, pp. 221-226.

Chamorro-Posada, P. (2009) Web-based computer lab for teaching dispersion managed solitons. Research, Research, Reflections and Innovations in Integrating ICT in Education, Vol. III, m-ICTE 2009, pp 1498-1503.

Chamorro-Posada (2012) Computer laboratory for the study of propagation phenomena in information transmission systems using mobile devices, INTED2012 Proceedings, pp. 3900-3905.

Falchikov, N. (2005). Improving assessment through student involvement. Practical solutions for aiding learning in higher educatio nand furhter education. Taylor and Francis, London.