Abstract:

Case-study-based learning is an essential tool in Management education, especially in decision-making and leadership courses. This is of utmost importance in the context of emergency due to Covid-19, where online training is essential and which does present a challenge in its assessment. This paper presents a summative co-assessment approach to a case-study-based Management course, which involves self-assessment as well as the evaluation of the instructor, with the aim to improve the engagement of the students by involving them in their own assessment. This work attempts to fill the perceived gap in the literature on approaches that enhance the engagement of the students by using case-studies and co-assessment of not only the work performed but also of the skills acquired. It is our objective to demonstrate the validity of the proposed co-assessment approach.

Taking into account the situation generated by Covid-19, taking a fourth-year subject online during an undergraduate course is an essential moment to ensure the consolidation of competencies; and the application of real-life cases during the academic year allows the student to practice differential skills that resemble those required in a business environment.

Self-assessment of the level of competence acquired by students helps them to know themselves, which positively influences their employability. The results of the students' self-assessment clearly show that they perceive that their abilities and skills have improved with each of the activities throughout the course, which gives them the confidence to respond positively to the survey. The joint evaluation carried out by the teacher confirms the perception of the students and makes the results of the self-evaluation more reliable.

The methodology includes a survey that students need to fill after working on every case, in which they assess their competence in a series of skills that are core skills for the course. The instructor uses the same survey to evaluate each student for the same set of competencies. The methodology described in this study can be used to establish a cycle of continuous improvement in the development of students' competencies in the online training process implemented from the emergency situation caused by Covid-19. Given the practical nature of the subject studied, new activities can be designed to go one step beyond solving real-life business case studies and develop role-playing games that mimic the business and management environment.

Keywords:

active learning, co-assessment, self-assessment, case-study-based learning