Meeting Abstract

P1.198  Saturday, Jan. 4 15:30  Group peer evaluations using Blackboard SILVERTHORN, D.U.; Univ of Texas, Austin silverthorn@utexas.edu

Peer evaluation is an important component of group work in both lecture classrooms and student laboratories because it helps alleviate the complaint that some students slack off and allow others to do all the work. In our experimental physiology laboratory class we initially used paper-based peer evaluations but the size of the class (60 students in groups of 4), biweekly reassignment of students to different groups, and 5 ratings per partner with written comments generated such a volume of information that we decided to develop an online peer evaluation tool. Our goal was to create a method that would allow timely and honest feedback while protecting the privacy of the student evaluator. After several aborted attempts, we created an evaluation system within Blackboard, the university’s course management system. The peer evaluation questionnaire uses the test manager template, so it can be easily copied from semester to semester or modified for other classes. Students log into Blackboard to evaluate their lab partners. The scores they give their partners are visible only to the instructors, and the evaluators may type extensive comments to explain their scoring. The results download as Excel spreadsheets, which makes compilation of data much easier than with paper forms. Students like the online system because of its ease of use and anonymity. After several rounds of evaluations, the instructors can identify those students whose performance has been poor in several different teams and provide counseling.