Student experiences of self-refl ection and peer assessment in providing authentic project- based learning to large class sizes

Abstract

Learning in authentic projects is supposed to enhance business graduates knowledge, skills and future employment. However, in programmes with a large number of students, implementing project-based learning and providing helpful guidance, extensive feedback and support by teachers can be cumbersome. Recent research has looked into whether and how self-reflection, peer rating and peer assessment can help learners to reflect on their role within a group and their individual contributions to the project. While peer assessment traditionally is used for grading or marking peers, there is a call for more formative (for learning) assessment and feedback. Using principles of design-based research, this chapter compares the extent to which two consecutive redesigns, with 106 postgraduate students in hospitality management to cope with larger class sizes involving more individual reflection, peer feedback and evaluation on a frequent biweekly interval, provide perceived enhancement of the student learning experience. The results indicate that the implementation of self-reflection and peer assessment leads to more satisfied students. At the same time, peer assessment for some students and in some groups leads to a degree of stress and conflicts.