JMSB tool assesses teamwork
Students learn leadership and team skills when they work together.
photo by Robert winters
Management professor Stéphane Brutus, whose research focuses on feedback within organizations, says the challenge of assessing peer interaction in class projects is that you only see the final product.
A few years ago, he did research that showed a majority of professors in the JMSB were incorporating group-based projects in their classes. “It’s standard practice in most business schools these days, because the world of work is team-based.”
He also found that 60 per cent of these professors were using some kind of peer assessment in the projects, but that there was little consistency or structure to their implementation. “There needed to be more structure, so the feedback could inform students’ learning.”
Peer assessment can be a cumbersome process. For a typical group of five students where each evaluates the others, a professor might receive 20 sheets of paper. In a class of 30 that adds up quickly, and there is no easy way to collate the information to provide each student with feedback.
In addition, “given that peer assessments are usually submitted at the end of term, when administrative burden on professors is already high,” Brutus found the process wasn’t being used to its full potential. So, working in collaboration with Mary Waterhouse of JMSB’s Centre for Instructional Technology (CIT), he developed an online peer assessment tool that streamlines and centralizes it.
Recognizing that every class and team is unique, Brutus began by identifying core competencies that would be basic enough “to apply across any project where teamwork would be required.”
He chose cooperation, which we’re all supposed to learn in kindergarten. It includes conceptual contributions, such as defining the problem, research and analysis; practical contributions, such as writing and organizing; and work ethic, including attitude and respect. “Overall, these categories address ‘soft’ interpersonal skills,” but these are often the skills potential employers look for.
While designing the interface and backend database was quite complex, Brutus is pleased that “from the user’s point of view, the tool is very easy to use.”
Students evaluate their peers, both quantitatively and qualitatively. “The numerical evaluation is important for professors who incorporate peer assessment as part of overall grading, but we really encourage comments as well.”
The student instruction sheet provides examples of how to provide appropriate focused feedback to peers. By all accounts, the generation of avid MySpace users has embraced the system enthusiastically.
“They will go on for pages,” Brutus said. “The comments they provide are incredibly reflective and insightful. Exactly the kind of thing we were hoping for.” While negative comments comprise only 10 to 15 per cent of the total in any class, Brutus and the CIT team built anonymity into the system.
With the third generation of the system in place, Brutus is actively promoting it among his colleagues. Currently about a dozen professors use it, and the system will be implemented throughout the MBA programs shortly. Much less cumbersome than piles of paper, it gives professors easily accessible insight into student dynamics outside the classroom. “Sometimes we discover strengths where we weren’t expecting them.”
The potential of the online peer assessment goes way beyond the classroom. Five years from now, Brutus hopes to offer graduating students a unique self-marketing tool by harnessing the power of the database that supports the system.
With students participating in about 20 group projects over the course of their degrees, he foresees providing them with a transcript of feedback that shows their growth from entry through graduation.
“Imagine the value added if our grads can go to potential employers with documented proof of their strengths. It’s relatively easy to implement, and it would be a tremendous service to our students.”
Brutus has already had interest in the online peer assessment system from other faculties and universities. For more information contact him at brutus@jmsb.concordia.ca