Peer Assessment of Past Exam Scripts

• Published in: Australasian Journal of Engineering Education Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 57 - 76
• Main Author: Hesterman, D C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 01.01.2008; Taylor & Francis Group LLC
• Subjects: Educational tests and measurements; Engineering; Examinations; Rating of; Students; Study and teaching; Australia
• ISSN: 2205-4952; 1324-5821; 1325-4340
• DOI: 10.1080/22054952.2008.11464011

The examination process can produce hundreds of answer booklets or scripts every year. These are usually stored for a period of time and then discarded. This paper reports on a project that investigated the use of past scripts as a learning resource for students in a first-year engineering unit. Students were required to assess a range of hand-written solutions submitted by past students to a particular exam question, identifying errors and awarding a mark to each script. The aim of the task was to improve critical thinking by exposing students to good and bad problem solving, and to illustrate the importance of clear and logical written solutions. The students' marking behaviour was analysed and an online survey was also conducted to obtain student feedback. Most of the students found the assessment task very challenging, but also a useful learning experience. A random sample of the students' exam scripts was reviewed to see whether the assessment task had affected their presentation of written solutions. A small improvement was observed in the student's work when compared against the previous year and another unit.