The underutilised Moodle Workshop: An effective technological tool to design engaging self and peer assessment

There is a mounting evidence that self and peer assessment is an effective pedagogical approach to improve student learning (Race, 2009; McGarrigle, 2011; William, 2011). This type of assessment not only improves students’ understanding of the subject and attainment of learning outcomes but also boosts students’ motivation, communication and critical thinking. Many educators, however, tend not to adopt self and peer assessment in the unit design due to the perceived complexity and efforts in administering such assessments. This barrier can be addressed by using Moodle workshop which was proven to be effective and efficient in designing and administering self and peer assessment (Strang, 2015). The Workshop tool brings many benefits to educators including reduced marking load as well as design of engaging authentic assessments that are less vulnerable to academic misconduct. The online tool facilitates an automated peer assessment process whereas a student submission is distributed randomly and anonymously for peer assessment by one or more students using a given marking tool. Upon the completion of the assessment, the tool automatically calculates two marks for each student based on set criteria; one mark for the quality of the submission and the second mark for the quality of assessment. In addition, the tool facilitates marking an example assessment as a training exercise for students prior to using the tool for the intended assessment. This presentation will showcase the practical aspects of using the tool to run formative assessments in a postgraduate unit (PPMP20015 Research in Project Management) and the impact on student learning. The tool empowered students to be more accountable and genuine. It was found effective in stimulating students, making them more confident in undertaking assessments and improving their knowledge of the subject. The presentation concludes by providing some tips to overcome some barriers associated with the use of the tool including the first-time setup and operational issues in dealing with late submissions and grading.