Changing Your Perspective to Learn in a Different Way

Typically, in our societies, when we talk about evaluating instruction, we envision the traditional model of hierarchical assessment by the instructor and, by extension, by the student based on the instructor’s grading rubric.

There are other ways to assess students, known as group-based methods. The first is peer grading, which is found in MOOCs, with technological variations such as peer comments and, taking it a step further, the creation and implementation of group-based assessments.

Criteria for Knowledge

The teacher is, at the core, a facilitator of knowledge who assesses the quality of their students’ learning by administering exams, followed by grading. They oversee the teaching process from start to finish according to a traditional hierarchical model. They define the course content, the method of conveying knowledge, and the method of assessing that knowledge. In this scenario, the student is completely dependent on the teacher. Whether the exam is a quiz, an essay, or something else, the teacher’s role is that of an evaluator, and the student is the one being evaluated.

We also find a variation on this assessment method in self-assessment. It is no longer the teacher who grades the paper, but the student, using the grading rubrics provided by the teacher. This is the first shift in roles that we see taking place. The student is no longer passive in the correction process; they become active. This is a step toward autonomy, but also toward building a relationship of trust with themselves and with the teacher, who then becomes a guide. The student takes on an active role. They read the assessment guidelines according to their teacher’s explanations.

Not Always Being the Judge

Today, society is changing; employer-employee relationships are shifting; and the new Generations X and Y no longer operate according to the old hierarchical norms. Consequently, we’re seeing group-based approaches take precedence—either because new needs are being identified or because technology is providing innovative solutions.

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) at universities are major users of these approaches. How do you grade 3,000 or 20,000 student assignments at once? How do you assess collaborative work without penalizing it? How can knowledge be transferred from one group to another across the diversity of students’ backgrounds, life experiences, and cultures?

To grade thousands of papers simultaneously, peer grading is currently the most effective solution. The oft-cited “trust in the student” is replaced by a test assessment that allows for the calibration of the relevance and thoroughness of the peer’s grading.

Co-grading the same exam paper helps to smooth out the results of the corrections. Co-graders must possess a level of metacognition regarding the assessment document that is infinitely stronger than in self-assessment, as their evaluation is corroborated by the number of graders involved. Their reputation and social responsibility come into play; they must reflect on the meaning of their corrections to ensure they are relevant. The instructor supervises them and has delegated this task to them while establishing safeguards.

“Peer assessment… It’s far from new, but it’s at the heart of an advanced MOOC course; the stakes are high, as it allows us to reconcile

1. Educational richness: beyond quizzes

2. Scalability: grading 1,000 assignments

3. A paradigm shift: from active learners to those with more developed skills” Peer assessment in a MOOC. How reliable and legitimate is it? 

By Rémi Bachelet, École Centrale de Lille, founder of the GdP MOOC 

“Metacognition addresses one of the perennial problems in education: the transfer or generalization of what has been learned (…) It is the most important means by which an individual becomes capable of modifying and adapting their cognitive activity to tasks in different contexts. (…). It turns the learner into an implicit or explicit theorist of their own cognition—they know what they know and how they know it, which enables them to transfer their skills to different tasks”

Gaveleck and Raphael (1985)  

The final scenario involves group work on a variety of topics. What is relevant here is the personal engagement in exchanges among students regarding each other’s projects. This is referred to as peer feedback. Such feedback is provided using constructive criticism methodologies. The goal is to improve the work of other groups.

It is also a method that aligns perfectly with collaborative online tools. Students thus become the masters of their own critiques. They suggest corrections—which may or may not be accepted—with the goal of helping others advance their projects. The instructor serves only as a facilitator and guarantor of form, and no longer of content at all.

The course corrections and content can also be created by the student group. The research, content structure, and teaching methods will be chosen by the group, which takes on the role of the teacher. In this case, the teacher is merely a guide who ensures the quality of the course. And the group takes charge of the entire teaching process, right up to the final assessment. This is peer-to-peer learning. It is a complete reversal of traditional hierarchical roles. The professor and other groups become the listeners and learners of those presenting the material.

A Continuum of Roles

In these five scenarios, there are significant differences in the roles of the learners and their teacher. The teacher transitions from a hierarchical role to that of a guide, supervisor, listener, and mentor.

The student, in turn, gains new skills. From being a passive subject of evaluation, the student becomes an active, autonomous learner, then a co-evaluator, eventually becoming a teacher themselves and ultimately a co-creator of content.

The shift from a hierarchical system to various forms of collaboration with peers is indicative of a tangible social change and is undoubtedly just the beginning of new ways of learning—and therefore of assessment—to come.

Schools, HR departments, and managers would do well to pay close attention to these new approaches, as they will shape the world and human relationships of tomorrow.

Illustration: Geralt - Pixabay

Sources:

Changes in Perspectives, Roles, and Approaches in New Teaching Models byAlain CRINDAL (UMR STEF ENS Cachan INRP) & Bernard ANDRIEU (IUFM de Lorraine)

Metacognition: From Its Definition in Psychology to Its Implementation in Schoolsby Anne-Marie Doly

Peer Assessment in a MOOC: How Reliable and Legitimate Is It? By Rémi Bachelet, Ecole Centrale de Lille