Gaming the system rarely occurs in my undergraduate classes. Students are
usually quite critical of those who don't pull their weight in team
activities. In teams that do work well with everyone contributing nearly
equally, they may rate one person 9, one 11, and the others 10, but it is
very often the same person getting 9 from everyone and the same person who
gets 11 from everyone.
I give a "practice" peer evaluation mid-semester but only the final
evaluation counts toward the grade. Sometimes a team is clearly gaming
the system on the mid-semester evaluation. For the final evaluation, I
make them take it home, or even do it via email, so no one in the group
feels pressured to do it in front of others. However, if they really all
contribute equally and all feel that way, I don't care if they all end up
with a 10 average.
Maybe there is less of a problem with undergrads giving "fair" evaluations
because there is so much more variability in effort and ability than there
probably is among second year med students. But I would agree that
constructive, thoughtful comments are not common, but at least requiring
comments makes them think about it, at least a little.
Molly Espey
Applied Economics and Statistics
Clemson University
Clemson, SC 29634
> I encountered that exact problem with regards to the peer evaluation in
> TBL. I also had set it up so that they had to give one person in the team
> more than 10 and one less than ten and an individual's score was the
> average from their team. Almost the entire class (and I had about 48 teams
> - all 2nd year medical students), "gamed it" (so that the average for each
> person worked out as 10). So I wouldn't recommend that set-up!
>
> This term, I'm requiring them to instead give written positive feedback
> for
> each team member, based on criteria that the team has pre-established.
> Attendance at that session and the provision of the feedback will gain
> them
> the points associated with the peer evaluation (which is just 2 out of an
> overall course 260).
>
> If anyone has suggestions on how to get them to give REAL feedback (and
> not
> just: "you are great, what a good job", etc, etc) that would be much
> appreciated. Is this reluctance to provide constructive but critical
> feedback just because they don't like doing it - or do they just not know
> how to provide this?
>
> Joanna
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> J.C. Rayner, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor of Microbiology
> Department of Microbiology,
> School of Medicine,
> St. George's University,
> Grenada, West Indies.
> Tel: (00) 1 473 444 4175 Ext. 2100
> Fax: (00) 1 473 439 1845
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
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