New Metrics for Quality Education

New metrics for Quality Education

Enabling Peer Feedback: The Right Way, At the Right Time!

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As educational institutes move toward digital learning, they are now focusing more and more on producing quality content for learners and educators. Producing quality content is one of the most valuable investments for educational institutes in today’s era. As more and more educational institutions are moving toward online learning, the need for creating high-quality content is increasing (Marette, 2021b).  Multiple organizations are focusing on developing rubrics or checklists to measure online quality education. The scope of this book is not to list all organizations, but to demonstrate how technology, such as peer assessment, is deployed in a manner that ensures quality metrics. In this section, I will introduce a case study using Quality Matters (QM) to demonstrate how the focus on producing more quality content has become one of the most important issues in higher education (Gates, 2002).

Abstract

Providing a safe learning environment that is bias-free and offers scope for reflection is guaranteed to cater to students at all levels. Peer feedback enabled by technology gives students a voice and helps them debate in a peaceful manner. Peer feedback with the TEACH model guides students to provide quality evaluations that are TIMELY,  EXPLICIT, APPROPRIATE, COMPETENCY-based, and HELPFUL. This approach challenges students to develop critical thinking and soft skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace. The TEACH model was adapted from Breaking with Tradition: The Shift to Competency-based Learning in PLCS at Work by Brian M Stack and Jonathan G. Vander Els, and SMART goals that outline what meaningful and helpful feedback looks like. Over time this improves the quality of feedback, encourages students to maximize their learning capacities, and strengthens critical thinking skills. Delivering comprehensive feedback could take more than a couple of iterations to get it right. Peer assessment tools, like Kritik, can be used by students anonymously for the individual as well as group assignments. To develop  a thorough understanding on the topic, Kritik provides students with different points of view. Receiving feedback from peers alleviates the gap in comprehension, allowing students to better integrate with peers at an intellectual level.

Keywords: Quality Matters, peer assessment, Competency-based Learning

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