Teamwork and peer assessment within semester-wide project-based learning: a case study on an industrial management and engineering degree

Abstract

A semester wide Project-Based Learning case study was conducted using a double survey aiming at gathering students’ perceptions on a number of relevant aspects of teamwork, including peer assessment within teams. The peer assessment process was conducted three times during the semester, and the survey was issued twice, i.e. just prior to the first peer assessment, and after the third peer assessment. The study highlights that the students were generally more optimistic, regarding all categories of teamwork, before conducting the first peer assessment, and less enthusiastic at the end of the project. Results also unveil a marginal gap between the surveys, relating cooperation of team members, denoting a progressive degradation of attitudes and commitment towards teamwork. This is partly attributed to misalignment of self and peer perceptions, of individual contributions to teamwork and its outcomes. Additionally, a gender analysis showed significant differences on some questions, namely in the appropriateness of using peer assessment. Female students held a more conservative standing at the beginning of the semester, and improved considerably, while male students experienced exactly the opposite movement.