A group interaction peer/self assessment process in a pharmacy practice course
Peer assessment in small group work which provides for feedback to the student helps the student understand, learn, and develop abilities in interpersonal and group work effectiveness, in communication strategies, and in performance assessment. The objectives of this research were to: (i) develop and implement a peer/self assessment process to be used with fourth collegiate year pharmacy students enrolled in an undergraduate pharmacy practice laboratory course; (ii) assess student attitudes about peer/self assessment and its perceived utility; and (iii) evaluate the effectiveness of a peer/self assessment process in facilitating student improvement in group project work. Assessments were conducted at mid-semester and at the semester end. In general, self assessment findings mirrored those of peer assessments. However, when a student’s peer and self assessments differed, self assessments tended to be lower. Final peer assessments were significantly higher than mid-semester peer assessments, suggesting that group work abilities of these students were perceived to have improved over the course of the semester. Students were generally positive toward the peer/self assessment process. The incorporation of a common peer/self assessment system within a curriculum would help provide continuity between courses, contribute to student growth, and provide an on-going monitoring mechanism for student development of interpersonal and group work abilities.