Page 5 - Peer Assessment_ A Paradigm Shift in Case Pedagogy or an Abrogation of Lecturer Responsibility

334 International Journal of Case Method Research & Application (2007) XIX, 4

cycle [Gallagher 2007]. This central area is the focal point for peer assessment as it is where activity
associated with the decision points drawn from identified issues are tackled by the group.

DIAGRAM 1

The fundamental tenet of peer assessment is that it involves students both in giving assessment (i.e.,
criticizing, appraising or evaluating the work of other students) and in turn receiving assessment (i.e.,
having their work criticized, appraised or evaluated by other students). The traditionalist view is that it is
pedagogically unsound to have students assessing the work of their peers, as it is fraught with too many
pitfalls. Students lack the depth and breadth of knowledge necessary, they are not trained to assess work,
nor do they have breadth of skills required for such assessment. Moreover, their motivations are not
impartial. However, contrary to traditionalist views this pilot study found that, as diagram 2 shows, peer
assessment if viewed, not as a panacea, but as an integral and focused tool with a high degree of
specificity and targeted at an identified problem could provide a powerful weapon in the lecturer’s arsenal.
Simply put, as a lecturer we can use case studies, as the top half of diagram 2 shows, to achieve
student learning. That is, we can commit to providing the best and most wonderful materials and co-
ordinate them through the marriage of case development, case analysis and case teaching. But, this does
not necessarily harness or tap into the higher order learning of analysis, synthesis and evaluation
associated with deep learning. In fact, it might only address surface learning of knowledge, understanding
and application. Essentially, we have a choice in diagram 2 we can either view case teaching as a top
down process where the student is the ‘passive’ recipient of wisdom and communication with limited
sideways communication or we can see student learning as ‘active’ with communication being both top-
down and bottom-up and with more positive sideways communication. If the latter is the choice of
preference then a mechanism needs to be developed which will allow creative tension to be introduced