A large-scale examination of the effectiveness of anonymous marking in reducing group performance differences in higher education assessment

The present research aims to more fully explore the issues of performance differences in higher education assessment, particularly in the context of a common measure taken to address them. The rationale for the study is that, while performance differences in written examinations are relatively well researched, few studies have examined the efficacy of anonymous marking in reducing these performance differences, particularly in modern student populations. By examining a large archive (N = 30674) of assessment data spanning a twelve-year period, the relationship between assessment marks and factors such as ethnic group, gender and socio-environmental background was investigated. In particular, analysis focused on the impact that the implementation of anonymous marking for assessment of written examinations and coursework has had on the magnitude of mean score differences between demographic groups of students. While group differences were found to be pervasive in higher education assessment, these differences were observed to be relatively small in practical terms. Further, it appears that the introduction of anonymous marking has had a negligible effect in reducing them. The implications of these results are discussed, focusing on two issues, firstly a defence of examinations as a fair and legitimate form of assessment in Higher Education, and, secondly, a call for the re-examination of the efficacy of anonymous marking in reducing group performance differences

The Actual Structure of eBay’s Feedback Mechanism and Early Evidence on the Effects of Recent Changes

eBay’s feedback mechanism is considered crucial to establishing and maintaining trust on the world’s largest trading platform. The effects of a user’s reputation on the probability of sale and on prices are at the center of a large number of studies. More recent theoretical work considers aspects of the mechanism itself. Yet, there is confusion amongst users about its exact institutional details, which also changed substantially in the last few months. An understanding of these details, and how the mechanism is perceived by users, is crucial for any assessment of the system. We provide a thorough description of the institutional setup of eBay’s feedback mechanism, including recent changes to it. Most importantly, buyers now have the possibility to leave additional, anonymous ratings on sellers on four different criteria. We discuss the implications of these changes and provide first descriptive evidence on their impact on rating behavior

The Actual Structure of eBay’s Feedback Mechanism and Early Evidence on the Effects of Recent Changes

eBay’s feedback mechanism is considered crucial to establishing and maintaining trust on the world’s largest trading platform. The effects of a user’s reputation on the probability of sale and on prices are at the center of a large number of studies. More recent theoretical work considers aspects of the mechanism itself. Yet, there is confusion amongst users about its exact institutional details, which also changed substantially in the last few months. An understanding of these details, and how the mechanism is perceived by users, is crucial for any assessment of the system. We provide a thorough description of the institutional setup of eBay’s feedback mechanism, including recent changes to it. Most importantly, buyers now have the possibility to leave additional, anonymous ratings on sellers on four different criteria. We discuss the implications of these changes and provide first descriptive evidence on their impact on rating behavior.eBay; reputation mechanism; strategic feedback behavior; informational content; reciprocity; fear of retaliation

Evaluation of the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing Peripatetic Assessment Model

The Health Visitor Implementation Plan 2011-15: a call to action, called for an additional 4200 health visitors to be trained by 2015. To accommodate larger numbers of students, specialist community public health nursing (SCPHN) programmes across the UK have undergone significant transformation in terms of practice supervision. Somerset Partnership NHS Trust introduced a peripatetic assessment model involving practice teachers and practice mentors. This differed from traditional one-to-one approaches of supervision to one-to-three. Practice teachers mostly supervised students through close collaboration with mentors who worked directly with students on a daily basis. Using a mixed methods approach, the evaluation aimed to assess the effectiveness of the new model from the perspective of SCPHN students, mentors, practice teachers (PTs) and managers. Data was collected through an anonymous online survey and individual interviews or focus groups. Overall, participants were positive about the peripatetic model’s impact on student learning and practice experience, in addition to the general up-skilling of the wider health visiting workforce and possible implications of continuation into the future. Any concerns raised focused on adequate preparation and support for mentors and the need for clear communication and role differentiation between practice teachers and mentors

A case study of a policy decision: anonymous marking with special reference to the university of Durham in 1994

Broken down into four separate Chapters, this thesis presents a study of anonymous marking, with special reference to the experience of the University of Durham which introduced a policy of anonymous marking in 1994. It is a study of a single university, and of a very recent change. The thesis adopts a range of different approaches. Chapter One identifies the principles underlying anonymous marking and examines them in the context of the mission, aims and objectives of a university. Chapter Two reviews the literature which has sought various explanations for women achieving a lower proportion of first and third class degrees compared to men, suggesting that more attention should be paid to investigating the differential performance of men and women in individual subjects rather than for degrees as a whole; the pattern of results in the one not being the same as the pattern of results in the other. The hypothesis that sex bias in marking lies behind this pattern is shown to be inconclusive. As a result, the positions of a number of high profile individuals and educational organisations, which advocate the widespread introduction of anonymous marking based on the fact that sex bias in marking has been proven to exist, are shown to be misplaced and possibly premature. In Chapter Three, the practical operation of a newly implemented system of anonymous marking, and the processes involved in the run up to, and after, the policy decision to introduce the system at the University of Durham, are viewed in a case study. The university is analysed as a political system in which the policy process is understood by identifying the different interests involved. The practical implications - in terms of costs, time, administration, anonymity and morale - for all members of the university are considered against the criteria for anonymous marking, and the aims and objectives of the university. In the concluding Chapter it is recommended that higher education institutions contemplating introducing anonymous marking take a close look at the practicability and desirability of such a system, particularly in the light of other developments in higher education, and the feelings of some of the academic staff and of the student community who did not like to feel anonymous. If a system of anonymous assessment is to be introduced it should be done carefully, with wide consultation and with a clear view as to what the system is being designed to achieve, heeding the lessons and the practical recommendations of this study. Otherwise good objectives will be poorly served by poor policy changes

Grounding Social Foundations for Integrated Assessment Models of Climate Change

Integrated assessment models (IAMs) are commonly used by decision makers in order to deriveclimate policies. IAMs are currently based on climate-economics interactions, whereas the role of socialsystem has been highlighted to be of prime importance on the implementation of climate policies. Beyondexisting IAMs, we argue that it is therefore urgent to increase efforts in the integration of social processeswithin IAMs. For achieving such a challenge, we present some promising avenues of research based on thesocial branches of economics. We finally present the potential implications yielded by such social IAMs.This work was supported by a grant from the French National Research Agency (project VIRGO, ANR-16-CE03-0003-01 Grant) and the anonymous reviewer for the constructive comments and suggestions

Postgraduate students' perceptions of what makes for effective assessment feedback: a case study of a clinical masters course

he purpose of this study was to examine postgraduate students’ perceptions of assessment feedback. Using the Critical Incident Technique, students enrolled on a taught clinical course were asked for their perceptions of effective and ineffective examples of assessment feedback. The data were analysed using thematic analysis and nine themes emerged that capture perceptions associated with feedback content and feedback process. Students perceived effective feedback if it was specific and clear, using positive tone of language. They expressed a preference for feedback that is delivered in a standardised format, reflecting the grades given, individualised, and when the marking criteria is explicit and enables dialogue with the marker. Students perceived feedback to be ineffective when it focused on grammatical errors rather than content, when it was provided by anonymous graders and if it was too personal. Timeliness of feedback was also important to participants. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are highlighted in this paper

Conscience Sensitive Psychiatric Diagnosis of Maltreated Children and Adolescents

The sequelae of maltreatment are conceptualized according to the DSM IV multiaxial system expanded for heuristic purposes. Axis I and Axis IV are expanded to take into account important variables of maltreatment. Differential Axis I diagnoses are identified with special emphasis placed on PTSD, Dissociation, Depression and Disruptive Behavior Disorders. Axes II and III are heuristically expanded to call attention to developmental psychopathology, particularly in the domains of conscience, and associated putative neurobiological sequelae of maltreatment, indicating a pathway to the psychobiology of conscience. Conscience sensitive assessment of maltreated children is illustrated with two case vignettes and selected conscience drawings. A ‘transaxial,’ conscience sensitive approach to DSM nosology is recommended as a corrective. There will likely be additional implications for the psychobiology of conscience as neuroimaging and assessment of conscience functions in health and psychopathology become more refined.Support for this and other work by the I.U. Conscience Project conducted in collaboration with Pleasant Run Inc. has been generously provided by Mr. and Mrs. Jim Irsay and The Indianapolis Colts, The Moore Foundation and other individual anonymous donors

Perceived disability from hearing and voice changes in the elderly

Aim: Dysphonia and hearing loss are underestimated conditions in the elderly, despite their significant prevalence (18% and 50%, respectively) and their sociopsychological implications. Previous studies have shown that the reason for this lack of consideration is related to the general misconception of a simple age-related issue, as well as to the reduced communication requirements of this population, which can result in infrequent requests/supply of care. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate, within an elderly population, the subjective perception of hearing and voice dysfunctions, the resulting changes in communication skills, and the perception of handicap and disability. Methods: Four anonymous questionnaires were administered to 400 participants (218 men, 182 women) aged older than 65 years, some of whom (276) were hospitalized and some of whom (124) were outpatients. The questionnaires consisted of questions regarding age-related changes in voice, multiple-choice questions on the qualitative characteristics of the voice, questions regarding verbo-acoustic communication (hearing), the Voice Handicap Index, and the Self Assessment of Communication regarding the perception of hearing loss-related handicap and disability. Statistical correlations were calculated for voice dysfunction between the perception of disability and the clinical assessment of voice quality obtained by the Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, Strain scale, and between the perception of disability and the demand for care. Results: More than half of the elderly patients reported not perceiving voice changes throughout their lives. Most of the participants were satisfied with their own voices, although 65% of them judged them to be qualitatively altered, and in 31.5% of the participants, pathology was found on phoniatric evaluation. Low scores for vocal handicap (Voice Handicap Index) were found, and the type of perceived disability was mainly physical, although the association between Voice Handicap Index scores and Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, Strain was statistically significant. A total of 62% of the patients perceived hearing changes over their lifetimes not related to previous ear infections, but significantly correlated with a family history of hearing problems and with the need for specialist consultations. However, the perception of hearing loss handicaps and disability showed lower mean values, showing that older patients recognized dysfunction, but did not consider it to be a disability. Conclusions: The present study showed that, despite the relevant incidence of hearing and voice disorders among the elderly population, the implications for communication abilities seems to be underestimated. Hence, it appears to be extremely important to undergo specialist screening consultations to detect eventual voice and hearing alterations, and to correct them with appropriate therapeutic strategies

The influence of randomly allocated group membership when developing student task work and team work capabilities

This study explores whether randomly assigning group membership enhances the student learning experience. The paper starts with a critical analysis of the approaches to student learning within Higher Education and how these approaches conflict with findings from applied psychology on group behaviour. The study adopts a serendipitous qualitative methodology to explore how changes to assessment requirements can result in a more holistic learning experience. The findings suggest that students perceive the adoption of randomly allocated as an unnecessary risk to their performance within assessment as opposed to an opportunity to enhance their learning. This raises questions regarding the conflict that can exist within education between assessment and learning. The results suggest students operate in a ‘comfort zone’ which can be detrimental to their overall learning experience. Getting students to leave the comfort zone is a particularly stressful situation for both student and educator. Once students leave the comfort zone competencies that have been dormant surface and they are able to utilise and acquire a wider range of skills. Leaving the comfort zone also results in the creation of a critical incidence which can assist the student in developing their reflective capabilities. The results suggest that randomly allocated groups enhance both an individual’s task capabilities and their teamwork capabilities. The paper concludes that the findings have significant implications for those involved in the design of assessment. The paper also provides an interesting commentary on the issues educators face when undertaking education research within a higher educational context