The implementation and evaluation of a mobile self- and peer-assessment system

Recently, more and more researchers have been exploring uses of mobile technology that support new instructional strategies. Based on research findings related to peer and self assessment, this study developed a Mobile Assessment Participation System (MAPS) using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) as the platform. In addition, the study proposes an implementation model of the MAPS that should facilitate the effectiveness of self- and peer-assessment in classrooms. The researcher argues that teachers and students can benefit from MAPS in various regards including more flexible assessment arrangement, more efficient use of time, and more opportunities for student reflection on learning and assessment. Thirty-seven students taking teacher-education courses with the researcher participated in this study, and these students employed the MAPS to conduct two-round assessment activities that would help these students assess both their own and one another's final projects. Both the students' valid responses in a survey herein and scores obtained from the assessment activities confirmed the benefits of the MAPS and its implementation model. Yet, the students voiced such concerns as the objectivity of peer-assessment and the difficulty of providing constructive feedback, and the correlation analysis indicated a lack of consistency between teacher-grading and student-grading.