The use of mobile instant messaging for peer feedback in online assessments for learning

ABSTRACT

As a result of containment measures implemented during COVID-19, the authors needed to re-envision and restructure in-person assessments for learning that provided immediate peer feedback to students in their competency-based financial reporting course. Peer feedback is crucial in competency-based education, as mastering a competency necessitates feedback. This study examines the use of mobile instant messaging (MIM) by students to facilitate peer feedback during online assessments for learning and investigates the types of feedback provided. Content analysis of students’ MIMs reveals that cognitive feedback was the most prevalent type provided. Cognitive feedback helps students manage the task at hand, which appears to be important for students coping with the disruptive environment of the pandemic. Although initially prompted by the pandemic, the use of MIM during assessments for learning has the potential to persist in a post-pandemic classroom.

KEYWORDS:

• Peer feedback
• mobile instant messaging
• type of feedback
• assessment for learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Programmatic assessment (see van der Vleuten et al., 2012) collects information about a student’s competence and progress through out a course or programme. This information then informs high-stakes decisions at the end of the course or programme. For this reason, a variety of assessment instruments are usually used to ensure coverage of all required knowledge and competency outcomes. In this specific intermediate financial course, various no stakes, low stakes and high stakes assessments are used to collect numerous data points in each student’s portfolio to inform the high stakes pass/fail decision at the end of the course.