I've just left a full-time diploma course because of peer assessments mainly. I thought it was corrupt practice expecting students to evaluate other students. In reality, friends would form the same groups and pass each other. I was expected to pass other group members even though they hadn't done any work at all. I did have the option of leaving names off the assignment, but any student will suffer from alienation if they do this, and in my case, there were very few capable people in the class at all(it was a community welfare course). Soft marking by teachers was endemic. The reports that were graded a pass wouldn't satisfy grade 8 standards. We had a lot of migrants who simply didn't comprehend what they had to do, but passed each other, and were in turn passed by the teacher. Where is the incentive to work hard if everyone just gets a pass anyway? How meaningful is the diploma at the end of 2 years if anyone can get one?

Has anyone here had any experience of peer assessments or soft marking? Which government department should I complain to (TAFE isn't interested).

Thanks.

Bilby, the whole education system is biased and corrupted. You should see what they have been doing to my children and family? Whether you succeed in Education, or not, depends on how popular you are. Having morals and making complaints very rarely makes you popular!

If you want to make a complaint, just hang on to your hat because they will make you suffer. The whole process of complaint handling is designed to discredit the complainant and protect the reputation of the Government and the processes and procedures that they have set up to dumb down our society and groom idiots who cannot think for themselves and who believe that they achieved something despite doing nothing if at the end they get a "DIPLOMA".

Education - Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/

Jolanda - I think your negative experiences have given you an unduly pessimistic view of the whole system. Whilst certain elements may need an overhaul, I think you're extrapolating it beyond that area.

As far as peer reviews go, I'm of the view they should be used freely in preparatory exams but not actual assessment. I see no problem with them being used in class exercises, though you should always have a qualified teacher behind the final grade.

I can't speak for the situation in TAFE, but I can certainly say I was never subject to peer assessment in university, except for exercises that didn't count toward a final grade.

Bilby

I was employed in a secondary school for some ten years, though it was a long time ago and I was not part of the teaching fraternity. However, I endorse your claim about the "soft marking" since I have witnessed hard evidence of this occurring.

In secondary school, teachers are often exposed once the student moves to a higher grade where the new teacher discovers the errors in previous assessments, however, rarely are any official complaints registered.

Why the "soft" marking? Is it to make the teacher appear more competent? Or a desire to gloss the overall performance of a school thus, achieving higher status at the end of the year?

I would suggest you write a confidential letter, or request an appointment to speak to the Minister for Education and Training. You could be doing the entire state a great service!

This is interesting, it seems that some students are marked up and others (the gifted) are marked down. I wonder whether that is the aim of the Education system and what the Education system believes is fair?

Maybe the Education System role is to make everybody appear to be and achieve the same/similar. Maybe they believe that this makes things equitable and makes people equal? Question is, it is fair or right?

Interesting......Oh and good luck trying to get an appointment with the Minister. For the past 7 years Ministers have all been too busy to see my family in relation to serious complaints and allegtions of bias, neglect, bullying and victimsiation of my children. Apparently they are busy for the foreseable future.

A bit of advice, dont send too much information because they will ignore what you send, close the matter and then you can never use that information again as they will say it has been dealt with and closed.

Education - Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/

Jolanda

I once sent my daughters work to what was then called "The Board of Secondary Education." This was a board where moderators visited schools anually to confirm that academic assessments by teachers, of students, are accurate.

Their review of my daughter's work was most pleasing and confirmed my suspicions about an English teacher who perhaps was in urgent need of a lover or some hormone therapy!

Furthermore, I despatched my daughter's marked work (courteous letter included) without advising the BSE moderators of her Christian name or of which college she was attending. That way, there could be no suggestion of bias.

I am unaware of the change of name for these boards, since governments appear bent on continually changing the titles of their departments!

Peer assessments assume that the student has sufficient knowledge to judge whether the work is worthy of pass or failure. If the student has that level of knowledge then s/he should be the teacher.
The practice should be banned.
There is also enormous pressure to pass all students even at post-secondary level. I was once told I could not fail a student because she was the daughter of a Malaysian prince and the university in question feared a diplomatic incident if she was failed. I failed her anyway and her father accepted the result when he spoke to me. (Yes, I was contacted and questioned!)
There is also pressure to pass students from minority groupings whether they have reached the standard or not. It makes a mockery of standards. Equal opportunity legislation is sometimes (ab)used to get pass results - and the fear of negative publicity is rife.
This often makes it even harder for students who are struggling with a course - sometimes a course they should not have attempted in the first place. Standards in one university I attended and worked in were so low that the students in their third year of biology could not have passed a British "A" level in biology - and there are plenty of complaints about the standards in the UK!