A simulated peer-assessment approach to improving student performance in chemical calculations

This paper describes the utility of using simulated, rather than real, student solutions to problems within a peer-assessment setting and whether this approach can be used as a means of improving performance in chemical calculations. The study involved a small cohort of students, of two levels, who carried out a simulated peer-assessment as a classroom activity and their improvement in performance and attitude towards the activity was measured. The results demonstrate that a simulated peer-assessment approach can be successfully used in lieu of standard peer-assessment and that student attitudes favour the simulated approach.