Peer Review Module Development in the Blackboard Learning Management System

Abstract

In present education, a range of assessment methodologies are being used. From standard exercise deliveries to larger projects incorporating many sub-processes. With the introduction of Learning Management Systems (LMS), these methodologies became much more accessible. And by having a LMS that can be utilized as a development platform one is presented with a lot of possibilities, like being able to tailor the educational process through the use of digitized LMS content. This can in turn potentially enhance the learning outcome for the students.

One such assessment methodology is peer reviewing. And through analyzing state of the art software, researching on theoretical aspects closely related to peer reviewing, and conducting semi-structured interviews as part of a qualitative data gathering, we were able to identify important features and functionality which we used to design and develop a digital peer reviewing module.\\

This module was then integrated into Blackboard, a LMS that was about to be introduced at NTNU, by following an experimental development paradigm. The main focus was to map the overall potential of Blackboard as a development platform by identifying bottlenecks and opportunities with Blackboards development strategies, focusing on an implementation strategy called building blocks.

The main results of this master thesis can be split in two parts; The developed peer review prototype, including extended features like evaluations of reviews and process streamlining. And the developer experiences, a detailed summary for future developers to capitalize on in order to make more educational development choices.