SELF-EVALUATION AND PEER EVALUATION TOOL FOR DESIGN AND ENGINEERING TEAMS: EXPERIMENT CONDUCTED IN A DESIGN STUDIO

The paper presents the results of the experimentation of a self- and peer evaluation activity conducted in a design studio of the master's of science in Design & Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. A preliminary observation disclosed that many students are not often stimulated to reflect on the soft skills they develop through such project-based collaborative courses. This lack of self-reflection often determines a lack of awareness of their soft skills, which are very important in the contemporary work field. The research is aimed at designing a strategy to support the students' reflection through a self- and peer evaluation activity. These kinds of evaluations are widely employed in management education to assess teamwork through team member's eye. The presented experimentation is aimed at integrating the self-and peer evaluation practice in the Design & Engineering M.Sc. The experimentation, conducted during the three-months studio, revealed that the implementation of a structured self- and peer evaluation activity could have a positive impact on team members, stimulating them to reflect on their own soft skills. Besides, the combination of self- and peer evaluation enhances the reflection and provides a ground to constructively discuss about individuals' role in teamwork. The paper presents and discusses the activity to show how it can enhance the whole learning experience.