Peer assessment

Description

Peer Assessment ensures a fairer assessment of performance. Teachers can adjust individual grades with respect to the degree of contribution perceived by other members of a team. Therefore, it encourages students to contribute to the group and is considered as an effective way to facilitate teamwork in group projects.

Peer assessment benefits more than fairness. On one hand, it reduces teacher’s burden for the evaluation of individuals since teacher is no longer the only assessor to assess students’ performance. On the other, students benefit from reflecting their performance through the assessment.

Implementation

• Before using peer assessment: Teachers should begin to equip students with the ability to assess their own work and that of their peers. They might assign practice assignments for students to assess their team members as well as themselves, in situations that will not affect the final grades of the project or the individual. Teachers should also recommend guidelines to students and explain the criteria of the assessment form.
• After receiving the peer assessment: Teachers should follow up after an assessment. For example, teachers may talk to students who are given low marks for the assessment and inquire about their difficulties during the course of the group project.

Assessment criteria: Video embedded: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAiUr_PbIGo  (Presented by the Department of Education from University of Leiden and Department of Interactive Media from Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam)

The video presents a case study that measures the effectiveness of peer assessment in practice. From the video, teachers may learn tips for the selection of assessment criteria.

Extended reading

More information about peer assessment can be found on the papers and/or websites below:

Arnold, L., Willoughby, L., Calkins, V., Gammon, L., & Eberhart, G. (1981). Use of peer evaluation in the assessment of medical students. Journal of Medical Education, 56, 35–42.

Assessment Resource Centre. (2005). Self- and peer-assessment. Teachers can click on the link below for more information: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/assessment/arc/issues/self_peer.htm

Bostock, S. (2000). Student peer assessment. Keele University website. Teachers can click on the link below for more information: http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/landt/lt/docs/bostock_peer_assessment.htm

Falchikov, N. (1986). Product comparisons and process benefits of peer group and self assessments. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 11, 146–166.

Hanrahan, S. J., & Isaacs, G. (2001). Assessing self- and peer-assessment: the students’ views. Higher Education Research & Development, 20(1), 53–68.

Orpen, C. (1982). Student versus lecturer assessment of learning: a research note. Higher Education, 11(5), 567–572.

Van Gennip, A. E., Segers, M. S. R., & Tillema, H. H. (2009). Peer assessment for learning from a social perspective: The influence of interpersonal variables and structural features. Educational Research Review, 4(1), 41−54.