The Centre for Educational Development has identified a selection of online materials and resources to assist colleagues who may be interested in implementing peer and self-assessment.
Key authors, with abstracts where available of some of their materials, together with sources from websites are identified. We intend to provide on an ongoing basis examples and case studies, backed up by website addresses, and to identify subject areas where colleagues can access more specific pieces of work relevant to their academic areas.
We hope that you will find the web-page useful.
1. What are peer and self-assessment?
They are both innovative forms of assessment that support student learning.
Self assessment - is a process where students are involved in and are responsible for assessing their own piece of work. It encourages students to become independent learners and can increase their motivation.
Peer assessment - is where students are involved in the assessment of the work of other students. Students must have a clear understanding of what they are to look for in their peers' work.
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2. Why do we use peer and self assessment?
Self assessment may
• be used to help develop in students the ability to examine and think critically about their learning,
• help students to determine what criteria should be used in judging their work and to apply these objectively to their own work in order to facilitate their continuing learning.
• be undertaken as part of the assessment requirements of a course or as an exercise within the course's requirements.
Peer assessment may
• be used to develop in students the ability to work cooperatively, to be critical of others’ work and receive critical appraisals of, and feedback on, their own work.
• provide students with some insight into the criteria to be used for marking a piece of assessable work.
• also be a way of ascribing a mark or grade to a student’s work for summative purposes.
(Reference: http://www62.gu.edu.au/policylibrary.nsf/alldocscat/65e95921348eb64c4a256bdd0062f3b0
Griffith University 2002)
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3. What are the benefits of peer and self assessment?
• Students internalize the criteria for high-quality work.
Students who see clear models of work that meet the standards and understand why the work meets the standards will begin to make comparisons between their performance and the Exemplars presented. As tasks become more complex and open ended, it is essential that more than one model be provided to assure that students understand different strategies to meet the standards.
• Students understand the process of getting to the standard.
Rubrics should show students where they have been, where they are now, and where they need to be at the end of the task. Describing progressive levels of performance becomes a guide for the journey, rather than a blind walk though an assessment maze.
• Teachers involve students in the monitoring process and shift some of the responsibility for documenting and justifying learning to the students.
Research has demonstrated that high-performing learners do the following:
• Self-monitor
• Self-correct
• Use feedback from peers to guide their learning process
Student rubrics, written to identify the essence of the expected learning, can be an excellent vehicle for reflective thinking and peer conferencing.
(Reference – Exemplars: standards-based Assessment and Instruction; http://www.exemplars.com/resources/formative/assessment.html)
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4. When is it appropriate to use peer and self-assessment?
Peer and self assessment are very appropriate when use for formative purposes – i.e. to provide feedback. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that students learn from giving feedback to other students, as well as from receiving peer feedback.
Peer assessment can also be used summatively as part of the module mark. Lecturers can parallel mark and factor in the peer mark (though the peer mark should be meaningful, say at least 10%, though no more than 25% to be in line with QUB regulations). The process should be carefully moderated and there should be an appeals process, with the lecturer as the final arbiter. If the peer marking is conducted anonymously, the reliability of the peer assessment process may well increase.
Self assessment is usually conducted for formative rather than summative purposes. However, students can be asked to submit a self assessment of a piece of work, along with the assignment itself, and this can be marked by the tutor. This approach encourages reflection and self criticism.
The following areas lend themselves to peer assessment:
• Student presentations
• Poster displays
• Group process (during projects)
Peer assessment involves students assessing the performance of other students. This is often appropriate in assessing group work, and is particularly valuable if both product and process are assessed. (Reference – Group, peer an self-assessment http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/resources/assessment/group.html )
• Problems (in mathematical subjects)
• Reports/essays (in particular plans or first drafts)
• Annotated bibliographies
• Practicals (e.g. lab reports )
• Portfolios
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5. Challenges and possible solutions
• Students’ attitudes: e.g. “marking is your job, not mine” – emphasise that peer and self-assessment are useful procedures for the student’s own development
• Peer pressure on students not to mark down their colleagues – point out that this can be done anonymously by students
• Students’ lack of confidence in process – practice will show that the process does work
• Students do not understand criteria – workshops can be held to explain the process better
(see Falchikov, N, ‘Unpacking Peer Assessment’ in Assessment, P Schwartz and G Webb (Eds, 2002)
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6. How to get started
• Use peer assessment for formative assessment, at least initially
• Peer Feedback Marking, see Falchikov 2002
• If used summatively, give students “mark-free” practice first
• Take it slowly and prepare students for the process
• Be explicit about the reasons for and benefits of using peer assessment
• Keep the system simple
• Provide clear marking criteria, and possibly involve students in discussing or negotiating the criteria
See Race, P The Lecturer’s Toolkit, (2001)
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7. What QAA has to say
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeOfPractice/section6/default.asp
(Reference: Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education Section 6: Assessment of students – September 2006)
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8. What QUB has to say
Some areas of the University use student peer and self assessment as part of the formal assessment procedure for certain modules. The University’s Guidelines for this form of assessment may be found at http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/AcademicStudentAffairs/FileStore/Filetoupload,53834,en.pdf (Section 5.10 "Student, Peer & Self-Assessment).
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9. Key Resources
There is a wealth of information on the internet concerning peer and self assessment but some of the key publications/resources which you might find helpful are:
Professor David Boud
Professor Boud's recent publications:
http://www.education.uts.edu.au/ostaff/staff/boud_publications.html (Link currently unavailable)
For information on the author, click here http://www.education.uts.edu.au/ostaff/staff/david_boud.html
Queen's/AISHE held a joint Seminar with Prof David Boud and guest speaker on Thursday 26 June 2008
Click here to view presentation
Professor John Cowan
Making Effective Use of Peer and Self Assessment: http://apu.gcal.ac.uk/ciced/Ch26.html
For further information on the author, click here
http://www.ed.napier.ac.uk/about/john.htm
Dr Nancy Falchikov
• Learning Together; Peer Tutoring in Higher Education (RoutledgeFalmer) - http://books.google.co.uk/books?q=learning+together%2C+peer+tutoring+in+higher+education%2C+nancy+falchikov&btnG=Search+Books&as_brr=0
• Peer Feedback Marking: Developing Peer Assessment, Innovations in Education & Training International, 32, 175-187 – Abstract: Reviews studies of peer assessment in higher education and describes a study that attempted to capitalize on the benefits of peer assessment in terms of improving the learning process, sharpening critical abilities, and increasing student autonomy. Results indicate a close correspondence between lecturer and peer assessment.
• Improving Learning through critical peer feedback and reflection http://www.herdsa.org.au/confs/1996/falchikov.html
• Improving Assessment Through Student Involvement (2004) – Abstract: Staff developers, lecturers, and researchers in both higher and further education institutions will welcome this comprehensive yet critical guide to achieving effective student involvement in assessment. Based on worldwide literature on the topic and over fifteen years of research by the author, it includes chapters on self, peer, collaborative, and group assessment and feedback, as well as a look at key issues such as reliability, viability, and maintenance of quality. Problems associated with student involvement are also explored and practical solutions that can be implemented are discussed. This highly accessible book is grounded in day-to-day practice and is full of helpful advice, provides answers to frequently asked questions, and gives suggestions for further reading throughout.
Dr Nancy Falchikov is a respected authority on peer assessment and worked for many years as a teacher and researcher in higher education.
Professor Mick Healey
Healey, M (1999) using Peer and Self Assessment for Assessing the Contribution of Individuals to a Group Project, University of Gloucestershire: http://www2.glos.ac.uk/gdn/abstracts/a69.htm
For information on the author, click here http://www.glos.ac.uk/faculties/ehs/sciences/staff/mhealey.cfm
Professor Phil Race –
Race, P (2001) A Briefing on Self, Peer and Group Assessment, Higher Education Academy publication, downloadable from http://www.palatine.ac.uk/files/970.pdf
Race, P (2001) Assessment: A Guide for Students, Higher Education Academy publication downloadable from
http://www.phil-race.com/files/student%20guide%20to%20assessment.pdf
For information on the author, click here http://www.phil-race.com/
HEA resources
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources
http://www.materials.ac.uk/newsletter/issue4/top10ideas.asp
In particular see the ASSHE Inventory: Changing assessment practices in Scottish Higher Education which has a number of case studies on the use of peer and self assessment.
http://www.palatine.ac.uk/themes/ASSHE/
In addition, some of the Academy’s subject centres also have subject-specific resources related to peer and self assessment in the disciplines.
The HEA Subject Centres
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/SubjectNetwork.htm
The HEA provides discipline-based support through the Subject Network of 24 Subject Centres. Some of the Subject Centres that have carried out subject specific work on peer and self assessment are as follows:
Biosciences
http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/
Social Policy and Social Work (SWAP)
http://www.swap.ac.uk/
Geography
http://www.gees.ac.uk/
Law (UK Centre for Legal Education – UKCLE)
http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/index.html
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10. Examples and case studies
Some examples are set out below and, if you are doing any work in relation to peer and self-assessment and would like it included here on the CED website, please let us know by emailing ced@qub.ac.uk
Essays - Pain, Rachel (1996) Using self and peer assessment to improve students’ essay writing: a case study. Division of geography and Environmental Management, University of Northumbria http://www2.glos.ac.uk/gdn/abstracts/a14.htm
Group projects - Healey, M (1999) Using peer and self assessment for assessing the contribution of individuals to a group project, University of Gloucestershire http://www2.glos.ac.uk/gdn/abstracts/a69.htm
