Self and peer assessment

Self assessment means the process of having the learners critically reflect upon, record the progress of and perhaps suggest grades for, their own learning. The term peer assessment refers to the process of having the learners critically reflect upon, and perhaps suggest grades for, the learning of their peers.
Roberts, T. (2006)
Self, peer, and group assessment in e-learning, Information Science

Step 1: Rationale

In order to encourage effective participation, the rationale for using self or peer assessment should be explicit to everyone involved, particularly students.

[...] helping students to become skilled peer-assessors enables them not only to develop important high-order (generic) skills such as critical evaluation and communication, but also to develop important skills of self-assessment – arguably one of the most important goals of a higher education.
Mulder, Baik, Naylor and Pearce 2014, p. 672

Self assessment

  • Encourage reflection
  • Help lecturers focus their feedback (e.g. not telling students what they are already aware of)
  • An important skill in itself – helping students become more autonomous learners

Peer assessment

  • Students practice softer skills e.g. constructive criticism
  • Help students learn from each other and place their own work
  • Students naturally compare themselves with their peers
  • Encourage engagement with marking criteria
  • Promote deep learning e.g. evaluation
  • More efficient & timely feedback for large groups

Race, P. (2019) The lecturer’s toolkit – a practical guide to assessment, learning and teaching Routledge. (5th Edition) 

Step 2: Design

In Blackboard, you can use FeedbackFruits for peer assessment. FeedbackFruits offers two peer assessment formats:

  1. Peer Review - students submit an artefact (document or video) and review each other's work. Example: students review each other’s essays.
  2. Group Member Evaluation - students evaluate their peers. Example: following a period of groupwork, students review each other’s contribution to the group.

FeedbackFruits allows you to add a self-assessment element to either format. For self-assessment only, please consult with the Digital Education Office for advice on the most appropriate tool(s) for your situation.

If you require Peer Review with similarity checking, Turnitin PeerMark offers an alternative to FeedbackFruits. However, please note that Turnitin Peermark requires significant additional setup and administration for group-based assessments and for the management of lates and extensions.

Case studies

Step 3: Set up and test

Use the guidance below to set up and run through the FeedbackFruits activity in a test Blackboard course with a test student. It is essential to test before using real assessments; this will also enable you to see the student perspective. Failure to test may result in lost submissions or feedback. To request a test course or if there are any issues with your test, please contact digital-education@bristol.ac.uk. 

FeedbackFruits guidance for instructors on the two activity types 

DEO guidance 

Step 4: Implementation

Now you have tested your workflow you can implement it into your course. Follow the instructions in the guidance above just as you did for your test.

Tips for successful use of self and peer assessment

Step 5: Evaluation

Once the process is complete, it may be useful to use a student voice activity (eg a survey) to gather opinions on how the process went. This can help inform future self and peer assessment activities.