Designing and Implementing Self and Peer Assessment/Evaluation/Feedback
Why design and implement self and peer assessment?
Falchikov (2007: 139) outlines a useful set of features where peer (and self) involvement in assessment is considered beneficial. These features:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Are designed to enhance learning;
Require learners to take responsibility for their actions;
Encourage a reflective approach to learning;
Require students to identify and apply standards and criteria;
Provide some degree of modelling and/or scaffolding;
Involve learners in judging their performance or that of their peers – developing and using Sadler’s (1989 and 2005) evaluative expertise, providing,
seeking and utilising feedback;
7. Allow learners to practise peer and self-assessment skills in a variety of contexts;
8. Allow fading of support so that learners may move nearer towards assessment autonomy.
Checklist for designing and implementing self/peer assessment
Once you have decided that your students and unit could benefit from having self and peer assessment tasks/activities, you might find the below list of
questions helpful in designing and implementing your task. By answering these questions, you will have designed a plan to implement self and peer
assessment task.
For example, the following assessment task (described in grey below) is a team based activity where groups of five students are undertaking a project for
which they will generate a report and deliver a presentation:
Chie Adachi
Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
© Deakin University 2015
Document last updated 8 February 2016
Page 2 of 4
#
Questions
Options
Your reasons why and Actions
1
Is the task self- or peer- assessment or
both? And why?



SelfPeerBoth
2
Is the task aligned well with the intended
learning outcomes?

Both. Because both self and peer assessment allow students to
critically analyse the standards and evaluate themselves and
others fairly and accurately. Then students can compare their
own ratings/feedback with peers.
Yes, I have GLO7 team work aligned with one of my ULOs,
therefore peer assessment is a good way to address this.
3
Is the task formative or summative
assessment?


Deakin Graduate
Learning Outcome
(GLO)
Course Learning
Outcome (CLO)
Unit Learning
Outcome (ULO)
Formative
Summative
4
Is this task an individual task or
team/group task?


Individual
Team/group
5
What type of work is being evaluated?


Written work
Team/group work
process/skills
Team/group work
product
Knowledge
Skills



6
7
Does the task require students to
evaluate the KNOWLEDGE of team/group
work? or the SKILLS of team/group work?
*Note that team/group work SKILLS can
only be assessed by people involved in
that team/group work (often students
themselves).
What type of feedback will students give
and receive?




Qualitative (e.g.
comments)
Quantitate (e.g.
Formative.
This assessment involves team work work because students have
to work collaboratively to achieve one mutual goal/task (i.e.
project execution report and presentation)
The evaluation of the process/skills of conducting team work.
Actual skills of applying team work principles.
Both qualitative and quantitative, but none of it will influence
their grades as this task is formative.
Chie Adachi
Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
© Deakin University 2015
Document last updated 8 February 2016
Page 3 of 4
rating, marks)
8
What are the assessment criteria/rubrics?


Feedback sheet
(qualitative
comments)
Rubric (holistic vs
analytic)
Students
Academics
9
Do I create the assessment
criteria/rubrics or involve others
(students or academic colleagues) to
create them (together)?


10
What is the proportion of marks given to
students to be responsible? And why?
0-100%
11
Are the individual marks given as well as
group marks to students? If so, how are
they calculated?



12
Are exemplars/examples of work
provided?
high/mid/low quality of
work samples
13
What skills/knowledge do students need
in order to do self and peer
assessment/evaluation?




Critical thinking
Communication
Self-management
Team work
14
How am I going to facilitate students to
learn about:
- the assessment design
- the rubric/assessment
criteria/standards
- team/group work





Lecture
Seminar
Tutorial
Handbooks/resources
Readings
Individual marks
Group marks
Both
The first draft I did is an analytic rubric with much room to
encourage students to give qualitative feedback, but I am
intending to involve students to scrutinise this rubric and
construct a rubric together.
Students are involved in contributing to create the rubric
descriptors because I want them to critically analyse the
standards better and learn how to create a fair standard for
assessing their peers. I have organised a time to do this exercise
with my students in a seminar.
0%. This self and peer assessment is only an opportunity for
formative feedback and peer learning. Their marking does not
count towards the final grades in my unit.
Individual marks are calculated based on the group marks I give –
using SparkPlus. But they are given back to students only as
formative feedback along with other qualitative
feedback/comments.
Students engage with three levels of sample work and practise
marking against the rubric (high/mid/low quality of work)
Students need high level critical thinking skills to understand the
standards, apply them and make judgements about their own and
their peers’ work. They also need the communication skills to
effectively pass on the positive and constructive feedback to their
peers.
One-hour seminar is allocated to talk about the assessment
design, rubric, and principles of team work.
Chie Adachi
Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
© Deakin University 2015
Document last updated 8 February 2016
Page 4 of 4
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conflict resolutions among team
members
Will students get feedback on the
feedback/marking that they give? If so,
how? How do students know that they
did a good job of self and peer
assessment?

Feedback on
students’ self and
peer feedback
Comparison of their
marking with their
tutors/markers
Yes, in a one hour tutorial, students will be given feedback by
their tutors about their peer feedback responses.
What are students supposed to do with
the given self/peer feedback?
Use the given feedback
to improve their future
work
Students are invited to improve their work based on the given
feedback before the final submission.

Reference:
Falchikov, N. (2007). The place of peers in learning and assessment. In D. Boud & N. Falchikov (Eds.), Rethinking assessment in higher education: Learning for
the longer term (pp. 128-143). London: Routledge.
Chie Adachi
Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
© Deakin University 2015
Document last updated 8 February 2016