The paper “A Briefing on Self, Peer and Group Assessment” by Phil Race explores the roles of self-assessment, peer assessment, and group assessment in enhancing students’ learning and diversifying assessment approaches in higher education. It discusses the purposes of involving students in their own assessment, the benefits of self, peer, and group assessment, and the challenges associated with implementing these assessment tactics.
Robert, T. (2006) define self-assessment as a 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.
In other words, self-assessment can also refer to the evaluation of one’s own abilities, knowledge, and skills. It allows individuals to reflect on their own progress and identify areas for improvement and encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning and development.
Peer assessment involves the evaluation of an individual’s work by their peers. This can be done through mutual feedback or through formal evaluation processes. This can provide students with a sense of teamwork and collaboration, as well as promoting critical thinking and evaluation skills.
Group assessment refers to the evaluation of a group’s performance or contribution towards a task. It can be used to assess the effectiveness of group work and encourage students to work together towards a common goal. It can also provide valuable feedback to both the group and individual members, highlighting areas for improvement and acknowledging areas of success.
Importance of Student Involvement in Assessment
The paper emphasises the importance of involving students in their own assessment to deepen their learning experiences, develop skills for lifelong learning, and provide more feedback than would be possible through traditional assessment methods. It highlights the need for valid, reliable, and transparent assessment processes, and the benefits of diversifying assessment instruments and formats.
In addition to discussing the benefits, the paper also addresses the challenges and risks associated with self, peer, and group assessment, including issues related to reliability, moderation, and external scrutiny. It provides a comprehensive overview of the assessment tactics and their implementation, including processes for developing ownership of assessment criteria for peer-assessment, and various references for further reading and resources on assessment in higher education.
Diversifying Assessment Approaches
Furthermore, the article underlines the need to diversify assessment instruments and formats, aiming to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of students’ knowledge and skills. The author addresses the challenges in assessing group work and offers various approaches to assess individual contributions within a group, highlighting the advantages and drawbacks of each method.
Overall, the article offers a comprehensive overview of the principles and practices of self, peer, and group assessment, emphasizing their role in enhancing student learning and the need to ensure the validity, reliability, and transparency of these assessment approaches in higher education.
References:
Boud, D. (1995) Enhancing Learning through Self- Assessment. London: Kogan Page.
Gibbs, G. (1999) Using assessment strategically to change the way students learn. In: S.
Brown and A. Glasner (eds.) Assessment matters in higher education-choosing and
using diverse approaches. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Roberts, T. (2006) Self, peer, and group assessment in e-learning, Information Science.