peerassessment

Peer assessment is a process in which learners evaluate the work of their peers against defined criteria. It can support formative feedback, promote understanding of assessment standards, and develop evaluative skills. In some contexts, peer assessments contribute to summative judgment when combined with instructor assessment and appropriate moderation.

Typical procedures involve distributing artifacts to several peers, providing a rubric, and giving structured feedback. Raters may be anonymous or named, and evaluations are often aggregated and moderated by the instructor to ensure fairness. Calibration exercises can improve reliability by aligning expectations across evaluators.

Benefits include increased critical thinking, deeper engagement with learning goals, and development of communication and collaboration skills. Peer assessment can broaden students’ perspectives and expose them to diverse feedback. It is also used in professional contexts, such as manuscript reviews and team project evaluations.

Limitations include questions about reliability and validity, potential biases from relationships or popularity, and variability in feedback quality. Mitigation strategies include clear rubrics, training in giving feedback, multiple assessors, anonymization, and ongoing instructor oversight.

Best practices emphasize transparent criteria, guidance on constructive feedback, and opportunities for students to reflect on and revise work in light of peer input. When well designed and integrated with teacher feedback, peer assessment can enhance learning outcomes without replacing instructor evaluation.