This pilot study explores
peer assessment using student co-designed rubrics as a strategy that might
enhance the clarity of assessment tasks for students and lead to their greater
engagement with assessment. The strategy was implemented twice. Student
responses, collected in a focus group, suggested the first implementation was
not as successful as we had hoped, and the second was designed with alterations
intended to improve the experience for students, which included collecting
students’ responses online. The research is qualitative, and narrative-based
rather than data-focused. The student cohorts are too small, and too different
in size, to make generalisations possible. Nevertheless, the two iterations of
the experiment yielded interesting contrasts and suggestions for future
practice.Many
academics might be interested in peer assessment but unsure about its
effectiveness or how best to implement it. This research indicates ways that it
may be used to enhance students’ experience of assessment.
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