Peer Assessment

Recently, the concept of evaluative judgement has gained attention as a pedagogical approach to classroom formative assessment practices. Evaluative judgement is the capacity to be able to judge the work of oneself and that of others, which implies developing knowledge about one’s own assessment capability. A focus on evaluative judgement helps us to better understand what is the influence of assessment practices in the regulation of learning. In this paper, we link evaluative judgement to two self-regulated learning models (Zimmerman and Winne) and present a model on the effects on co-regulation of learning. The models help us to understand how students can be self-regulated through developing their evaluative judgement. The co-regulation model visualises how the learner can become more strategic in this process through teacher and peer assessment in which assessment knowledge and regulation strategies are shared with the learner. The connections we make here are crucial to strengthening our understanding of the influence of assessment practices on students’ learning.

Peer assessment (PA) is one of the most popular forms of alternative assessment currently used in higher education institutions worldwide. In the current study, PA was used as an inclusive assessment tool to enhance students' writing skills and motivation towards writing and learning in general. Forty-two undergraduate students attended an academic writing module for one academic semester. The overall aim was to develop their writing skills taking into consideration their individual differences and ensuring all students had an opportunity to succeed. Students received training in PA and were then involved in reciprocal anonymous PA. Findings indicated that learners improved their writing skills considerably and became more independent learners. Their motivation also increased as they could better understand the assessment criteria. However, they confessed that they needed more training and support and they believed that PA should also be used in other modules and courses to enhance student collaboration and reflection.

An important part of the process that enables us to improve ourselves as musicians in group music making involves developing an awareness of our personal attributes as they are displayed in the rehearsal. In order to help students become more aware of themselves and of their band members’ personal attributes as they rehearse, a peer assessment system was established. The project was piloted and developed at Barnsley College and University of Huddersfield (Barnsley Campus) with first year undergraduates on the BA Popular Music course across 2000–2008. Individuals agreed to allow their bands to identify particular personal attributes for each member that, they felt, could be improved and used as peer assessment criteria. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 students over a 4-year period and the following areas emerged as a focus of these: self-knowledge, feedback, confidence, honesty. The study has implications for devising peer assessment systems that are responsive to individual learners and their unique needs. It also suggests the desirability of providing peer assessment activities that might foster trust among participants and, if so, supports the provision of exceptional feedback. Now in its ninth year, this system has been refined into a model.


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The infographic summarises our experience as teachers using peer assessment in group work. We include our tips and checklists for using teammate peer assessment as one powerful tool to achieve fair and valid group assignments. We advocate the following seven steps for successful group assignments in academia.

STEP 1: PREPARE the team assignment as an authentic learning experience
STEP 2: TEAM - Build your class into equally-capable teams
STEP 3: TRAIN your students to give honest feedback accurately
STEP 4: SURVEY -  Create and distribute a teammate peer assessment survey
STEP 5: MANAGE - the peer assessment survey
STEP 6: FEEDBACK - Promote courageous conversations among your students
STEP 7: IMPROVE the next cycle of your students’ team assignments

The paper describes the development of a course on Risk Assessment aiming to enhance awareness and comprehension of the procedures; it was also intended to make the subject attractive and enjoyable to the students. Extra care was undertaken to employ multimedia tools and videos during the teaching of the course. Additionally, the course is graded on a combination of section-by-section

Onderwijskunde is de cursus van Paul Timmermans in het kader van de lerarenopleiding  muziek/woord aan het Lemmensinstituut Leuven (nu LUCA).
Deze cursus hier opgedeeld in acht segmenten is origineel niet bedoeld als zelfstudietekst maar een cursus bij de gegeven lessen. 
Nu in 2021 volgde in functie van de online publicatie op academia.edu nog een update (12de revisie).
De cursus “Onderwijskunde” is vandaag een geschikt medium om algemeen en praktisch inzicht te verwerven in het actueel onderwijzen en leren op alle niveaus. Maar vooral voor honderden nieuwe leraren-in-spe die een carrièreswitch maken naar het beroep van leraar, nl. de talrijke zij-instromers, kan deze “Onderwijskunde” een volwaardige oriëntatie bieden op alle facetten van het leraarschap anno 2021.
Deze cursus “Onderwijskunde” is opgesplitst in acht units: 0. Opzet  /I. Didactisch referentiekader/ II. Doelstellingen./ 3. Beginsituatie / IV. Krachtige leeromgeving  / V. Evaluatie. I tot V = algemene didactiek. /VI. Het Vlaams onderwijslandschap / VII. Alternatieve onderwijssystemen.
Omdat deze delen apart op academia.edu gepost worden, begint elk deel telkens met de inhoudstafel van de volledige cursus en met het didactisch basisschema, zodat de situering in het geheel verzekerd is.
Elke unit begint met minimumdoelen zodat de zelfstandig studerende de rode draad blijft waarnemen en zich niet verliest in details die de cursus kruiden tot een levendig en boeiend verhaal.
Paul Timmermans

上級の学生を対象に2012年冬学期に開講した翻訳実習コースは、日本語という第二言語を通じて日英翻訳・英日翻訳の基本的なスキルを学ぶと同時に、実践的な翻訳作業を通じて翻訳に必要な日本語能力を身につけることを狙いとしている。翻訳の中でも実務翻訳に特化し、広告・ビジネス文書・新聞記事・製品マニュアル等、多ジャンルにわたる生教材を主教材に、実践的な翻訳作業を通じて学習者に翻訳技術を学ばせた。
実際にコースを運営していく過程で見えてきたのは、本コースで翻訳の基礎を学んだ学習者が、より専門的な翻訳技術のために、コース修了後も自律して訓練を続ける必要があるということである。このような自律的な学習者を育てるために、本コースでは、学習者の協働に重きをおき、協働プロジェクトやピアラーニングといった、学習者主体の授業活動を試みた。これは、ピアラーニングによって、学習者が自身の学習に責任を持ち、教室を超えて自律性を育むことが可能になる（ナズキアン, 2010）という研究結果を踏まえたアプローチである。例えば、クラス全員で安全の手引きを翻訳するプロジェクトでは、翻訳者と添削者でチームを作り、協働して翻訳の質を高めた。翻訳課題では、翻訳を客観的に評価、考察する能力を伸ばすために、学習者は課題の翻訳をクラウド(Dropbox)上に載せ、教師の評価に先立って学習者同士で互いの翻訳を批評・添削した。
このような授業活動の結果、学習者の翻訳技術は短期間で上達した。本発表では、学習者主体の授業活動とその狙いを具体的に解説するとともに、その試みをいかに自律学習につなげていくか、今後の課題も踏まえて考察する。

Öz Bu araştırmada öğretmen adaylarının öz-akran ve öğretmen değerlendirme-sine ilişkin görüşlerini ortaya çıkarmak amaçlanmıştır. Araştırma nitel araştırma yaklaşımına uygun olarak tasarlanmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu bir devlet üniversitesinde öğrenim gören 37 öğretmen adayı oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada öğretmen adaylarının öz, akran ve öğretmen değerlendirmesine ilişkin görüşleri alınmıştır. Veri analiz yöntemi olarak içerik analizi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın bulgularına göre öz, akran ve öğretmen değerlendirmesinin üstün yanına ilişkin sırasıyla üç, dört, altı olmak üzere toplam on üç, sınırlı yanına ilişkin sırasıyla iki, üç, iki olmak üzere toplam yedi tane alt kategori belirlenmiştir. Abstract In this study, it was aimed to reveal the opinions of preservice teachers on self-,peer-and teacher assessments. Qualitative research design was used in this study. The study group of the research consisted of 37 preservice teachers at a public university. The preservice teachers' opinions about self, peer and teacher assessments were examined.Content analysis method was used to analyze data. According to the findings of the research, regarding the superior side of self, peer and teacher evaluation thirteen subcategories were determined and these categories was three, four and six, respectively. In relation to the limited side, seven subcategories were determined and these categories two, three and two, respectively.

This paper discusses the importance of holistic assessment in the teaching and learning process at all levels of education, both in schools and in higher education institutions. Redesigning classroom assessment for holistic learning to improve student learning is not a new idea. Educators conduct assessment for a variety of purposes such as determining the level of student academic achievement or identifying weaknesses and strengths of students. Educators need to be equipped with ways to maintain these processes to determine the quality of student achievement. Assessment should reflect the understanding that learning is a complex process by engaging a varied selection of techniques, comprising those that require real and authentic performance, utilising them over a period so as to disclose evolution, progress, and emergent steps of integration. The assessment should be continuous and balanced. Implementing holistic assessment benefits the students, teachers and stakeholders. Educato...

日本語学習者が留学・ホームステイ・企業研修などで翻訳の依頼を受けることは少なくないと思われるが、アメリカの大学の日本語プログラムにおいて、体系的に翻訳の技術を学ぶ機会は非常に少ないという報告がある（Hasegawa, 2011）。実際、長期留学を終えた学生から、日本で翻訳技術の必要性を痛感したという声をよく聞く。そのようなニーズに応えるため、上級の学生を対象に実務翻訳に特化した翻訳実習コースを2012年冬学期に開講した。本発表ではそのコースの授業活動について報告する。
本コースでは、新聞記事・製品マニュアル等、多ジャンルにわたる生教材を主教材に用い、実践的な翻訳作業を通じて学習者に翻訳技術を学ばせた。授業活動を特色づける要素は二点あり、第一に、ピアラーニングである。学習者は課題の翻訳をクラウド(Dropbox)上に載せ、教師の評価に先立って学習者同士で互いの翻訳を批評した。ピアラーニングによって、学習者が自身の学習に責任を持ち、教室を超えて自律性を育むことが可能になる（ナズキアン, 2010）という研究結果を踏まえて、本コースで実務翻訳の基礎を学んだ学習者が、より専門的な翻訳技術のために将来的に自律して訓練を続けていくことを狙いとした。第二に、「読者・用途・効果」という概念への意識づけである。翻訳とは、特定の読者を対象とし、何らかの用途があり、何らかの効果を期待して行うものであることを意識化させ、それを翻訳に反映させた。この二点を基軸とした授業活動の結果、学習者の翻訳技術は短期間で上達した。
コース終了時に実施した学生へのアンケートでは本コースはおおむね好評を得ることができたが、今後の課題として、翻訳技術を学ぶだけにとどまらず、翻訳作業を通じて学習者がどのように日本語の能力を伸ばしていけるかを検討したい。

Laboratory and practical work are characteristic features of an undergraduate degree program in any engineering discipline. Trying to incorporate practical work successfully in to the engineering curriculum can present a number of challenges. Laboratory and practical work are expensive to run, sometimes requiring specialist equipment to be purchased that can rapidly become obsolete. Despite the challenges, the application of theory in a practical setting remains an expected and fundamental part of the engineering curriculum. The challenge now is for program teams to consider how the knowledge, skills and attributes that we desire to develop through such practical activities, can be facilitated in an appropriate, effective and efficient way within an engineering degree program for the 21st century. The aim of this review paper is to summarize the literature available in the form of books, journal papers and articles on the alternative approaches for learning, assessment and evaluation of laboratories in the engineering education.

This paper advances a model describing how peer assessment supports self-assessment. Although prior research demonstrates that peer assessment promotes self-assessment, the connection between these two activities is underspecified. This model, the assessment cycle, draws from theories of self-assessment to elaborate how learning takes place through peer assessment. The model is applied to three activity structures described in the literature to analyse their potential to support learning by promoting self-assessment. Broadly speaking, the model can be used to understand learning that takes place in a variety of peer assessment activities: marking/grading, analysis, feedback, conferencing and revision. This approach contrasts most studies on peer assessment, which have focused on calibration of instructor and peer grades, rather than learning opportunities.

In late 2014 an observer commented that I could improve my teaching by encouraging learners to rely less on the teacher for feedback, and I should think of ways to push students to work harder during this phase of a lesson.

It was through this process that I was introduced to the Cambridge English/English UK Action Research Scheme and subsequently peer assessment. Writing was chosen for two reasons. First, I felt it was the skill that was most neglected in my classroom and, despite lots of writing being done in the form of notes or practising grammatical structures, teaching writing and analysing it were not common practice. Second, writing covered a concrete opportunity for students to assess each other’s work at A2/pre-intermediate level, whereas an assessment of oral performance would be both too subjective and too diffcult. My hope was that through regular consultation with each other about their written work, students would move from a position of needing someone to point out their own errors to being able to see them for themselves. I was keen to use peer assessment as a way of fostering the students’ future autonomy. My interest was further piqued to learn about the relative scarcity of application of peer assessment in EFL.

My study took place at Eurocentres Bournemouth, a private language school o ering General English courses to students from 16 years of age. Over a 12-week period, 28 students, aged from 17 to 65, participated from 11 countries in an A2 class. Students stayed from between a week to 12 weeks.

This study describes how the use of quality formative assessment in a university course contributes to learning improvement. There is an increased interest among educational researchers to determine improvement of student learning that result from assessment practices. Quality formative assessment includes formative feedback, self-assessment and peer assessment. The study followed a partially mixed sequential research design and applied a quasi-experimental intervention that lasted for six weeks where six educators applied quality formative assessment on lessons of a general psychology course for intervention group students (N= 191) in which the quantitative data were collected by formative assessment questionnaire and achievement test before and after the use of quality formative assessment. The qualitative data were collected by focus group discussions with the students. The students' pretest and posttest achievement scores were compared between the intervention (N =191) and the comparison (N = 187) groups. The quantitative analysis used t-test and biserial correlation and attested the presence of statistically significant difference between the two groups in the posttest score. Moreover, effect size estimate (Cohen's d) was used to provide a validation on the variation between the two groups on the posttest achievement score. Recommendations were made to promoting the use of quality formative assessment aiming at the improvement of student learning achievement in university classes.

Slide presentate durante gli interventi "Una 'scaena' digitale per il 'Miles gloriosus'„ (Seminario di Didattica del Latino, UNIPI - 7 novembre 2017; prof.ssa Elena Rossi Linguanti) e "Dal PNSD alla Didattica per Competenze„ (Corso di Storia della Lingua Italiana A, UNIPI - 22 novembre 2017; prof.ssa Roberta Cella).

Schwab, Michael. 2018. ‘Peer-Reviewing in the “Journal for Artistic Research”’, in Evaluating Art and Design Research. Reflections, Evaluation Practices and Research Presentations, ed. by Walter Ysebaert and Binke Van Kerckhoven (Brussels: VUBPRESS), pp. 52–59.

The interest in assessment for learning (AfL) has resulted in a search for new modes of assessment that are better aligned to students’ learning how to learn. However, with the introduction of new assessment tools, also questions arose with respect to the quality of its measurement. On the one hand, the appropriateness of traditional, psychometric criteria is being questioned in the context of assessment for learning. On the other hand, it has been argued that new criteria need to be formulated to acknowledge the unique features of assessment for learning. The issue dealt with in this review is what quality criteria are specifically relevant to AfL. Studies using (peer) assessment for learning were evaluated with regard to use of quality criteria under two perspectives: their recognition of educational measurement criteria, as well as their consideration of student involvement in the assessment of learning. The selected studies were analyzed to determine what specific criteria were ...

A common drawback of a subjective test lies in scoring, which may result in scores that are too high or too low. This problem occurred in one of the classes that the author taught in the English Department of Surabaya State University (UNESA) when two learners expressed their doubts about the objectivity of the author in giving scores. To overcome the problem, action research was conducted. The subjects of the study were twenty-four undergraduates taking the elective course Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). At the end of the semester, they took an oral exam to evaluate their understanding of the materials. During the exam, they had to assess themselves (self-assessment) and their classmates (peer-assessment). At the same time, the author as a lecturer also assessed them (teacher assessment). The results showed that the teacher assessment yielded the lowest mean (1.63), whereas the mean of scores obtained from the peer assessment was higher (1.76). It was the learners themselves who overestimated their knowledge about TEYL, resulting in the highest mean (1.79). The mark of each undergraduate was the average of the scores they got from the self-, peer and teacher assessments. In this way, the subjectivity of the teacher in assessing the undergraduates could be eliminated and fairness in determining the scores could be improved.

Most of the research concerning the validity of the selection & assessment interviews has a low degree of validity, relevance, ecological validity and impact. We all have read in the course of the years the classical papers developed from 1940s on the validity of the method of selection & assessment interview. The results show regularly little validity of these selection methods – and seldom a more reliability – and the great prominence of the psychological test: in particular, aptitude and intelligence test (psychometric test), and more structured, or behavioral, interviews and behavioral Assessment Center). To be more specific, the psychometric approach and techniques result as more valid (and reliable) than the “clinical”, psychosocial and psychodynamic approach, in which the human being is viewed as a whole.
In my opinion the great part of this kind of research has little or no real and technical relevance, and no practical evidence, because of the confusion made on a central matter: the professional identity of the interviewer, or assessor.

Trovare strumenti digitali efficaci per una didattica del latino che coinvolga le nuove tecnologie non è un’impresa semplice. In assenza di un sistema funzionante di valutazione qualitativa delle risorse, questo contributo offre un’analisi basata su quattro criteri: il rapporto con il modello teorico SAMR (Puentedura, 2016), i progressi nell’apprendimento, il feedback degli studenti e la facilità di costruire sinergie funzionali con altri strumenti.
L’analisi fa riferimento ai risultati ottenuti in seguito alla sperimentazione di un percorso pensato per ridefinire la didattica del latino nel liceo linguistico e strutturato per unità di apprendimento progettate per lo sviluppo di competenze anche trasversali.

Inspired from problematic nature of writing, this study adopted an action research through peer editing as a way of developing writing skills of students at an ELT department. This study was designed through the specific stages of an action research which are planning, action, observation and reflection. In planning and action stages, the researchers designed general and specific criteria to follow during the cycles, and they applied these criteria accordingly. In observation stage, the peer editing processes in specific cycles were observed. The researchers used cycles at this stage. These cycles were application processes which were followed step by step during peer editing. In reflection stage, reflections of the participants on peer editing in writing classes were gathered through a form. Qualitative data collected from participants were analyzed and reported descriptively at the end. The reflections were categorized as before and after writing classes, advantages and disadvantages of peer editing. In conclusion, peer editing in writing classes affects foreign language learners positively, and peer editing can be used in writing classes as an alternative way of developing ELT students' writing skills.

This research, conducted by the author when a Senior Researcher at Newcastle University, UK, was funded by a UK governance organisation to help them assess, integrate and improve their understanding of the governed population.

ABSTRACT: Governance organisations have been urged to develop more holistic evidence-based approaches with partners to better deal with issues affecting the governed population. This presupposes an understanding of the population, yet there has been little research work addressing how governance organisations come to understand their governed population, nor how this understanding can be improved upon within such organisations.

This case study examined in-depth how understanding of a governed population was developed within one UK local governance organisation and it explored how such understanding might be developed and improved through more holistic and evidence-based organisational learning within the organisation and its governance partnerships.

The research methodology involved placement within the governance organisation, participant observations on several projects and innovative initiatives, observations within, across, and outside the organisation, and also interviews with varied key stakeholders.

The study examined:

- stakeholder engagement and networks
- current and varied understandings of the population
- mechanisms actually used for developing understandings
- the influence of context on organisational learning

and analysed these to arrive at a recommendations to improve organisational understanding of the governed population.

In the case studied, significant strengths were found: including innovative past learning trials for development, extensive ongoing networking activities, and many varied and accumulating quantitative datasets available across partnerships.

However, entrenched organisational approaches and practices constrained the development of holistic evidence-based understanding, for instance: the absence of systematic maintained collective learning processes; weak recording and forgetting of understandings; methodological exclusion of stakeholders from the development of understanding; the relative neglect of qualitative data, explanations, investigations, interpretations, and reflexivity; and also implicit organisational acceptance of such limitations and low aspirations.

Nonetheless, untapped opportunities existed to enable change including: latent practitioner knowledge and innovative management champions, the desire for improvement and raised aspirations within learning networks, and the development potential of alterative learning approaches.

It was concluded that more holistic evidence-based understanding was possible, but required new learning approaches beyond those then in use in both local government or academia.   

Recommendations are made to utilise and develop improved organisational learning approaches trialed and reported in the case study.

It is argued that the case study findings, conclusions, and recommendations may be applicable to other similar local governance organisations and partnerships that seek to better understand local populations, services and interventions.

The work was also submitted for, and awarded, an MPhil (at Newcastle University, supervised by Prof. Patsy Healy)