Assessment and feedback in an online context: Peer assessment

What's the idea? Moving from the classroom to online learning presents new challenges, including around assessment and feedback practices. Many of the principles of good feedback and assessment can still apply to the online environment, they just need to be reframed to fit this new context. Regardless of the setting, there are some key considerations around assessments that teachers need to bear in mind. Peer assessment is not only a good way for pupils to support each others’ learning but also helps them to continue to feel part of a classroom community. This compact guide therefore looks at the principles of peer assessment and how they can be applied to online learning. What does the research say? Peer assessment does not simply mean that one pupil reviews and marks another pupil’s work. It works best as a formative process. As with self assessment, covered in another Compact Guide in this series, pupils need clear worked examples that show them the desired end product and