2024/10/02 by Paul Fleckney, James Thompson, Paulo Vaz-Serra +1
Social Sciences · #Higher Education Learning Practices #Reflective Practices in Education #Student Assessment and Feedback
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/07294360.2024.2407083
openalex publication_date 2024/10/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The higher education shift to remote learning due to mobility restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to improve the student learning experience using more active learning models. One model is peer assessment. Despite positively impacting student learning, peer assessment uptake remains low, partly because designing effective peer assessment processes is complex. Frameworks provide good coverage of the necessary design considerations; however, a systematic synthesis of the literature on how to design effective peer assessment processes is needed. We find strong evidence that peer assessment is most effective as formative peer feedback whereby students can apply feedback to support their performance and learning. Assessor training, multiple peer review iterations, assessment flexibility, collaborative assessment and providing resources to engage students and educators in peer assessment processes can also improve student experience and learning outcomes. Conversely, we find mixed evidence for the effectiveness of anonymity, online v offline settings and peer marking. Based on these findings, we provide guidance for educators in designing effective peer assessment processes, which, we hope, will drive greater uptake of peer assessment in higher education and support students to benefit from enhanced learning opportunities.