Assessment: 2. Self and peer assessment

Learning approaches

Assessment

2. Self and peer assessment

Hilary Burgess with material adapted from the SAPHE Project (Self Assessment in Professional and Higher Education Project)

Definitions

Self assessment (SA) involves students taking responsibility for monitoring and making judgements about aspects of their own learning. It can be broken down into two stages (Boud):

1.	Identifying standards and/or criteria to apply to an understanding of subject content
2.	Making judgements about the extent to which they have met these criteria and standards

'Self assessment' can be a way of assessing the product of learning but it is a learning process in itself. It is a way of improving student learning by passing on skills of evaluation and critical judgement to students. In this sense the term 'self evaluation' may be more appropriate since it is about developing students' ability to make judgements about the quality of material.

Thus SA can be both formative and summative.

Peer assessment can likewise be both formative and summative, and can be a useful way of enabling students to think critically about their own work. For peer assessment it is essential to develop clear guidelines about giving feedback to others.

Why introduce SA and PA?

Self and Peer assessment may

1.	help students become critical about their own work
2.	enable students to develop their learning and assessment skills whilst engaged on them rather than afterwards
3.	provide a structure for discussion about quality of work
4.	help students understand the subjective nature of judgements in assessment in many arenas, which can only be substantiated by reference to other work
5.	be used as evidence of standards engagement in process of assessment

Ground Rules for giving Feedback

These can be developed with students, but should cover the following points

1.	It is best for students to make comments about their own strengths and weaknesses before hearing/receiving other people's views
2.	Identify strengths of work first, before moving on to areas for improvement
3.	Try to make comments descriptive rather than evaluative
4.	Give feedback based on concrete behaviour/examples rather than giving a general impression
5.	Back up comments with evidence
6.	Make sure the feedback can be clearly understood

Examples of S&PA

1. Early essay title

Students discuss in groups the criteria by which it should be marked. They write the essay, and submit it with a narrative SA comment about how well they think they have met the criteria. Marks can be assigned in different ways (e.g. 80% on essay, 20% on reflective narrative OR 60% on staff marking of essay, 20% student mark, 20% on reflective narrative). PA can be introduced by students exchanging essays at draft stage and giving each other feedback.

2. Self Evaluation/Personal Learning Profile

At the start of a course, or specific module, students identify their personal strengths and weaknesses in learning. This might be through a questionnaire (see p.42 SAPHE Guide) or narrative to set or negotiated headings. They discuss this with a colleague or in small groups, identify 2-4 areas to work on during the module and review this at the end.

3. Lecture notes.

Students bring examples of notes they have taken at a recent lecture. They exchange these with a colleague and give feedback to each other and the group on helpful techniques. Students discuss the purpose of lecture notes and how they might be used for assignments/exam preparation. Identify strategies for storing notes.

4. Presentation exercises

In a module where a student presentation is set, the criteria for assessment can be agreed by the students at the start of the unit (or supplied by staff and amended). After the presentation is given they rank their performance against the criteria. A mark can also be derived from peer assessment. As in (1) above, the weighting to self, peer and staff marking can be varied.

5. Completing self assessment as a formal requirement

For any module, students can be encouraged to complete a self-assessment schedule as a formal requirement. This may be given a mark or simply designated satisfactory or unsatisfactory (i.e. demonstrates reflection and engagement in the task)

6. Skills assessment

A self-assessment schedule can be used to plan and evaluate work during a negotiated module on skills learning (see example from Bristol University below)

7. Reflective diaries

There are many ways of keeping these. One approach (see UWE example in SAPHE guide) is to use a format (at least at the beginning of the course) with headings such as

Make a note of something you found interesting in the lecture/seminar
Why was it interesting
How does it connect with your own life/practice experience?
How might this inform your practice as a social worker
How might users benefit from your learning?
How might your learning add to your understanding of 'good' practice

At UWE this was also used as a basis for a timed assignment (exam)

8. Portfolio and placement learning

There are many examples now of students writing up analyses of practice as part of their evidence for portfolio submissions for practice learning in social work. Another suggestion is to ask students to rank their own skills in sessions that are observed by the practice teacher, before s/he gives feedback. In placements for social policy students, self-assessment can also be used to enable students to reflect on issues like

Their understanding of the organisation
Their ability to forge productive working relationships with staff in the organisation
Timekeeping and time management

Some issues/questions re S&PA

Students need preparation
Staff need preparation and sometimes training
Since a dialogue is opened about assessment, some difficult questions may be asked!
S&PA can raise complex (and important) questions about culture and gender

IDENTIFYING FACTORS THAT HELP OR HINDER DEVELOPING SELF-ASSESSMENT PRACTICES

From SAPHE Staff Guide to Self and Peer Assessment

Practices	Tick whatever applies in your setting
Staff carry implicit assessment criteria that they do not articulate to themselves or communicate to other staff and students.
Common assessment criteria agreed for modules or courses, written down and available to staff.
Common assessment criteria agreed for modules or courses, written down and available to staff and students (these may be determined by a professional body).
Interpretation of criteria negotiated and agreed by staff.
Interpretation of criteria negotiated and agreed by staff and students.
Multiple-choice questions/exemplars/models provided to students for them to self-assess.
Criteria with detailed interpretation and performance criteria set externally, for example in National Vocational Qualifications.
Criteria set externally with room for negotiation of interpretation in particular contexts.
Course work assessed (again the questions about criteria posed earlier can be considered).
Self-assessment component of assignment/project/exam given marks by staff.
Self-assessment component of assignment/project/exam given marks by staff and students.
Students assess their own assignment/project/exam and negotiate the grade with staff and sometimes peers.
Self- and peer-assessment giving oral and/or written feedback.
Self- and peer-grading.

IDENTIFYING FACTORS THAT HELP OR HINDER DEVELOPING SELF-ASSESSMENT PRACTICES

From SAPHE Staff Guide to Self and Peer Assessment

	Factors that help	Factors that hinder
Institutional context	e.g. good induction programme for all new staff	e.g. emphasis on traditional research rather than on teaching and learning
Discipline	e.g. pressure from professional interest groups	e.g. pressure from professional interest groups
Faculty/department	e.g. internal monitoring report raises concerns about students' understanding of assessment criteria	e.g. push towards standardisation across departments
Staff group	e.g. collaborative approach	e.g. sceptical of any new developments
Student group	e.g. clear about assessment criteria	e.g. lack of confidence, unwillingness to accept 'new' approaches to assessment
Resources available	e.g. access to IT resources	e.g. room shortages

SELF ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR PLANNING AND REFLECTION FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

University of Bristol

1 Learning Objective	2 How will you work towards this	3 How will you know about your progress	4 Progress in reaching objective	5 Evidence	6 What got in the way	7 Further work needed
Examples
To learn about and develop skills in use of tone and timing	Reading Role-play Observation to other	Feedback from others How confident I feel Taping a session	I feel much clearer in how to do this I read relevant chapter in Kadushin I participated in 2 role-plays, working on tone and timing	Feedback from others Confidence	Not being able to tape a session	More practice
To develop skills in motivational interviewing & apply to clients other than those using drugs	Reading presentation to group	Feedback from others? Assignment result	I feel ready to try this approach with clients Read Miller & Rollinck Reviewed wider literature	Feedback from others Assignment result	Needed more time	More practice & reading Perhaps co-work with colleague