Peer assessment is a learning activity that challenges you to apply critical thinking as you

read and evaluate your peer’s assignment (“University of the People,” n.d.) Peer assessment

is done in two ways at the University of the People

1. Discussion assignments; These are done in the discussion forum where a student is

supposed to post their response to the question posed by the instructor and, after that,

rate and comment on responses from the 3 other peers.

2. Written assignments; Students are required to grade 3 of their peer’s Written

assignments according to criteria given in the “Written Assignment Peer Assessment

Rubric.”

Peer Assessment has many benefits, and it is due to these benefits, that it is being used as a

form of learning at the University of the People. The following are the benefits of Peer

Assessments as a form of collaborative learning;

 Enhances one of the key life skills, which is effective communication skills.

Engaging in peer assessments helps you develop skills to talk to different groups of

people formally and respectfully.

 It helps you meet people of diverse cultural backgrounds and expand your global

network.

 Broadens a student’s understanding of the topic as they receive opinions from

different people with different mindsets.

It is known that nothing is perfect and that everything has its advantages and challenges; the

following are the challenges of peer assessment when;

Giving peer feedback;

 Some students do not use proper grammar and punctuation, making it difficult to

understand their assignment and the information they are trying to convey.

Receiving peer feedback;

 A few students were not following the criteria; they were not writing complete 3-4

sentences or 100 words on their response to posts.

 A few also copy and paste the same 3 replies on all their responses, showing that they

have not read their peer’s work.

The strategies that I used and continue to use for peer assessment are that I try to thoroughly

read through my peer’s work, learn new information that I did not know about, and also flaws

in their work (and then help them through it). In my response, I congratulate them on how

well they structured their work, the information they put in, and how well they approached

the question. After this, I added some constructive criticism or none at all if the assignment

was answered properly.

This is my take on peer assessments, such as discussion and written assignments. I am so glad

that the University of the People has opted for peer assessments as collaborative learning.

Word count: 421 words

Reference

Benefits of Peer Assessment Beyond Education (n.d.). Retrieved from LRC: Benefits of Peer

Assessment Beyond Education (uopeople.edu)

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