Peer-assessment in higher education – twenty-first century practices, challenges and the way forward

Ashenafi provides a literature review of peer assessment in higher education, identifying key themes, challenges, and future directions. The paper highlights that, despite decades of research, peer assessment remains underutilized due to issues such as scalability, reliability, and student resistance. The review calls for greater interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly with computer science and automated assessment tools, to address logistical challenges. Ashenafi also emphasizes the need for clearer assessment criteria, better training for students, and improved methodologies for measuring validity and reliability.

1. Scalability is a major barrier: Peer assessment is labor-intensive when done manually, making it difficult to scale in large classes. Automated systems could help address this issue.
2. Reliability concerns persist: Agreement between peer and teacher assessments varies widely, often due to unclear criteria and lack of student training.
3. Interdisciplinary collaboration is necessary: Advances in computer science, educational psychology, and AI could improve the efficiency and fairness of peer assessment.
4. Students resist peer assessment at first: However, long-term exposure reduces anxiety and increases acceptance.
5. Iterative assessment improves learning: One-off peer assessments are less effective than multiple rounds of structured feedback and revision.

Ashenafi, M. M. (2017). Peer-assessment in higher education – twenty-first century practices, challenges and the way forward. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(2), 226–251. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1100711